Integrated Risk Assessment in the Supply Chain

In this episode of Supply Chain Now, Scott Luton welcomes Alex Pillow, Senior Director of Partnerships & Acquisitions (Corporates & Government Unit) at Moody’s and host of the podcast KYC Decoded, for a practical breakdown of how “know your customer” (KYC), third-party due diligence, and third-party risk management map directly onto modern supply chain realities. Alex demystifies integrated risk assessment, connects KYC practices to supplier onboarding and end-tier visibility, and shares where orchestration logic and high-quality data (master data management, beneficial ownership, and external risk signals) meaningfully cut time-to-decision.Alex explores today’s most active threat patterns: organized fraud at scale, cyber supply-chain intrusions, and freight fraud, and how to translate visibility into action with clear mitigation pathways. Alex also spotlights lessons from investigative journalism (think massive crypto heists executed via vendor compromises), a “good team vs. bad team” mindset for program design, and why continuous improvement or the “infinite game” is the only sustainable posture for risk leaders. If you’re building or leveling up TPRM and supply chain risk programs, this episode is a masterclass in combining people, data, and tooling to get ahead of disruption.Jump into the conversation:(00:00) Intro(01:27) Meet Alex Pillow from Moody's(02:14) Alex's podcast KYC Decoded and personal insights(04:49) Marathon training and personal goals(07:56) Understanding Moody's and integrated risk assessment(12:46) What is KYC and why is it important?(17:04) Parallels between KYC and supply chain management(26:09) Fraud and cybersecurity risks(31:59) Combating financial crime and corruption(34:08) Challenges faced by regulators and practitioners(35:34) The role of vendors and consultants(36:22) The Infinite Game: A call to action(39:09) Mindset shift for risk mitigation(42:48) The importance of a risk-based approach(47:54) Building a successful digital transformation toolkit(55:27) The impact of cybercrime on supply chainsAdditional Links & Resources:Connect with Alex Pillow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-pillow/Check out the KYC Decoded podcast: https://www.moodys.com/web/en/us/insights/podcasts/kyc-decoded.htmlLearn more about Moody’s: https://www.moodys.com Connect with Scott Luton: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottwindonluton/Learn more about Supply Chain Now: https://supplychainnow.com Watch and listen to more Supply Chain Now episodes here: https://supplychainnow.com/program/supply-chain-now Subscribe to Supply Chain Now on your favorite platform: https://supplychainnow.com/join Work with us! Download Supply Chain Now’s NEW Media Kit: https://bit.ly/3XH6OVkWEBINAR- Empowering Decision-Making in 2026 with Supply Chain Orchestration: https://bit.ly/3W7swlLWEBINAR- Inside Outdoor Cap’s Warehouse: How Voice Picking Elevated Daily Operations: https://bit.ly/49m4D1zWEBINAR- Supply Chain Strength: Strategies that Deliver in any Economy: https://bit.ly/4hqTnTHThis episode was hosted by Scott Luton and produced by Trisha Cordes, Joshua Miranda, and Amanda Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/integrated-risk-assessment-supply-chain-1501 The content in this episode, including all audio, videos, visuals, and graphics, is the property of Supply Chain Now and is protected by copyright law. Unauthorized use, reproduction, distribution, modification, or re-uploading of this content in any form is strictly prohibited without explicit written permission from Supply Chain Now.For licensing inquiries or permissions, please contact us at [email protected]© 2026 Supply Chain Now. All rights reserved. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.