The Women in Supply Chain Forum™, happening November 17-19 in Charleston, South Carolina, is the only female-focused conference dedicated to supporting and celebrating women in supply chain. Growing from 68 attendees five years ago to over 250 professionals, the event features mentorship matching, networking sessions, industry leaders, and partnerships focused on creating year-round community and career advancement opportunities for women in the supply chain industry.
- The fifth annual Women in Supply Chain Forum™ takes place November 17-19 in Charleston, South Carolina, with over 250 attendees expected
- The forum originated from the Women in Supply Chain Award, which received over 300 submissions this year, including a record 70 self-nominations and 44 male-submitted nominations
- New features include a Be a Mentor, Find a Mentor networking session with matchmaking, speed dating-style networking, and a Move For Hunger meal packing event
- Approximately 10% of past attendees paid their own way to attend, demonstrating the event's value to female supply chain professionals
- This year's theme is Self-Advocacy in the Workforce: Brand Yourself While Empowering Others to Climb the Corporate Ladder
We are officially one month away from kicking off the fifth annual Women in Supply Chain Forum™.
When I co-founded the Women in Supply Chain Forum™ five years ago, it was designed to create a safe space for men and women in supply chain to connect.
We launched in Atlanta during COVID with just 68 attendees, no hotel block and a lot of speakers/industry friends who did me huge favors by saying yes to presenting on stage.
Winners from the 2022 Women in Supply Chain Forum™ Award in attendance at the 2022 Women in Supply Chain Forum™ in Atlanta.Winners from the 2022 Women in Supply Chain Forum™ Award in attendance at the 2022 Women in Supply Chain Forum™ in Atlanta.
Five years later, the Women in Supply Chain Forum™, Nov. 17-19 in Charleston, S.C., will host 250-plus men and women eager to learn, network, mentor and more.
Today, it’s more than a safe place to connect; it is the only female-focused conference specific to supporting, celebrating and advocating for women in the supply chain space.
We’ve grown so much in the past five years.
What was once a 1.5-day event has grown to 2.5 days of pure content, connections, networking and more.
We have some pretty amazing industry leaders gracing the stage to talk about their journeys, advice, lessons learned and best practices, including Ellen Voie, founder of Women in Trucking Association, who serves as the Keynote Speaker, talking about all things self-advocacy, self-branding and the importance of promoting women in transportation; Wanda Johnson, transformation leader at Deloitte, who serves as Closing Keynote Speaker and will outline how to negotiate with clarity, strategy, and impact; and Bindiya Vakil, founder and CEO of Arcessio and former founder and CEO of Resilinc, and the very first overall winner of the Women in Supply Chain Forum ™ award, who will detail the ways in which female supply chain professionals can work to future-proof their own supply chains – and themselves.
New to the schedule is our "Be a mentor, find a mentor" networking session entails behind-the-scenes matchmaking to pair up mentors with mentees to begin building connections, sharing best practices and forming a life-long bond. This initiative highlights our path forward to creating year-round mentorship opportunities for women of all ages, backgrounds, skillsets, etc.
Networking exerciseNetworking exercise
Speed dating-type networking sessions allow attendees to share their journeys, get to know others and start a networking foundation for the conference based off of industry topics.
And, thanks to our Year 2 partnership with Move For Hunger, attendees can participate in a meal packing event by packing a nutritious meal kit that will feed a family of four facing hunger in the Charleston area.
We also offer bulk registration discounts, hotel room discounts, student discounts, justification letters, sponsorship messaging, and so much more.
But none of this happened overnight.
The Women in Supply Chain Forum™ really started from feedback from the Women in Supply Chain Forum™ Award over six years ago.
It was 2020. Right in the beginning stages of COVID. For many, that seemed like the worst time to launch an award, but for me, it was necessary. What better time to celebrate women in the supply chain than at a time when they’re juggling so many tasks outside of their comfort zone.
Shortly after launching the award, so many women reached out, women who felt out of place in the workplace, who felt they were never heard or seen, who felt alone and underappreciated, who felt stuck, who felt like they couldn’t trust anyone in the industry.
These are real statements from real women in the supply chain space.
They looked at this award as a means of hope, as a path forward, as a community.
The award launched with less than 100 nominations.
Today, six years later, this year’s award saw over 300 submissions, with 70 of those 300 self-nominations, the highest number of self-nominated applications ever in the 6-year history of this award. Nearly 44 of the submissions came from male counterparts, who nominated their female boss, co-worker, etc.; also the highest number of male-submitted nominations to date.
THIS is why I created the Women in Supply Chain Forum™.
Attendees from the 2025 Women in Supply Chain Forum™.Attendees from the 2025 Women in Supply Chain Forum™.
So we could bring these women together to act on that hope, to find their own path forward, to be a part of a community.
More than an awards program, the Women in Supply Chain Forum™ has evolved into a premier gathering for supply chain professionals to learn, network, mentor and celebrate the accomplishments of women shaping the future of the industry.
Did you know that roughly 10% of past attendees paid their own way to attend last year’s Women in Supply Chain Forum™?
Did you know that a majority of female supply chain leaders attend this conference for personal reasons: to grow their personal network, learn from others while educating others and becoming a part of a community?
While no one should ever have to pay their own way to attend an industry event, it’s proof why the Women in Supply Chain Forum™ is necessary.
It builds a bridge between all of the industry conferences and tradeshows and allows for men and women to “talk shop” without having to man the shop.
This year’s theme, "Self-Advocacy in the Workforce: Brand Yourself While Empowering Others to Climb the Corporate Ladder," demonstrates how strong leaders can elevate both their own careers and the careers of those around them.
Whether you’re a panelist, winner or attendee, a CEO or a truck driver, someone who’s just entering the supply chain space or a veteran whose seen and experienced it all, the Women in Supply Chain Forum™ is the place to be.
Many of the women, on stage and in the audience, are doing remarkable things for their communities, organizations and teams and paving the way for future young female leaders to be a part of an industry that’s making a difference.
Thank you to our incredible sponsors -- Cooler Logistics, Reveel, Trailer Bridge, Miebach, Curbo, Divine2Win, WSI | Kase, TGW Logistics, ORTEC, Envoy AI, Sitehound, Robust AI and UNFI.
And, to our amazing media partners – Women in Trucking Association, Manifest Vegas 2027, Transportation Marketing & Sales Association and International Foodservice Distributors Association – thank you for sharing our vision, passion and goals to better support women in supply chain.
Supporting the Next Generation of Women Leaders: Why Mentorship Matters -- with Jenny Fall, director of driver engagement for Women in Trucking Association.
And there’s more to come! Building a community of women for women takes a village.
We cannot do it alone. Nor do we want to do it alone.
There’s definitely strength in numbers, and providing a “home” for women to come together as one is why the Women in Supply Chain Forum™ continues to grow.
We are one month away. Come be a part of our community. Find your industry friend. Share your journey. Partner with us so we can join forces and better support women in the supply chain space.
Still need more reasons to attend? Visit the Why Attend section.
