Leadership Series 2026: Diversifying Supply Chain and Sustainability
Apr 28, 2026

The New Risk Landscape: Why Diversification and Sustainability Are Now Strategic Imperatives

As climate volatility, regulatory scrutiny, and supply chain disruptions intensify, sustainability has moved from a reporting function to a core driver of enterprise risk management. This panel brings together Chief Sustainability Officers to examine how diversification and sustainability strategies are being used to mitigate supply chain risk, protect business continuity, and enable long-term value creation.

  • How CSOs assess and prioritize sustainability-related supply chain risks
  • Why diversification is becoming a core sustainability lever
  • How sustainability data informs sourcing and supplier decisions
  • What governance and collaboration models are working across organizations
Panelists: 
    • Joshua Goodman, Head of Corporate Sustainability, Sobeys
    • Holly McHugh, VP, Sustainability & Social Impact, Mejuri
    • Maxfield Weiss, Head of Sustainability, CIPS
    • Moderator: Elizabeth Gamble, CEO, Profoundry


Diversification Strategies That Reduce Risk and Protect Continuity

Supply chain leaders are being forced to move beyond efficiency-driven sourcing models toward more adaptive and resilient supply networks. This panel focuses on the "how" of diversification. It examines the concrete decisions organizations are making to reduce dependency, maintain continuity, and respond faster when disruption occurs.

  • Understand different diversification models and when to apply them
  • Learn how executives assess and prioritize supplier concentration risk
  • Hear real examples of diversification decisions under pressure
  • Gain insights into balancing resilience, sustainability, and cost
Panelists: 
    • Andarz Roya, Vice President, Supply Chain, Ontario Power Generation
    • Kristie Syndikus, Vice President, Supply Chain, Maple Leaf Foods
    • Alexander Ralph, Chief Procurement Officer, City of Vancouver

Embedding Sustainability into Procurement: Tools, Data, AI & Practical Levers

As sustainability expectations intensify, procurement teams must translate environmental commitments into measurable sourcing decisions at scale. Increasingly, AI and advanced analytics are playing a pivotal role in enabling visibility, automating assessments, and supporting complex trade-offs between cost, performance, and environmental impact.

  • Understand how AI supports sustainable procurement decision-making
  • Learn how organizations are using AI to analyze supplier ESG data
  • See examples of AI-driven emissions modeling and scenario planning
  • Identify practical levers procurement teams can activate today
Panelists: 
    • John Castelhano, SVP Strategic Sourcing, BGIS
    • Cora Cunningham, Director of Corporate Sourcing, L’Oreal
    • Moderator: Panos Kelamis, Vice President, Value Advisory, SAP


Powering Social Purpose through Diversification and Sustainability

Amid growing regulatory complexity, supply chain disruption, and rising expectations for measurable social and environmental impact, procurement is evolving beyond its traditional focus on efficiency. Leading organizations are leveraging core procurement capabilities, data-driven decision-making, standardization, governance, and continuous improvement to deliver broader social and sustainability outcomes.

  • Applying core procurement disciplines (data, governance, standardization) to social and sustainable outcomes
  • Moving from bespoke requirements to scalable, repeatable procurement models
  • Using diversification strategies to expand impact while strengthening supply resilience
  • Improving program efficiency through structured frameworks and performance tracking
  • Leveraging ecosystem partnerships and supplier collaboration to drive innovation

Karen Jensen, Director of Corporate Procurement, BCLC

 Networking Break


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