Global supply chains require worldly managers who not only excelat outsourcing and other cost-cutting measures but have a broadenough base of experience to aid the company's growth as economiesrecover, according to Jim Davis, a managing director at RussellReynolds who conducts searches for top executives in industrialmanufacturing and distribution industries and co-heads therecruiting firm's supply chain practice.

“On the recruitment side, demand is pretty heavy” for executivesto head integrated supply chains, Davis says, noting that a cadreof senior executives is approaching retirement and companies arefinding “inadequate replacements.”

That's partly because the push toward increased outsourcing andjust-in-time inventories has made the business environment socomplex that executives often specialize in vertical silos of theintegrated supply chain, such as purchasing, manufacturing,distribution and logistics, Davis says. “It tends to limit thesupply of people who have that broad experience.”

An expected pick-up in the growth of economies worldwide, afterthe recessionary lows of recent years, increases the need foranother layer of skills.

“There are the executives that are astute at outsourcing andcutting costs, and then there's the mentality of folks good atworking with the sales and marketing departments to developproducts they can make in the supply chain effectively and get tothe shelves faster,” Davis says. “That's a focus on growth ratherthan cost reduction.”

That requires collaboration skills, and global experience helpsas well, since companies have outsourced their needs to suppliersacross the planet. In fact, executives managing supply chaindivisions at large corporations may also need the ability to adaptto new cultures and surroundings. Davis says a largeU.S.-headquartered technology company recently moved its entiresupply chain department to Southeast Asia.

“Many of the folks running the supply chain in the U.S. declinedto go over,” he says.

To read about what some big companies are doing to controlsupply-chain risks, see So Long, Just-in-Time Inventory. And for a look at thefactors involved in quantifying supply-chain risks, readProperty Risk Blind Spot.