MJ Schoemaker appointed SAPICS president

In a development appropriate to this issue of FOCUS – which, in line with Women’s Day and Women’s Month, celebrates women in our industry – MJ Schoemaker has been appointed SAPICS president.

Schoemaker takes over from outgoing SAPICS president Keabetswe Mpane, another remarkable woman. Mpane presided over a well-attended recent AGM and shared with members a summary of the activities undertaken in 2020.

SAPICS has been at the forefront of the drive to professionalise the supply chain management profession in Africa for several years. “The professional designations that SAPICS is working to implement will legitimise the role of supply chain professionals, raising the career profile and improving the image of the profession of supply chain management,” Mpane says.

She believes that professionalising the industry is essential to address corruption and malfeasance in procurement and supply chains in the private and public sectors. “By professionally designating individuals, SAPICS will increase supply chain management competence, knowledge and skills, and industry professionals will have prescribed values and ethics to uphold. The ongoing professional development required to maintain designations will ensure that African supply chain management keeps pace with global best practice.”

Mpane reported at the AGM that during the past year SAPICS continued to promote supply chain education and certification, with comprehensive education offerings from its international partners as well as from local organisations. “Since it was established in 1966, SAPICS has been building supply chain management excellence and developing individuals and enterprises through education, training and events, comprehensive resources, and networking opportunities with a community of accomplished industry professionals. Capably pivoting to adapt to the challenges of the pandemic, SAPICS introduced various online events throughout 2020 and also participated in a number of international events. We hosted the first virtual SAPICS Conference, which received outstanding feedback from delegates who were from all industries, from the public health sector to lecturers from universities as well as private sector organisations. Our South African youth and their studies and experiential learning have been affected by the pandemic, but SAPICS did not neglect this vital sector of its community. An engaging youth development programme was put in place and student membership and engagement is flourishing. The future of our supply chains rests in these dynamic minds that must be nurtured.”

Director MJ Schoemaker succeeds Mpane in the role of SAPICS president. SAPICS directors Richard dos Santos and Kamogelo Mampane have been joined on the board by David Crewe Brown, Solly Engelbrecht and Chanti Wilson.

Schoemaker has been a director of SAPICS for two years. She has extensive end-to-end supply chain and business excellence knowledge built up over 30 years of international corporate exposure at organisations including Ricoh, Lego and Janssen Pharmaceuticals (Johnson & Johnson). Her business, ProSCE2E, helps organisations and their people to achieve excellence through maturity assessments, consulting and coaching. Her passion is to drive business excellence through creating synergies between departments and people. Shoemaker is currently working within the health sector to drive differentiated delivery in response to Covid-19 and with SMMEs to improve systems and processes.

“As an organisation, SAPICS is exceptionally fortunate to have a legacy of strong leadership,” says SAPICS chief operating officer Jenny Froome. “Thanks must go to outgoing SAPICS president Kea Mpane for her contribution over eight years as a director of SAPICS and two years as president. Her passion for the profession shone through in everything she did during her tenure. She made a valuable contribution to advancing transformation and to the development of the comprehensive supply chain competency framework that will anchor the professional designations for the supply chain profession. Our future is looking bright, and we are fortunate to have new leaders with deep supply chain knowledge and experience combined with a passion for service excellence and professionalisation. We are confident that SAPICS is in good hands, and we look forward to the year ahead under Shoemaker’s guidance and leadership.”

We wish her well!