SHERI HINISH
THE SUPPLY CHAIN INTERVIEW
W hile supply chain has long been regarded as the kind of work that keeps the lights on but rarely commands a seat at the leadership table, a new generation of executives is changing the narrative entirely.
Among them is Sheri Hinish, widely known as the Supply Chain Queen, a strategist, author and founder who has spent the better part of two decades redefining what supply chain leadership can look like when it is driven by conviction, curiosity and an unrelenting belief in its power to do good in the world.
Sheri’ s path into the industry was not a straight line. Growing up as a firstgeneration college student in a household where the language was“ jobs, not careers,” supply chain was never part of the plan.“ Supply chain wasn’ t something I dreamed about as a kid or even heard of until my twenties,” Sheri recalls.“ It found me.”
What began in integrated demand planning and procurement quickly revealed itself as something far more expansive. Sheri discovered a natural ability to see connections others overlooked, tracing the ripple effects of a sourcing decision in Southeast Asia all the way to a community outcome thousands of miles away.
“ I fell in love with the complexity of how things actually get made and moved around the world,” she says.“ But more than that, I started to see the human experience woven through all of it, and how innovation could be used to amplify impact and drive more responsible decisions.”
SHERI HINISH
TITLE:“ SUPPLY CHAIN QUEEN”
First-generation student Sheri discovered supply chain in her twenties, becoming enamored with its complexity. After industry roles, she transitioned to consulting, leading global sustainability and supply chain practices at IBM and EY.
That perspective shaped a career that took her from industry roles to the highest levels of global consulting. At IBM, Sheri rose to Senior Executive, leading global sustainability and supply chain practices before moving to EY as a Global Consulting Leader.
Along the way, she pursued advanced degrees at Rutgers and a Master’ s at Harvard, all while asking the questions that made boardrooms uncomfortable: why are we optimising for cost instead of long-term value? Why isn’ t climate resilience on the CFO’ s dashboard? Why are we still treating sustainability as a compliance exercise instead of a competitive advantage?
Those questions became the foundation of a philosophy and, eventually, a brand. The“ Supply Chain Queen” moniker began as a nickname, a recognition from peers of the rare confidence Sheri brought to rooms where women were frequently the only voice present. She trademarked it,
44 March 2026