Shay Luo helps clients optimize their global supply chain footprint. But the global supply chain isn’t a theoretical idea to Shay. She’s lived through the very human implications of global supply chain shifts. Shay grew up on her parents’ cement manufacturing site in Hunan, China. She watched ...more

Shay Luo helps clients optimize their global supply chain footprint. But the global supply chain isn’t a theoretical idea to Shay. She’s lived through the very human implications of global supply chain shifts. Shay grew up on her parents’ cement manufacturing site in Hunan, China. She watched global companies’ reshoring and nearshoring decisions affect individual factory owners, factory workers, and their families. “There are people behind the numbers,” she says. “A country’s GDP has a face—it represents millions of people working very hard.” These days, she listens to entrepreneurs in China to get their perspective on how the global supply chain is shifting. “Most Chinese manufacturing business owners know that if they’re not proactively making changes, their business won’t survive,” she says. “A lot of the reshoring and nearshoring investment in places like Mexico and Southeast Asia is being brought about by Chinese manufacturers. Instead of waiting for their fate to be written by a global brand, they’re actively taking control.” After attending school in the Netherlands and spending time in Singapore and Sweden, Shay moved to the US. She uses her perspective as a global citizen to be a bridge between continents and companies. “I’m fascinated by different cultures, and I’ve seen how people from varying cultural backgrounds behave and think differently,” she says. “I can bring new ideas back to China and help colleagues in the US understand the Chinese perspective. That’s something unique I bring to the table.” Her work spans the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. She’s a leader on the Kearney team that produces the firm’s annual reshoring index. Throughout her career, Shay has helped the world’s leading consumer goods companies transform their operations to manage growing complexity, improve performance while sustaining growth, and innovate their supply chain to create new consumer experiences. Her advice is colored by her formative experiences in the manufacturing business. “My background makes me realistic,” she says. “In my mind, the best recommendations are feasible to implement, quick to produce results, and low on risk,” she says. Shay is inspired to foster collaboration and lead diverse, high-performing teams. Outside work, she enjoys dancing Argentinian tango and practicing yoga.less