Karen Galena is a recognized leader in the supply chain industry who specializes in strategic design and operational execution of supply chain networks that support growth, innovation and profitability.  She is a skilled strategist with significant accomplishments analyzing and interpreting industry trends, creating market differentiation through supply chain alignment, designing operational infrastructure to support long term growth and operationalizing strategy with innovative processes.

Karen has worked with leading edge companies in a broad range of industries including: retail, (appliances to apparel), automotive, food pharmaceutical, service parts and beauty care.  She has been instrumental in helping organizations support multi-channel distribution strategies i.e. e-commerce, catalog, parts replenishment, direct to customer, in-store services, VMI, reverse logistics, etc.

Over half of Karen’s career has been spent in the retail industry with one of her primary focuses on the “Hidden Supply Chain”.  Karen has been helping retailers manage their “Hidden Supply Chain”, reducing costs and improving service around non-salable products and services.

In addition, Karen has recently been very active in the sustainability movement, working with organizations on initiatives to reduce carbon emissions, calculate carbon footprints and ensure business processes incorporate sustainability considerations.

Karen has an operations background with hands on process and operations experience.  She has the unique ability to bridge the gap between innovation and strategy with operational processes that support the strategy.  She works with organizations from an educational perspective ensuring an understanding and teaching the organizations how to carry the initiative forward. Karen has the ability to work with individuals from the board room to the operations floor. Teamwork and organizational alignment are emphasized to ensure effectiveness of the solution and produce the greatest results.

Karen has had the privilege to work with many key organizations including, PepsiCo., Frito-Lay, Inc., Ryder Distribution Services, Sears Logistics Services, Shedd’s Food Products, Hub Group Distribution Services, Philip Morris, CVS, AEP Industries, L’Oreal, PPG, RadioShack, etc.

For the past 20 years, Karen has been very active in a number of industry organizations though board positions, officer roles, committee participation, speaking and thought leadership. Ms. Galena is a popular speaker at industry events and has been featured as the keynote speaker for the Women in Logistics general session at the CSCMP Annual Conference.  She is also a published author.

Karen graduated from Michigan State University with a BA in Material Logistics Management and holds a MBA from University of Detroit .

Karen Galena
karen@scvisions.com
630.898-7468