Clarkson’s Michelle Tartalio Discusses Strategic Thinking on Supply Chain Podcast
April 28, 2025 | Clarkston Consulting’s Michelle Tartalio, head of marketing and corporate strategy, was a guest on the latest She Supply Chains Podcast episode. Michelle discusses the value of organizational health – how it can help identify blindspots – and that across industries, people are the key to a healthy organization. She shares her supply chain background, career journey, experience serving on boards, and how she cultivated her leadership and strategy skills. View a few quotes below, and listen to the full episode here.
Looking Around Corners with Michelle Tartalio: Strategic Thinking in Today’s Supply Chains
Michelle highlighted that industry expertise is crucial to really get to the root of the challenge and determine a strategic direction:
“Every business needs a vision, strategic plan, competitive analysis. So there are things that are in that evergreen category, but I am a firm believer that industry expertise is very important and necessary. You could ask a pharmaceutical supply chain exec ‘Are you worried about your inventory levels?’ and you could ask a food company the same question. The answer in both cases would be yes, but the reasons would be very different. A food company would be thinking about products that are out of stock and consumer behavior and ultimately loosing consumer household loyalty which impacts revenue and feels like an emergency. If there is a product shortage on the pharma side, patients might not get life-saving treatments or medications which impacts communities at large. So, that’s where that industry expertise is really important in that strategy as well.”
When asked what drives her in current role, Michelle said:
“We’re delivering something amazing for a very specific segment of the market, and that is exciting – to try to find that match and to know that they’re going to be delighted! That just motivates me everyday, and we just got to keep finding the right matches [where we have the right expertise and where we know we can do a great job]. That’s what we’re looking for and that’s who we hope finds us, and when it works out, that’s so awesome.”