Women in supply chain leadership: Bridging the representation gap
Abstract
Women represent a significant proportion of the global supply chain workforce, yet their presence declines sharply at senior leadership levels, highlighting a persistent and widening representation gap. This paper examines the structural, cultural, and organisational factors that sustain this imbalance, drawing on industry data, practitioner insight, and research to map the disparity across career stages. It identifies critical barriers including mid-career attrition linked to the ‘motherhood penalty’ and burnout, the lack of sponsorship and access to influential networks, unconscious bias in hiring and promotion, and structural constraints such as inflexible operating models and narrow role definitions. The paper also explores how entrenched workplace cultures and the separation of operational and functional career paths limit progression opportunities for women. Alongside these systemic factors, it considers the role of individual agency and leadership visibility in shaping career outcomes. The analysis highlights that early pipeline representation does not translate into executive diversity without sustained intervention. A practical framework is presented, outlining targeted strategies for organisations to improve representation, including embedding accountability at leadership level, redesigning roles for flexibility, strengthening sponsorship programmes, and removing bias from talent processes. The paper concludes that closing the gender gap is both a strategic and operational imperative for supply chain organisations seeking to strengthen leadership capability. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
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Author's Biography
Ross Dawson is Practice Lead for Procurement, Supply Chain and Operations at Eton Bridge Partners Limited. She has two decades of global experience in executive search and talent advisory, with a distinguished record of placing senior leaders across private equity (PE) and venture capital-backed companies, FTSE 100, 250, 350, and Alternative Investment Market-listed companies. Her expertise spans both permanent and interim placements, enabling her to partner with board-level executives on critical hiring decisions and organisational capability development. Ross has been recognised four times as a runner-up in the Institute of Interim Management Interim Management Survey & Provider Rankings, widely regarded as the most comprehensive and prestigious assessment of interim management providers. She is particularly focused on the strategic intersection of procurement, supply chain, and operations with broader business performance and environmental, social, and governance objectives. In her role at Eton Bridge Partners, Ross delivers tailored executive search and interim management solutions for clients ranging from ambitious scale-ups and PE funds to small and medium-sized enterprises and global corporations. Beyond her professional work, Ross is a passionate advocate for equality, diversity, and inclusion in the supply chain profession. She chaired Eton Bridge’s wellbeing programme for two years, volunteers for Learning to Work, a youth development charity that facilitates the link between education and the world of work to prepare young people for the workplace, holds certification in Mental Health First Aid, and mentors a young leader through Street Child United, a charity supported by Eton Bridge Partners.
Citation
Dawson, Ross (2026, September 1). Women in supply chain leadership: Bridging the representation gap. In the Journal of Supply Chain Management, Logistics and Procurement, Volume 9, Issue 1. https://doi.org/10.69554/WXIX8396.
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