260: Women In Supply Chain, Maggie Petrovic

In today’s episode of Women In Supply Chain, I’m joined by experienced and strategic logistics operations professional, Maggie Petrovic. A business and communications graduate, Maggie honed her skills at global third-party logistics provider Coyote Logistics, gaining deep knowledge and experience across operations, sales, strategy and customer experience. As a leader at Emerge, she’s helping to save shippers time and money by operationalizing game-changing products. Today Maggie will be talking to us about her career so far; her talent for operations strategy; the excitement of start-up culture; and Mom guilt. Plus, she’ll be sharing her experiences as a woman in the industry, as well as her words of advice for all of the women following in her footsteps.   SHOW SPONSOR:   This Women in Supply Chain feature was made possible by our sponsor, Emerge. As a company focused on empowering and growing meaningful supply chain relationships, Emerge is proud to sponsor Women in Supply Chain. Through its freight procurement platform, Emerge offers solutions that enhance the spot and contract procurement process, enabling shippers and carriers to make more strategic decisions.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [06.24] Maggie’s background, her field hockey college scholarship, and her reflections on how a sporting mindset correlates so well with business, and supply chain. [14.02] How Maggie went from a Business and Communications degree to a successful career in supply chain. “It sounded interesting… it was an industry that was growing after the recession and not shrinking… I got an offer from Coyote Logistics, and never looked back!” [16.32] Maggie’s time at Coyote Logistics, learning on the job, and the experience she gained from having a ‘just say yes’ mentality. “When I think about the roles and opportunities that stick out, it was really just me saying yes to anything and everything that was going to give me an opportunity to learn more and put me out of my comfort zone.” [18.28] Maggie’s experience of living and working in Europe, and what she learned. [21.15] Maggie’s role as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Emerge. “I truly believe that what we’re doing at Emerge is game changing – we’re building products that the industry really needs” [22.12] The impact of COVID on procurement, and the resulting trends and learnings. [24.02] Maggie’s experience of Mom guilt, and how she balances work and motherhood. “I certainly had Mom guilt going back to work after maternity leave. I thought: ‘my baby is so small, how can I leave her all day’? and that was so hard.” [26.39] Why Maggie loves the culture and benefits that come from working in a start-up, and her experiences, as a woman, of working in those environments. “Start-ups can be extremely lucrative and awesome opportunities for everyone. At a start-up, you have better access to having a seat at the table, having your voice heard and ideas implemented.” [29.30] How saying yes and trying something new in business helped Maggie to find her voice and grow in confidence. [31.35] Maggie’s work ethic, the difference between advocates and mentors and why it’s important to have both. [34.16] What the future holds for Maggie, and for Emerge. [34.53] Maggie’s words of advice for all of the women following in her footsteps.   RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:   You can connect with Maggie over on LinkedIn. If you enjoyed finding out more about female leaders at Emerge, why not check out episode 255, where I'm joined by Mardi Tegmeyer, Customer Success Manager at Emerge. And if you're interested in hearing more about balancing motherhood with a successful career - and why we need to talk about it - head over to episode 234 to hear what Anne Robinson has to say. Check out our other podcasts HERE.