Held on the Loughborough University campus, the programme combined delivering research-led insights through executive education with engaging roundtable discussions. This approach enabled attendees to not only engage with cutting-edge research but also reflect, connect, and collaborate on shared industry priorities.
Professor Jan Godsell, Dean of Loughborough Business School, speaker and co-host, said: “The scale of transformation facing supply chains requires bold thinking, collaboration and experimentation to address effectively.
“Our inaugural Discovery Week created a space for leaders to take a step back from the day-to-day and engage deeply with the big challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
“From circularity to resilience, and productivity to AI, the conversations were not only intellectually rich but also practically useful.”
Exploring transformation, resilience and innovation
The first day offered a deep dive into academic insights and practical strategies. Speakers included Professor Jan Godsell, Professor Donato Masi and Dr Yasmine Sabri of Loughborough Business School, as well as senior faculty from the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics.
Dr Jarrod Goentzel, Director of the MIT Humanitarian Supply Chain Lab, delivered a compelling session on supply chain resilience. Reflecting on the significance of the event, he said: “Supply chains are innately human. Despite all the data and analytics, they depend on relationships. Events like this are critical, especially in the face of global disruption, because they help build those connections and allow us to manage complexity together.”
“Learning from research one day, then talking through its application the next, is incredibly powerful. That’s how innovation in supply chains happens, not in isolation but in dialogue.”
Provocation meets collaboration in roundtable sessions
Day two saw the focus turn to curated roundtable discussions, each opened by an industry “Firestarter” - senior leaders invited to challenge accepted thinking and spark new debate.
Martin Corner, Executive Director of Supply Chain Management at Aston Martin, led a session on ‘Re-imagining Global Supply Chains’, he said:
“The real beauty of this event was bringing together business leaders from diverse sectors to engage with independent academic insight. The unbiased, systemic view provided by the MIT and Loughborough teams helped us challenge industry assumptions - and that’s invaluable.”
Conversations in his session ranged from geopolitical shifts and rare earth materials to the long-term implications of reshoring and localisation.
Sustainability and AI under the spotlight
The ‘Building Sustainable Supply Chains’ roundtable was led by Conor Quinn, Managing Principal at Argon & Co, who emphasised the value of engaging with differing viewpoints: “This was a rare chance to really challenge your assumptions, collaborate across sectors, and see what new ideas you can take back into your own organisation.”
The final session of the day centred on ‘Applying AI and Automation in Supply Chains’. Eva Cullen, VP Supply Chain at CHEP, encouraged participants to reflect more deeply on emerging technologies: “We all have strong viewpoints, but hearing others’ experiences and obstacles helps you reconsider your own stance. This event was a great opportunity to stand back and ask, ‘where am I focusing my time, and why?’”
The future of the UK SCALE Centre
The annual UK SCALE Discovery Week isn’t just about knowledge sharing, it’s about co-creating the future of supply chains in the UK and beyond.
With its blend of academic insight, industry experience, and collaborative discussion, the event offers a unique platform for those ready to rethink, reconnect, and reshape how supply chains operate in an increasingly uncertain world.
To find out how you can get involved with the UK SCALE Centre, including opportunities to collaborate, take part in executive education, or contribute to future Discovery Weeks, visit the UK SCALE Centre website.