Nada Sanders

Supply Chain Authority, Futurist & AI Expert, Professor, Author & Consultant

Nada Sanders

Supply Chain Authority, Futurist & AI Expert, Professor, Author & Consultant

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Biography

Dr. Nada Sanders is Distinguished Professor at Northeastern University, Board of Economic Advisors of Association of Industries of Massachusetts (AIM), Fellow of Decision Sciences Institute (DSI), and among top 2% of world scientists according to Stanford University. She is author of multiple award-winning books on global supply chains, AI, business forecasting, enterprise resilience, and the future of work.

As the world’s leading authority on forecasting and global supply chain management, Dr. Nada Sanders has become the go-to expert on predicting economic trends and helping companies prepare for the future. The originator of the term “Coronavirus Downturn,” she has been a regular contributor to numerous news outlets, including CNN, BBC, CNBC, NPR, New York Times, The Economist, The Atlantic, Fortune, Fast Company, The Boston Globe - and every influential source of intelligence for today’s corporate directors, predicting economic and business outcomes.

Dr. Sanders now predicts a ‘new normal’ economic environment filled with crises and the need for organizations to quickly become more resilient – and tells companies how to do this. She knows exactly what companies need to navigate past the hype to adopt AI to achieve business goals. Leveraging experience with a range of industries (retail, CPG, pharma, medical supplies, high tech, agriculture, food and more), Dr. Sanders tailors her presentations to address client focus and unique concerns.

Speaker Videos

Sizzle Reel Nada Sanders

Introducing Nada Sanders

Hedging Against the Big Three | CNBC

The Key is Relationship Building

Companies are Making This BIG Mistake

Connecting with Business Partners through HUMAN SKILLS

The PEOPLE Element

Do We Trust Humans or AI to Make Decisions?

Why Did Global Supply Chain Fail?

COVID-19 Resilience Talk: Supply Chain Disruption in the Pharmaceuticals Industry

The New Normal

Virtual Keynote: The Role of Humans in the Implementation of AI

See Fewer Videos

Speech Topics

“Humachine”: The Future of Enterprise

The “Humachine” is the enterprise of the future – and the future is here. It is an enterprise that thrives in the age of AI by combining the unique talents of people (creativity and innovation), with the mechanical efficiencies of machines (economies of scale, big data processing, and artificial intelligence). Machines and humans are coworkers – working side by side — leveraging their unique strengths in a symbiotic relationship.

Leading companies are already exhibiting Humachine traits and enterprises need to evolve or they will perish. Dr. Sanders’ research uncovers that Humachine traits actually focus less on technology and more on human talent. In fact, the single differentiator of technological enterprise success lies in having the right human resource qualities at all levels – leaders, managers, doers. It also requires having the right organizational culture. As counterintuitive as it may seem, the best way to take advantage of AI is for enterprises to invest more in their human resources – in reskilling, upskilling and lifelong learning.

With invaluable insights for business and industry, Dr. Sanders draws upon her award winning book The Humachine (2nd ed 2024 Routledge), unveils what the future of enterprise will look like, and offers a roadmap for every organization to follow to prepare for this tectonic shift in the competitive landscape.

The Skills Your Employees Need to Work Effectively with AI

What are the skills you and your employees need to succeed in the age of AI? Based on the award winning Harvard Business Review article (“The Skills Your Employees Need to Work Effectively with AI”, HBR, 2023) this talk presents exactly what organizations and all employees need to do to be ready. The key opportunity for every enterprise in 2024 will be to prepare their organization and people for the age of AI. This talk tells every organization what to do and how to do it. Jobs are being redefined as a collection of skills and tasks, not titles- and the skills everyone has to invest in to make the best decisions with AI are not what you think. This engaging talk tells business leaders exactly what to do to prepare – and some of it may surprise you. You will walk away knowing exactly what to do to get ready to work with AI and prepare your workforce for the future.

The State of Global Supply Chains: Now & Beyond

The pandemic has shown the world how vulnerable our supply chains are, creating unprecedented disruptions across all industry sectors. We have seen business interruptions, stockouts and shortages that have put entire economies at risk. In this essential talk, Dr. Nada Sanders, the foremost authority on helping companies rebuild their supply chains, offers specific strategies companies should be taking now and into the future. She also covers what leaders should examine when assessing supply chain risk and resiliency, using her proprietary supplier risk index. Leveraging experience with a range of industries (pharma, medical supply, retail, high tech, agriculture, food and more), Dr. Sanders tailors her presentations to address audience focus and concerns.

How Covid Killed Supply Chains

A post-mortem evaluation of how the pandemic, corporate and government response, destroyed supply chains all over the world. This engaging talk shows what went wrong, how business interruption and stockouts in key resource shortages put entire economies at risk and offers specific strategies for corporate leaders to be prepared for the future. By understanding how supply chains failed we can be better prepared to handle catastrophic risk in the future.

How to Build Resilient Supply Chains: Four Strategies that Work

What will the future look like and how do we prepare? Every business is looking for strategies to build resilience in light of a turbulent future. Dr. Nada Sanders offers four key strategic elements every company should use to redesign their organizations and supply chains. A fascinating look at threats to global trends impacting global supply chains - from geopolitics, climate disruptions, economic threats, and pandemics – and how organizations can build resilience to withstand these shocks and volatility.

Disruption is the "New Normal": Is Your Organization Ready?

As the world’s leading authority on forecasting and global supply chain management, Dr. Nada Sanders has become the go-to expert on predicting economic trends and helping companies prepare for the future. The originator of the term “Coronavirus Downturn,” she has been interviewed by numerous news outlets, including CNN, BBC, the New York Times, The Economist, The Atlantic, Fortune, The Boston Globe and virtually every influential source of intelligence for today’s corporate directors, predicting economic and business outcomes. Dr. Sanders now predicts a ‘new normal’ economic environment filled with crises and the need for organizations to quickly become more resilient.

In this comprehensive talk, which can be tailored to the concerns of specific audiences, Dr. Sanders provides a worldwide assessment of new normal global environment —with riveting forecasts of what’s likely to come and how companies should prepare.

Dr. Sanders explains what companies did wrong pre-pandemic, specific lessons that can be learned and not repeated, and how to use this knowledge to become more resilient as an enterprise for the future that is coming.

She cautions that the future will not look like the past and she discusses specific strategies companies should use to prepare. “This will require reimagining business strategy, building resilience into supply chains, and being ready to pivot.” In this keynote talk, she explains to business leaders exactly what they need to do now to prepare.

This is the Human Era

Forget your fears about the rise of AI, robotics, blockchains, IoT and other technologies “botsourcing” our jobs. Instead, get ready for a golden age when humans are empowered to flourish, emotional connections are paramount and authenticity is essential. According to futurist, AI expert and business professor Dr. Nada Sanders, we are at the dawn of the Human Era. In the Human Era, machines are just tools doing automated, repetitive, and standardized tasks. Uniquely human qualities such as creativity, innovation, adaptability, empathy, integrity, and imagination will not only rule the day, but be heightened by technology. Afterall, machines will never fix bad processes, poor management practices, or failing employee morale. Innovation, strategy and connections with co-workers and customers will never be taken over by machines. Dr Sanders. provides an illuminating look ahead at a people-focused future in which humans and uniquely human qualities continue to advance our enterprises, society and economy.

The Future of Work

Technology is changing every aspect of how we work. Robots are quickly becoming our new co-workers and many jobs are being ‘botsourced’ – with human jobs now being done by machines. However, the future is actually exciting for humans. There are so many human skills that machines will not be able to acquire. There are also many new jobs being created that we would never have imagined in the past.

In this cutting-edge presentation, Dr. Nada Sanders helps you get ready. She forecasts what the future of work will really look like, including:

Key trends that will shape work in the coming decade.
What everyone in the workforce needs to do to prepare
How to “robot-proof” their career--from lifelong learning to developing key human literacies
The human advantage in the technology era, such as creative problem solving, critical thinking, communication, teamwork, systems and entrepreneurial thinking, and developing their emotional intelligence

Leadership in the Digital Age

The digital era requires all enterprises to evolve or they will perish – and this rests on the shoulders of leadership. Leadership in the digital age requires a different set of skills than in the analog age. Dr. Nada Sanders’ research finds the key to enterprise success in the digital age rests on the right human qualities and the right organizational culture. It also finds that many executives are still taking either a “wait and see approach” to technology or seeing it as a “plug and play” solution. According to Dr. Sanders, neither are going to work. Leading an enterprise in the digital age requires understanding the seismic shift occurring in the competitive landscape.

Dr. Sanders examines:

The importance of a vision beyond profits that everyone can rally around
Selecting and nurturing the right talent—and its critical role
Championing a culture of innovation, entrepreneurship and empowering others
Creating a fluid and flexible organizational structure

Testimonials

"Nada is a true visionary in her strategic view."

- Michael Jacobs, Chief Logistics Officer at Keurig

“You were a huge hit today! I know more than 500 were listening, and I’m sure we’ll have many more watch on-demand. One of my colleagues told me you were her favorite speaker of the conference. So thank you again for a great contribution and for adding such a powerful message to our lineup. You are a pleasure to work with.”

- Kinaxis

"I can’t say enough in praising the Supply Chain Vulnerabilities presentation by Dr. Nada Sanders for PLMA’s Virtual Washington Conference. Her knowledge and insights impressed everyone who took part. Not a second of her talk was wasted, as she ably addressed some of most critical issues our audience have been confronted with during these extraordinary times. It was obvious Dr. Sanders put a great deal of thought and focus into her remarks based on the preparatory session with us. Her presentation had a feeling of immediacy and familiarity with our industry, which came across with clarity and ease in the Zoom setting. I owe you a big debt of gratitude for recommending her to speak for this event."

- PLMA

“She is a fantastic presenter with great content.”

- Dr. Bernd Huber, Head Sourcing Center of Excellence, Google

“She is an outstanding speaker, committed teacher, and innovative scholar. Her work in forecasting is on the cutting edge addressing key business issues in times of change.”

- Kate Vitasek, Author, educator and architect of the Vested Business Model

“She brings boundless energy, brilliant thinking, and fresh insights. It is an absolute pleasure to work with her.”

- Siri Terejesen, Chair and Associate Professor at American University