The Strategic COO: Navigating Disruption and Driving Change with Suketu Gandhi

Suketu Gandhi and Joe Lynch discuss the strategic COO: navigating disruption and driving change. Suketu is a partner and global chair for the Strategic Operations Practice at Kearney, a leading management consulting firm.

About Suketu Ghandi

Suketu Gandhi is a partner and global chair for the Strategic Operations Practice at Kearney, a leading management consulting firm. Based in Chicago, his expertise covers a wide range of operations topics, with an emphasis on end-to-end supply chains and their redesign for four critical purposes, growth, cost, resilience, and sustainability. Noting that the key to maximizing their effectiveness lies in the combination of human intelligence, AI, and automation, he underpins this with a deep understanding of how global operations work. Suketu’s passion for operations work goes back to the earliest days of his career with a major retailer. Now, he puts this knowledge to work for clients throughout the consumer and retail space. Suketu is frequently published on operations transformation topics in outlets such as HBR, MIT Sloan Management Review, and The Wall Street Journal.

About Kearney

Since 1926, Kearney has been a leading management consulting firm and trusted partner to three-quarters of the Fortune Global 500 and governments around the world. With a presence across more than 40 countries, our people make us who we are. We work impact first, tackling your toughest challenges with original thinking and a commitment to making change happen together. By your side, we deliver—value, results, impact. To learn more about Kearney, please visit www.kearney.com.

Key Takeaways: The Strategic COO: Navigating Disruption and Driving Change

• Kearney's third annual COO survey, in collaboration with AWS, reveals that while COOs anticipate organizational growth in 2025, they foresee significant hurdles related to skills gaps and execution challenges.
• The research highlights key findings from the survey of over 120 senior operations leaders, indicating a shift in priorities from pure cost efficiency to a more balanced strategy emphasizing innovation, risk management, and the integration of technologies like GenAI in supply chains.
• The purpose of the survey is to identify the major concerns and strategic shifts among COOs, revealing an "execution gap" and a critical need to address skill shortages and proactively manage risks in an increasingly uncertain global environment.
• Global & Legacy Powerhouse: Founded in 1926 and headquartered in Chicago, Kearney is a top-tier management consulting firm with a presence in 40+ countries, serving Fortune Global 500 clients across industries.
• Strategic Expertise at the Core: Renowned for excellence in strategic operations, sourcing, procurement, and transformation — Kearney consistently ranks among global leaders in these areas.
• Forward-Thinking Insights: Through thought leadership like the FDI Confidence Index and Global Business Policy Council, Kearney shapes conversations on global economics, innovation, and disruption.
• People-First, Impact-Driven: With a culture rooted in collaboration, inclusion, and purpose, Kearney focuses on delivering measurable change while fostering a diverse and empowered workforce.

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