"All efforts have helped to make the organization more integrated and resilient."

Reckitt’s Sami Naffakh heads the Top 28 Supply Chain Executives Europe 2022

Reckitt’s Sami Naffakh heads the Top 28 Supply Chain Executives Europe 2022

Doetinchem, the Netherlands. Sami Naffakh, Chief Supply Officer at Reckitt in United Kingdom, has taken the number 1 spot in the 2022 edition of the Top 28 Supply Chain Executives Europe, climbing from second place in the 2021 ranking. Naffakh: “In the middle of a pandemic, we were able to scale up product supply dramatically when needed and achieved significant performance improvements with our major customers, getting them product on time and at the right levels.”

Supply Chain Media launched the ranking of the Top 28 Supply Chain Executives Europe in 2015 as an overview of which European supply chain leaders are most successful in their journey and as a source of inspiration. This year, for the eighth consecutive edition, Supply Chain Media, KPMG Global Strategy Group and executive search agency Inspired-Search, specialized in senior supply chain positions compiled a longlist of 65 supply chain executives residing and leading in Europe. All these executives have either global supply chain responsibility or responsibility within the European or EMEA regions. The methodology for the Top 28 is based on analysis of published company data and financial reports, in combination with peer voting and an executive survey for determining their responsibility (in planning, procurement, manufacturing and logistics), span of control and impact within their organizations. The ranking is based on: Financial Results (30%), Personal Responsibility (30%), Personal Visibility (20%), and Peer Voting (20%).

Sami Naffakh, Chief Supply Officer at Reckitt

Sami Naffakh has more than 25 years of broad international leadership experience in fast-moving consumer goods (FCMG) companies such as Unilever, Danone and Estée Lauder, as well as within Reckitt. Since 2020 he has been Chief Supply Officer and Member of the Executive Board at Reckitt, where he is responsible for the end-to-end supply chain globally. Over the past two years, his focus has been on navigating through the multiple and successive disruptions confronting supply chains worldwide. Meanwhile, he is driving a major transformation in the Reckitt supply operations aimed at becoming responsible and purpose-driven, with a strong focus on ESG, resilience, leading-edge performance, efficiency and effectiveness, and future-proof (with a specific emphasis on digitalization).

In its 2021 annual report, Reckitt listed a net revenue of GBP13,234 million, with growth of 3.5% on a like-for-like basis. Adjusted operating profit was GBP2,877 million, at an adjusted operating margin of 22.9% (excluding IFCN China), down 160bps on 2020. In the business agenda of Reckitt, managing the supply chain was a particular priority, according to the annual report: “In the middle of a pandemic, with brands that play a strategic role in combating infection, maintaining adequate supply was clearly critical. We were able to scale up product supply dramatically when needed and achieved significant performance improvements with our major customers, getting them product on time and at the right levels. We’ve drawn on that experience to further strengthen our global supply chain to better manage significant supply disruptions and combat cost inflation. These efforts have helped to make the organization more integrated and resilient.”

Top 28 of Supply Chain Executives in Europe 2022 (2021)

1 (2) Sami Naffakh, Chief Supply Officer at Reckitt

2 (12) Harald Emberger, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Beiersdorf

3 (11) Magne Setnes, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Heineken

4 (17) Paul Campbell, SVP Supply Chain Europe at PepsiCo

5 (18) Thomas Panzer, Head of Supply Chain Management at Bayer Pharmaceuticals

6 (7) Fares Sayegh, SVP Supply Chain Europe & Global Supply Network Operations at P&G

7 (4) Ewan Andrew, President Global Supply and Procurement & Chief Sustainability Officer at Diageo

8 (-) Jamal Chamariq, Senior Vice President Global Supply Chain at Estée Lauder

9 (21) Martin Shankland, Executive Board Member, Global Operations at Adidas

10 (26) Ralf Busche, SVP European Site Logistics at BASF

11 (9) Vineet Khanna, SVP Global Head of Supply Chain at Nestlé

12 (25) Richard Oosterhoff, SVP DSM Operations & Responsible Care at DSM

13 (8) Emer Cunningham, VP Internal Medicine Global Supply Chain at Pfizer

14 (-) Karen Marie Katholm, Chief Integrated Supply Chain Officer at AkzoNobel

15 (22) Frederic Brut, Head of Supply Chain EEMEA & APAC at MSD

16 (-) Christoph Häusler, Chief Manufacturing Officer at Refresco

17 (-) Alexandre Baubert, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Signify

18 (14) Regis Simard, President Pharmaceutical Supply Chain at GSK

19 (-) Massimo Andolina, Senior Vice President Global Operations at Philip Morris

20 (5) Ivanka Janssen, Chief Supply Chain Officer & Executive Vice President Philips

21 (-) David Boulanger, Executive Vice President & Chief Supply Chain Officer at Arla Foods

22 (19) Padraig Healy, Vice President Supply Chain at Nokia

23 (-) Sven Markert, Executive Vice President Supply Chain & Logistics at Siemens

24 (23) Peter Puype, Global Head of Supply Chain at Biogen

25 (20) Stephan Gotthardt, Senior Vice President Europe Supply Chain at Teva

26 (-) Maria Pia de Caro, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Nomad Foods

27 (-) Mark Harrison, VP Operations EMEA/LATAM Global Supply Chain & Manufacturing at Pernod Ricard

28 (-) Joost Donkers, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Perfetti Van Melle

Hall of Fame

Marc Engel, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Unilever, was the first person in our Hall of Fame in recognition of him being named the No. 1 executive for two years in a row (2017 and 2018).

Carsten Rasmussen, Chief Operating Officer at Lego Group, was the second person in our Hall of Fame of Supply Chain Executives Europe. Rasmussen was the winner of the 2019 edition.

Dirk Holbach, Corporate Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer at Henkel, was the third person to join our Hall of Fame after topping the 2020 ranking.

Tariq Farooq, SVP Global Supply Chain at Sanofi, became the fourth in 2021.

Reckitt’s Sami Naffakh heads the Top 28 Supply Chain Executives Europe 2022


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