Keynote Speakers

Academic keynote

Janet Godsell, Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Strategy, University of Warwick

Research Interests:

Professor Godsell's research focus is on the way that product, marketing and supply chain strategy align to create a responsive or demand-driven approach to supply chain management.

Short biography:

Professor Jan Godsell joined WMG in October 2013 from her prior position of Senior Lecturer at Cranfield University School of Management.

Professor Godsell's career has been split between both industry and academia. She joined the faculty of Cranfield in 2001, following the completion of her Executive MBA there. She also completed her PhD at Cranfield, researching the development of a customer responsive supply chain.

Prior to her return to academia, Professor Godsell developed a successful career within industry, beginning at ICI/Zeneca Pharmaceuticals. Following this, she worked up to senior management level at Dyson, in both Supply Chain and Operations Management functions. At Dyson, she undertook a number of operational and process improvement roles within R&D, customer logistics, purchasing and manufacturing.

Professor Godsell is a Chartered Engineer and Member of the IMechE. She is on the board and scientific committee of EurOMA (European Operations Management Association), the cabinet of the UK roundtable of CSCMP (Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals) and the manufacturing steering committee of the IMechE. She is on the editorial board of 3 journals, including the International Journal of Operations and Production Management, and she is an advocate for improving the uptake of STEM subjects by school children.

Karen Spens, Professor of Supply Chain Management and Corporate Geography, Rector of Hanken School of Economics

Research Interests:

Professor Spens's research focus is on Social and economic geography, Humanitarian logistics and Supply chain management.

Short biography:

Karen Spens is the Rector of Hanken School of Economics since 2015 and she will hold office for a term of five years, until 2020.

Karen Spens is Professor of Supply Chain Management and Corporate Geography at Hanken. Her research has mainly focused on humanitarian logistics in which she has published several books, co-founded the Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management as well as the Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Research Institute (HUMLOG Institute).

She has served at Hanken as the Dean of Education 2010-2015. During this time she was in charge of the development of the Assurance of Learning-process, which aims at improving student learning

Industrial keynote

Kalle Löövi, Director of international operations and programmes, Finnish Red Cross

Short biography:

Kalle Löövi has decades long career in the Finnish Red Cross and International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Nationally he was building up the Red Cross search and rescue methods and capacities and developing joint training to volunteers and authorities.

Internationally Mr. Löövi has been creating and developing the Red Cross and Red Crescent standardised and coordinated rapid response capacities like Emergency Response Units (ERU), Regional Disaster Response Teams (RDRT) as well as Field Assessment and Coordination Team (FACT) and its cooperation with United Nations disaster assessment and coordination (UNDAC). Experience in developing resilience and preparedness activities in several countries and international response mechanisms globally

Kalle Löövi has several missions and years of experience in disaster and crises response in sudden and slow onset emergencies with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and UN/OCHA. Besides the field experience he has served in Finnish Red Cross management positions and as Head of operations for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).