GERMANY. Gebr Heinemann has named Inken Callsen as Vice President Global Supply Chain, effective 1 November. The appointment comes as the company merges its Logistics and Fulfilment departments into a single, newly created division.
Fulfilment (Demand & Supply Planning) involves management of the Gebr Heinemann product flow and comprises master data, forecasting and planning as well as the order process with suppliers and customers.
The aim of the new business unit, said the company, is to ensure “a clear end-to-end supply chain focus and to further advance the Gebr Heinemann supply chain in view of the development of the company’s global network and sustainability strategy”.
Chief Commercial Officer Dr, Dirk Schneider said: “I am convinced that a holistic supply chain organisation will be able to master the current and future challenges even better and will make our business partners even happier. Inken Callsen has an excellent track record as an executive at Gebr Heinemann in different departments. She will develop our very professional logistics reputation even further and will advance our supply chain to the next level of automation and sustainability.”
Callsen has worked for Gebr Heinemann for 26 years, starting out in management positions in marketing. She also held the positions of Director Purchasing Perfume & Cosmetics, Fashion & Accessories, and most recently as Director Fulfilment, a department she founded and established at Gebr Heinemann in 2016.
She has played a key role in driving collaboration between Gebr Heinemann and its suppliers. In addition, she is the initiator of the Travel Retail Data Innovation Group (TRDIG) – a group of suppliers and retailers that is developing global standards for master data and enable automation in the exchange of product master data between the industry and travel retailers.
“The challenges facing the global supply chain are becoming increasingly complex, from technical hurdles to delivery bottlenecks to sustainability,” said Callsen. “By unifying the two areas of Fulfilment and Logistics, we can now manage them even more effectively and develop future-oriented solutions through close collaboration with our partners. I greatly appreciate the recognition Gebr Heinemann is showing me and I am very much looking forward to this new, exciting and challenging task.”
