Speaker: Paul Christodoulou, Industrial Associate
Describe your relationship with IfM and IfM Engage
Paul Christodoulou: I have been an Industrial Associate affiliated with IfM Engage for the last 20 years. This means that I operate as an independent strategic advisor working with IfM Engage, and my role is to help put IfM research into practice. So this is a form of knowledge transfer consultancy where we help leading companies to navigate real world industrial problems by applying latest academic thinking.
What do you like best about working with the IfM and IfM Engage?
Paul Christodoulou: What I like best is working with leading academic thinkers as well as with leading industrial practitioners on some of the most exciting problems that industry is facing. This is a unique role that connects those two worlds. Always challenging, inspiring, rewarding and it's also great fun.
What is the unique value that working with IfM Engage can bring to clients?
Paul Christodoulou: Well, our clients say that we offer a unique collaborative approach, working closely with them to tailor new approaches emerging from our world class research. And then we help the client to apply and embed these approaches to help solve their business problems. So in this sense, we are offering strategic capability building rather than direct problem solving, leaving them better equipped to solve ongoing challenges and embrace new opportunities.
Tell us about the work you do on International Manufacturing and Supply Chains ?
Paul Christodoulou: Over the last 20 years, we have developed three mature areas of strategy support aimed mostly at large multinational companies. These are, firstly, global manufacturing footprint strategy. Secondly, end to end supply chain optimisation and thirdly and most recently, digital supply chains transformation. And we are starting to build new approaches in a number of exciting areas driven by latest industry needs and IfM research and these new areas include sustainable and circular supply networks, supply chain risk and resilience and last mile logistics.
What do you think makes a good Industrial Associate?
Paul Christodoulou: Well. What helps make a good Industrial Associate is a genuine interest in working across the university industry interface. And this means feeling excited about engaging with complex academic and intellectual topics, but also feeling equally excited about utilising academic thinking to help fix practical, real world business problems. Another important aspect involves commitment and creativity in identifying clients support opportunities, specifying and selling projects and seeing through successful project delivery.
