Anne Meyrose: Filling the Gap
Anne Meyrose is vice president, logistics control tower with Gap Inc., the apparel company behind the Athleta, Banana Republic, Gap, and Old Navy brands.
Responsibilities: Lead newly created team charged with ensuring the company’s logistics network is set up to move the right product, to the right place, at the right time and bring each brand’s vision to life. Lead track and trace for all product movement, KPI reporting and network visibility, and serve as single point of contact with each brand on behalf of the network.
Experience: All with Gap, Inc.: senior director, transportation; director, transportation service operations; manager, Gap logistics planning; planner, Gap Outlet logistics planning; transportation supervisor, service contact center; transportation analyst, methods and programs; transportation specialist, methods and programs; outbound transportation, store services.
Education: B.S., economics; M.S. executive human resource development; both from Xavier University.
In college, I was an economics major. Supply chain and operations were nowhere on my radar. Then I landed a part-time job with Banana Republic and fell in love with the culture of Gap, Inc.
A local internship became available on the transportation team. I wanted to do whatever I could to stay with the company and learn more, so I took it. I was fascinated and inspired by the impact of the supply chain function and the opportunity it presents to connect across nearly every aspect of the business.
I’ve now been with Gap for almost 17 years. Each year has brought something new.
For instance, several years ago, I was asked to lead our transportation reporting and analytics team. I had little technical background and worried this would leave the team without the direction it needed and be my career downfall. It’s intimidating to go into an area where you don’t have functional expertise and ask questions in a way that’s professional and poised.
With the support of a talented team and great mentors, we delivered a full-scale reporting overhaul and automation initiative that changed how our operating teams can monitor the network and proactively mitigate risk. This experience helped me understand and respect the difference between the need for functional expertise and the need for leadership and setting the vision and strategy. It was an eye-opening career move.
I also spent time within the Gap brand, stepping out of the supply chain role and into the shoes of our “customer” or brand partners. I learned not just what our brands need, but how it relates to their commercial strategies. Even today, this opportunity impacts how I make decisions and lead my team.
Taking the Lead
When I moved back into transportation, I had the opportunity to lead nearly every aspect of our North American operations teams, and work closely with our incredible carrier partners, who bring our network plans to life. Learning the complexity of each node of our transportation network has been invaluable in preparing me for my current role of leading our transformation strategy.
We have so much exciting transformation and digitization work ahead. Our strategy is to redefine and digitize our transportation operating model, bringing together data, metrics, and events across the supply chain to proactively identify, quantify, and mitigate network risk, while protecting margin. We’re also laying the groundwork to unlock more advanced capabilities.
Supply chain is about much more than on-time deliveries and capacity utilization. It has been an unexpected career path, but I wouldn’t trade it.
Anne Meyrose Answers the Big Questions
1. What’s the best leadership/supply chain advice you ever received?
A mentor told me, ‘When things are hard or ambiguous you can be scared and jump back, or you can get excited and lean in. Always lean in.’
2. What hobbies/activities make you better at supply chain management/handling logistics?
I have two young kids, and nothing in supply chain management or logistics could be more challenging than the role of a parent. Parenting is about time management, prioritization, and being quick on your feet.
3. What book title best describes your job?
Brave New World, because the supply chain sector is changing at such a rapid pace.
4. If you could attend any event in the world—past, present, or future—what would you choose?
It would have been fascinating to attend the World’s Fair in the late 19th century, in an age of so much technological advancement and innovation.
5. If you could speed the development of a supply chain-disrupting technology, what technology would it be and why?
By its nature, this is a highly physical industry, with goods moving all over the world. Advanced visibility technology and analytics are rapidly developing and can’t get here soon enough.