Kate Vitasek
Kate Vitasek

Kate Vitasek

Supply Chain Management Innovator, Author, Educator, Business Consultant and Co-Founder of the Vested Business Model

Speaking Topics

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  • Management
  • Organizational Development
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Executive Development
  • Innovation

  • Strategy

Travels From

  • WA

Speaker's Fee Range

  • $10,000 - $20,000

Kate Vitasek

Kate Vitasek's Key Accomplishments Include . . .
Kate Vitasek is a nationally recognized innovator in the practice of supply chain management and outsourcing. An author, educator and business consultant, she is the founder and lead researcher in the concept of Vested Outsourcing, which was developed in conjunction with the University of Tennessee.

Unlike conventional outsourcing by which companies purchase services for fees, Vested Outsourcing is a business model under which companies and service providers work collaboratively. Companies and vendors using the vested approach develop performance-based solutions in which both parties’ interests are aligned, and thus they are vested in each others’ success. After experiencing how well the vested formula works, companies often regard traditional outsourcing as old-school, impersonal and outmoded.

In Vested Outsourcing, Kate Vitasek has created a model that will improve outsourcing procedures much the way Six Sigma and Lean improved production processes in the 1980s and ’90s. Based on a research study with the University of Tennessee and the United States Air force, Vitasek identifies the top 10 flaws in most outsourced business models and then shows organizations how to rethink their outsourcing relationships in a way that will lower costs, improve service and increase innovation.

Kate Vitasek’s approach and insight have been widely published. She is the co-author of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ best selling book Supply Chain Process Standards, and has contributed to other management books as well. Vitasek has written more than 75 articles that have been published in respected academic and trade journals, including the Journal of Business Logistics, Supply Chain Management Review, Inside Supply Management, Aviation Week, Distribution Business Management Journal, The Manufacturer, and APICS Performance Advantage. Vitasek also hosts the Expert Insight blog for DC Velocity and the Outsourcing Institute.

Kate Vitasek is a faculty member and lead researcher for the University of Tennessee’s Performance-Based programs. She teaches executive development courses and serves as a mentor in the University’s Center for Executive Education. She also teaches outsourcing for SP Jain University’s Global MBA program and seminars for the Warehouse Education Research Council and the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

More About Speaker, Kate Vitasek . . .
Kate Vitasek first attained prominence in outsourcing with her visionary call for more efficient practices and with her work within the Aerospace and Defense Industry on performance-based logistics where she co-authored the industry’s first book on the topic.  In 2007 she went on to lead the University of Tennessee’s research into the next generation of outsourcing, which she originally coined performance-based outsourcing.

Kate Vitasek’s storied career includes positions with P&G, Microsoft, Kroger, Accenture and Stream International and she has also served on the Board of Directors for the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

The Journal of Commerce has recognized Kate Vitasek as a “Woman on the Move in Trade and Transportation” and DC Velocity Magazine dubbed her a “Rainmaker” for her leadership efforts in the profession.   She’s also been honored as a “Woman of International Influence” and was a Stevie Award finalist for “Woman Entrepreneur of the Year.”

 

Suggested Keynote Programs
  • Vested for Success
  • Rules to Sell By
  • Architecting an A+ Agreement
  • InVested Selling: How to Transform the Way You Sell Services
  • Designing the Deal
  • Supply Chain
  • Vested: How P&G, McDonald's and Microsoft are Redefining Winning in Business Relationships
What People Are Saying

"Kate, the recent Logistics & Supply Chain Forum received excellent reviews from its attendees, thanks in huge part to your hard work providing the Forum with an enlightening and provocative conference session."

- Chyai Mulberg, Conference Producer, Richmond Events

"Kate Vitasek has been voted the most popular speaker by the delegates at our event for two year’s running.  When I need content that will that will impress and inspire, I know who to call."

- Katharine O'Reilly, Executive Director, eyefortransport

"Great content - great presenter! Expert advice from someone with experience at all sides of the purchasing relationships."

- Aberdeen Supply Chain Management Summit

"It's rare in any industry that you find a speaker as passionate, thought- provoking, and as engaging as Kate Vitasek. The feedback from the attendees at our conference was stellar, so much so that we had her speak again 6 months later."

- Supply Chain Forum Executive Conference Organizer