Kate Vitasek's Key Accomplishments Include . . .
Kate Vitasek is an internationally recognized innovator in the practice of supply chain management and outsourcing. An author, educator and sought-after consultant, she is the lead researcher of the concepts of Vested® and Vested Outsourcing®, a groundbreaking business model for strategic and innovative partnerships that has won much industry recognition and been featured in more than 300 articles in media outlets like Forbes, Business Week, and The Wall Street Journal, in addition to numerous trade publications.
The Vested® business model enables companies to create a mutually beneficial relationship by focusing on desired outcomes and shared values. Rather than the "What's in it for Me?" mentality of traditional agreements, Vested's "What's in it for We" mindset invests both parties in the success of each other's overall business, which in turn strengthens the sense of partnership and encourages a more lasting relationship. By sharing expertise and aligning their goals, both parties are able to drive innovation, adapt to changing needs, and mitigate risk while working towards mutual success. Many well-known companies have adopted a Vested framework, including Microsoft, McDonald's, and Procter & Gamble. After experiencing how well the Vested formula works, companies often regard conventional buyer/supplier relationships as old-school, impersonal, and outmoded.
In Vested and Vested Outsourcing, Kate Vitasek has created a model that will improve supplier relationships much the way Six Sigma and Lean improved production processes in the 1980s and '90s. Based on award-winning research by the University of Tennessee and funded by the United States Air Force, Vitasek has identified the top 10 flaws in most business relationships and shown organizations how to rethink their relationships in a way that will lower costs, improve service, and increase innovation.
Kate Vitasek’s approaches and insights have been widely published. She is co-author of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ bestselling book Supply Chain Process Standards and has contributed to several other management books. Vitasek has written more than 300 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, Outsource Magazine, Chief Executive Magazine,and Forbes. Vitasek is also a columnist for Procurement Leaders and Outsource Magazine.
Kate Vitasek’s groundbreaking work with Vested is the subject of a book series and has won many awards and recognitions. Vested was named one of “Outsourcing’s Top 2012 Trends” by Globalization Today, one of the “Top 50+1 Most Influential 2011 Trends” by The World Trade Magazine, and one of the “Top Trends in IT Services” by Vanguard Marketing International, Inc.
Kate Vitasek is a faculty member and lead researcher of Vested and Vested Outsourcing at the University's of Tennessee's Center for Executive Education. She guest lectures at universities all over the world and has created 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 with her visionary call for more efficient outsourcing practices and with her work within the Aerospace and Defense Industry on performance-based logistics—a topic on which she co-authored the industry's first book. In 2007, she went on to lead the University of Tennessee's research into the next generation of outsourcing.
Kate Vitasek's storied career includes positions with P&G, Microsoft, Kroger, Accenture, and Stream International. She has also served on the Board of Directors for the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals and founded Supply Chain Visions, a top 10 boutique consulting firm.
Kate Vitasek has been recognized by The Journal of Commerce as a “Woman on the Move in Trade and Transportation” and as a “Rainmaker” by DC Velocity for her contributions to building the supply chain profession. For her work on Vested and Vested Outsourcing, she was named one of Globalization Today’s “Powerhouse 25” outsourcing industry leaders. Other accolades include being recognized by Logistics Quarterly and Supply Chain Digest as a “Woman in Supply Chain,” being honored as a “Woman of International Influence” by Global Executive Women, and being a top 10 finalist for "Best Entrepreneur—Service Business Under 100 Employees" by the American Business Awards for Women. |
