Show Notes
Leading Through Supply Chain Transformation Kelley Lear stepped into her role as CVP and GM, Global Alliances for Blue Yonder just four months ago, and she arrived at Microsoft Ignite with major momentum behind her team’s work. Fresh off winning Microsoft’s Global ISV Partner of the Year award, Blue Yonder is doubling down on AI innovation, ecosystem collaboration, and a platform vision designed to transform supply chains end to end. “Ultimately we need to partner not just to partner so that we get an award. It’s really what is the value that we’re bringing to the customer.” From keynotes to side conversations with SIs and product leaders, Kelley emphasized that supply chain complexity demands deep partner expertise, global reach, and joint innovation. Blue Yonder now works with more than 300 partners - spanning tech vendors, hyperscalers, global SIs, and boutique regional firms. Inside Partnering is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Why Supply Chain Needs a Connected Ecosystem Kelley shared that Blue Yonder is the only platform with AI embedded across the full supply chain - from planning to execution to returns. That end-to-end view has become essential as supply chains face disruptions from geopolitics, tariffs, weather, social pressures, and demand volatility. “You need complete visibility to the supply chain and the ability to plan and pivot and incorporate all the data you need to make good decisions quickly.” The partner ecosystem is central to delivering this vision. Strategic systems integrators like Accenture, Deloitte, PwC, EY, and specialized regional partners provide decades of experience within specific verticals and customer environments. Their understanding of systems, workflows, and C-suite priorities allows Blue Yonder’s platform to land with higher adoption and faster value realization. Mapping the Right Partners to the Right Customers Given the scale and complexity of a 300-partner ecosystem, Kelley described the importance of careful alignment between field teams, industry specialists, and partners. Blue Yonder has an industry advisory team that matches the right partner - by region, vertical, subvertical, and product expertise - to each opportunity. The company is also launching a new agentic AI partner scorecard, which allows sales and alliance teams to ask natural-language questions about partner capabilities. “We’re looking at things like how many accredited personnel they have, in which regions, on which products, customer sat scores, and project expertise.” The goal is not to rank partners for competition but to help internal teams and customers find the best match for each scenario. Scaling the Long Tail with Modern Partner Marketing Kelley also highlighted the importance of supporting the “long tail” of smaller partners who may not have dedicated alliance managers. Blue Yonder is rolling out scalable partner programs including updated portal content, channel calls, toolkits, and campaigns-in-a-box. “We’re getting a little more sophisticated with really professional marketing toolkits instead of just saying - you could spin up a webinar and use our name.” As Blue Yonder expands its new Azure-based platform - with deep Snowflake integration and advanced AI - the company is also ramping up global enablement to help partners stay ahead of the rapid innovation curve. Co-Innovation with Microsoft and a Shared Future Vision Blue Yonder’s Global ISV Partner of the Year recognition reflects a rapidly strengthening relationship with Microsoft. Kelley noted that the two teams are deeply aligned across co-innovation, product development, co-marketing, and field co-sell motions. “We’re collaborating with Microsoft on incorporating our AI into our product mix, and also on how others can build agents onto our platform.” Beyond technology, the joint marketing and field alignment efforts are helping both teams articulate their “b
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