Episode 142: Sustainability by Design: Exploring AI, Supply Chain & Finance with Darcy MacClaren and Prathiba David
The Future of Supply ChainShow Notes
In this week’s episode Richard, Darcy MacClaren and Prathiba David explore sustainability by design, showing how AI, data and finance converge to cut Scope 3 emissions, boost resilience and turn green supply chains into core business strategy
Download the episode transcript
=====
This week we, together with supply chain leaders Darcy MacClaren and Prathiba David, unpack sustainability by design and why now is the moment to act. They explain how AI, digital twins and unified data models tackle Scope 3, break down silos and link carbon, cost and capital. Real‑world examples from consumer brands, retailers, manufacturers and technology providers show how sustainable supply chains become more resilient, efficient and financially attractive.
=====
Guest 1: Darcy MacClaren, Board Director and Senior Advisor
Darcy MacClaren is a board director and senior advisor with more than 30 years of global experience advancing supply chain technology and sustainability. A former supply chain revenue executive at SAP, she works at the intersection of AI, sustainable logistics, and enterprise transformation. Darcy serves on the board of 1LogTech, an iPaaS platform modernizing transportation integration, and advises PE/VC-backed SaaS companies on scaling and go-to-market strategy.
Guest 2: Prathiba David, Technology Executive
Prathiba David is a technology executive, multiple times Chief Operating Officer and thought leader at the intersection of sustainability, artificial intelligence, and supply chain transformation. She has led go-to-market and operational strategy across high-growth startups and global enterprises. Her career spans roles at Morgan Stanley, EY, and Dropbox, where she built deep expertise in supplier risk management, cybersecurity, and digital operations. Currently, she works with Fortune 500s on advancing sustainability through data-driven insights and emerging technologies.
Host 1: Richard Howells, SAP
Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.
=====
Show Links:
Connect with Darcy on LinkedIn Connect with Prathiba on LinkedIn
Supply Chain Management: SAP Supply Chain Management SAP Insights: Supply Chain
Follow Us on Social Media Richard Howells: LinkedIn, X SAP Digital Supply Chain: LinkedIn
Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes!
=====
Chapters:
00:00:00: Intro 00:00:56: Guests' Introductions 00:02:37: What is “sustainability by design”? 00:05:53: Why now for sustainable supply chains? 00:09:29: Scope 3 and regulatory pressure 00:10:21: How AI transforms supply chains 00:15:23: Tackling Scope 3 data challenges 00:18:30: Measuring success beyond CO₂ 00:23:37: Breaking silos and cultural barriers 00:26:23: What is the Future of Supply Chain? 00:38:03: Outro
More from The Future of Supply Chain
What if your supply chain system didn't just answer questions but took action? In this episode, Lukas Huber from Deloitte explains the real difference between conversational and agentic AI, shares concrete use cases from shortage mitigation to transport disruption, and makes the case for governance by design.
Kearney's Suketu Gandhi joins us to discuss why the supply chain is now central to corporate strategy—from COO growth optimism and resilience as a competitive weapon to AI industrialization and sustainability's renaissance.
Transportation is no longer just a last-mile function. This week we, together with Tushar Bhalla from CloudPaths, and Dmitry Antanovich from LeverX explore how it's becoming the nerve center of modern supply chains.
Can your supply chain make decisions faster than your competitors? We sit down with Brooks Noonan of NTT DATA to explore the shift from digital visibility to true autonomous execution—and what it actually takes to get there.
In this episode Amy Brachio explains why product-level carbon accounting is reshaping how supply chains buy, invest and compete. And why two factories with identical operations can legally report completely different carbon figures.