Manufacturing
Retail
Technology, Information and Media
Consumer Services
Active

Varada Nama

Global leader and Senior Director with 20+ years of experience at the intersection of analytics, AI, digital transformation, and integrated supply chains. I partner with organizations to transform at scale — driving operational excellence, supply chain resilience, and measurable business value through technology and people-first leadership. 💡 Leadership Philosophy I believe leadership starts with people. By fostering trust, empathy, and collaboration, I’ve built and led high-performing global teams, guiding them through complex enterprise transformations. As a public speaker, I also share stories that inspire change and shape culture.

About me

Seasoned transformation leader with over 19 years of experience driving large - scale digital, data, and AI initiatives across global organizations. Proven success in leading SAP S / 4HANA and agile transformations within complex environments, including Nike and Philips. Leading with empathy and priortizing relations in guiding senior leaders through change curve is my biggest asset over years. Skilled in translating corporate vision into actionable transformative roadmaps, fostering psychological safety, and aligning cross functional teams. Brings deep expertise in agile, lean, and systemic change frameworks, stakeholder management, and executive - level consulting. Holds an MBA and certifications in supply chain and digital transformation.

Jurisdiction

Netherlands | India

Experience

Seniority LevelExecutive
Years of Experience20+ years
Current StatusActive
Head Transformation and Data&AI
2022 - 2025

Directly reporting into Head of Supply chain, I led enterprise - wide transformation initiatives across Nike's supply chain, integrating Data, AI, and digital capabilities to drive strategic impact. Directed SAP S / 4HANA solution design, capability mapping, and deep engagement with functional leadership to ensure alignment and adoption. Built and nurtured networks of SMEs, change leaders, and influencers to support the SAP S / 4 transition and foster organizational readiness. Guided prioritization of strategic use cases and business requirements for the analytics pipeline, collaborating with global analytics, tech, and product teams. Oversaw a comprehensive analytics portfolio with 50 direct and 200+ indirect team members, managing product teams, data scientists, and applied analytics experts to ensure proactive, business - responsive solutions. Developed and scaled self - service analytics capabilities, enhancing performance management and enabling deep - dive functional analysis. Built and led a high - performing supply chain transformation team, elevating talent capabilities and closing operational gaps through targeted initiatives.

Director Supply Chain Digital Transformation & AI
2008 - 2022

Spearheaded end - to - end digital supply chain transformation, driving business engagement from ideation to delivery across global functions. Established entrepreneurial consulting practices to identify strategic opportunities and propose innovative solutions to complex business challenges. Directed large - scale program planning and delivery, managing over 200 team members and ensuring capacity alignment and partner collaboration. Delivered regular updates to senior leadership, including C - suite executives, ensuring transparency and strategic alignment. Transformed technology delivery by implementing SAFe Agile methodology, aligning engineering scrum teams into a unified release train for predictable and scalable execution. Embedded AI / ML capabilities into business transformation strategy, building a full Center of Expertise (CoE) for AI and accelerating adoption across functions. Championed data literacy initiatives, empowering business users as citizen data scientists and achieving a 75 NPS score. Held diverse roles including Developer, Architect, Project - Manager, and Program Manager, contributing to Philips and Philips Lighting's transformation journey.

SAP Business Intelligence Consultant
2005 - 2007

Developed and tested data solutions, supporting data analytics and data communication in supply chain Managed data loading, monitoring, and maintenance of BW objects, ensuring standards and best practices Supported data product - related roles and troubleshooting in complex environments

Sales and Account Manager
2003 - 2005

Managed relations with SME accounts, driving stakeholder management and continuous revenue growth Working on GTM strategies based on the consumer income group, lifestyle, potential spend etc. Bridged voice of customer in catering service offerings

Educations

Masters of Master of Business Administration (MBA)Bangalore University
2001 - 2003

Certification

Total Certifications1

Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP)

Skills

Core skills10
Languages2

Skills

APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional
Supply Chain
Corporate Strategy
Communications
Storytelling
Analytics
AI leadership
Transformation
Program management
Technology Delivery

Languages

English
Hindi

Services