TALENT AND RETENTION
Roberto and his team have rolled out numerous initiatives, including:
• Upskilling the workforce
• Fostering cross-functional collaboration
• Creating an inclusive culture that empowers the teams behind the technology.
“ In our strategy, we always treat people as a multiplier,” Roberto explains.“ Our formula consists of skills plus cohesion in parenthesis with two multipliers: commitment and energy.
“ If you have the skills but you don’ t work on real cohesion, how do you make sure the dynamics are working? How do you make sure you’ re really working end to end?
“ The reason why I love the profession is because you are never constrained – actually, the beauty is that you need to synchronise the different ecosystems.”
Prioritising people So, just how is ELC creating the supply chain worker of the future?
Clearly, a key component of the strategy is to ensure the organisation acquires and retains the right talent.
Roberto’ s personal belief is that there is no discernible shortage of supply chain talent. The issue, he says, is spotting potential and ensuring continued development of such talent.
One way ELC goes beyond traditional upskilling is through its Fast-to-Action( F2A) initiative, which involves assembling
“ THE REASON WHY I LOVE THE SUPPLY CHAIN PROFESSION IS BECAUSE YOU ARE NEVER CONSTRAINED”
ROBERTO CANEVARI, CHIEF SUPPLY CHAIN OFFICER, THE ESTÉE LAUDER COMPANIES
a group of employees who are assigned a project to take on over the course of a few months and accelerate its delivery.
“ This is a way to align people and create cohesion,” says Roberto.“ It means not only acceleration but also the development of talent in multiple disciplines.
“ It’ s a tool that’ s very effective, both in terms of results and for development.”
Roberto also highlights ELC’ s reverse mentorship programme, which allows younger, less experienced professionals to mentor more senior colleagues. Across the entire organisation, more than 600 people have taken part since the programme’ s launch.
“ We are very active with this in supply chain because I personally find there is huge value to be gained in three ways,” Roberto continues.
138 June 2025