You have attended Kinexions before. How does this year’s event compare?

“I attended Kinexions during my first period at Kinaxis, but the growth has been mind-boggling. It is probably two-and-a-half to three times the size it was back then. It is a great testament to what Kinaxis has achieved over the past few years. It makes me incredibly excited about the future for both Kinaxis and our customers.”

AI dominates many conversations at the moment. How do you see its impact on supply chains?

At the same time, many organisations have been experimenting with different platforms and technologies, and there has been some dissatisfaction with the value achieved so far. When you look deeper, it comes back to first principles and what I call the ‘physics of the enterprise. We want to combine that understanding with AI to transform how work gets done.”

Which themes are you particularly excited to discuss at Kinexions this year?

“There are several. First, the importance of the enterprise’s physics, its supply chain, in powering enterprise AI.

Second, we recognise that entropy exists in every organisation. Processes, data, systems and organisational structures only become more complex over time. Our approach is not about solving those issues one at a time. It is about organising around outcomes. We describe that as moving from decisions to outcomes.

Third is composability. I often use the analogy of Lego bricks. The same building blocks can support multiple outcomes. We want to provide those bricks while allowing customers to configure them according to their unique requirements.

The fourth element is recognising the skills that already exist within organisations. Those domain skills and operational expertise are often the secret sauce that differentiates businesses. We want to provide a framework that allows companies to incorporate those capabilities.

Finally, enterprise AI is not something that can simply be sold as a packaged product. It is a capability built alongside customers, which requires a very different engagement model.”

You have introduced the concept of Forward Deployed Engineering. What does that mean in practice?

“I had experience with this model in a previous role and saw how successful it could be. Forward Deployed Engineering is about bringing the very best technical talent directly into customer engagements to build solutions alongside them. However, we are taking it a step further.

Rather than providing individual resources, we provide POD structures. These are cross-functional teams with expertise spanning technology, domain knowledge and industry experience.

Customers are not simply receiving technical capability. They are receiving a commitment of capacity and expertise that can support them as they build what we call agentic organisations.”

How much of that approach is shaped by customer needs?

“A key characteristic of these teams is an entrepreneurial mindset focused on outcomes rather than software deployment. The second characteristic is consultation. It is not about arriving with a prescribed solution. It is about listening first, understanding the organisation and then developing the right approach together…”

Read the full interview here!

What does Kinexions mean to you, personally?

“I’ve attended every single Kinexions since joining the company, so it’s become a milestone event in the year for me. What I love about it is that it’s an opportunity to unveil all of the work we’ve been doing over the previous months and, in some cases, years.

What’s also amazing is seeing how much the event has grown. It’s a reflection of the impact we’re having within supply chains and the increasing interest in what we’re doing. It’s definitely something I look forward to every year.”

How have the conversations with customers shifted this year?

Another theme, which has remained consistent, but appears in different forms, is AI. Customers understand, at least in theory, how AI could positively impact their supply chains, but many are still trying to understand exactly how to achieve that potential. Those are conversations we enjoy because that’s where our expertise lies. As a technology company, our role isn’t simply to deliver technology. It’s to deliver technology that drives outcomes and achieves results.”

In your keynote, you spoke about supply chain leaders making “big bets”. What did you mean by that?

“I was definitely playing off the Las Vegas theme, but it’s true. Organisations understand the potential of these technologies, yet the practical outcomes are still emerging. They’re being inundated with offers from different providers and realising that choosing who to build their operational orchestration capability with is a significant decision. Making the right choice can lead to success. Making the wrong one can have substantial consequences.

It has to go beyond surface-level capabilities. Questions around trust, governance, enterprise scale and security all become part of that decision-making process. It really is a big bet.”

We’re operating in volatile times, of course…

“Absolutely. Volatility is the new normal. I don’t think there’s a near-term path back to stability. Volatility manifests itself in different ways and affects different regions differently, but it’s here to stay. If organisations accept that reality and build solutions that can respond to it, they’re the ones that will succeed. That’s what Maestro and Kinaxis have always been about.

The underlying realities are constantly shifting, so the speed of recalculating plans, detecting changes, resolving issues and executing those resolutions becomes one of the most important elements of a good solution.”

We hear a lot about operational orchestration, but what does it actually look like inside Maestro?

Operational orchestration is really an extension of Kinaxis’ longstanding mission. We’ve always viewed the supply chain as one connected network rather than a collection of isolated silos. The more factors we can consider when making decisions, the better the outcomes become…”

Read the full interview here!

How does it feel being at your first Kinexions as CEO?

“It has been fantastic. It has been a really positive event. Obviously, all of this takes a lot of work and effort from the broader team and they have done a tremendous job. It has been a great way for me to connect with a lot of our customers, our partner ecosystem and some of our investors. The overarching Kinaxis community comes together at this event here in North America and we will do the same again in Europe and India later this year.”

What makes this year’s Kinexions particularly important for Kinaxis and its customers?

It is also always about hearing from customers, learning how they have deployed Kinaxis and Maestro, listening to our partners, facilitating connections and encouraging cross-learning. That happens at every Kinexions, but this one was particularly important because we wanted to be very clear about our product strategy.

That is why we over-indexed on it during the first day. Between Andrew (Bell), Manik (Sharma) and myself, and through all the demonstrations we showed, we helped bring customers along on the journey we’re on as we continue to bring to market the world’s leading supply chain planning, decisioning and now orchestration platform.”

In your keynote speech, you outlined some of the challenges supply chain leaders are navigating right now. What is the biggest shift?

“The biggest challenge to emerge over the last 18 to 24 months is that there is much greater volatility on both the demand and supply side. The rate of change is far greater than anything we’ve seen before.

Supply chain professionals are dealing with that volatility while also facing pressure from CEOs, boards and CFOs to drive the next wave of productivity, improve working capital efficiency and reduce costs. On top of that, they are being asked as to what they are doing with AI.

A lot of things are converging that are new and different, but they also create fantastic opportunities for us to deepen our relationships and partnerships with customers.”

You talk about operational orchestration and moving from decisions to outcomes. How do you define that?

That is the orchestration loop we talked about. To achieve the outcomes, you have to sense, plan, act and learn continuously. Stitching those activities together is what ultimately drives business outcomes…”

Read the full interview here!

So, how exactly does Genpact partner with Kinaxis?

“Genpact is a large professional services company operating across multiple industries, and we do a great deal of transformation and digital transformation work. We have a dedicated supply chain practice and Kinaxis is our longest-standing partner within that practice.

We’ve been working with Kinaxis for around 15 years, dating back to before Genpact through a previous acquisition. The partnership spans everything from technology selection and advisory services through to a large mid-market resell practice. Our core business is an enterprise-scale system implementation with Kinaxis.”

How have the conversations evolved in just that short period of time?

“I would say they’ve evolved enormously, even in the space of a few weeks. It’s amazing to see the rate and pace of advancement. We’ve moved from discussions about core planning to conversations around AI and rapidly deploying agentic capabilities.

A few months ago we would have been talking about the art of the possible. Now we’re talking about real things that have actually been delivered. We always use the word ‘unprecedented’, but I genuinely haven’t seen this rate of change before.”

Have there been any keynote sessions or themes that have particularly resonated with you?

“I attended the kick-off sessions this morning and spent some time at Partner Day as well. What struck me was the focus on outcomes and value. Hopefully that’s always been there, but it was encouraging to see such a clear recognition that this is ultimately what matters.

The real game being played is around creating a true end-to-end supply chain. No single player is going to dominate that space. It requires partnerships, collaboration and a degree of optionality to deliver those outcomes.”

What kinds of challenges are your customers typically trying to solve?

“Personally, I’m very hands-on in the mid-market resell space, working with smaller organisations. Many of them are making this move for the first time. Perhaps they’re still using Excel and, while we joke about it, Excel remains the largest planning software in the world.

Many organisations now have an AI mandate coming from leadership. There’s often a fear of missing out. They wonder whether they’re already behind or whether they should leap straight to sophisticated AI solutions.

Often our role is to slow things down a little, focusing on building the right foundations and creating a roadmap that allows them to grow over time. We help them understand that they won’t outgrow the solution and that it can evolve alongside their business.

You can see how overwhelming the pace of change can be. That’s why the partnership between consultants and software providers is so important. We can help clients step back, think strategically and map out a journey built on solid foundations.”

What’s it like working alongside Kinaxis?

“I tell people on both sides that I have the best job at Genpact. In a company of 150,000 people, I wake up every day energised and feeling lucky to have this opportunity.

My role is to make those connections until everybody is connected. I see first-hand how every part of Kinaxis operates and they’re fantastic partners. They listen to our needs around training, they take on board feedback from the market, and they work with us across sales, product and professional services. It truly feels like one team…”

Read the full interview here!

How have you found Kinexions so far?

“It’s been great. The value of having these close, integrated connections with customers has really stood out. There have been some thoughtful discussions around the future of supply chain, where agentic AI fits in and how organisations can better connect their operational plans moving forward.

Workday recently announced a partnership with Kinaxis and have started testing the value proposition and identifying areas where we can create integrated value. We’ve already seen some very positive early signals of success.”

How did the partnership between Workday and Kinaxis originally come about?

Typically, there are two distinct personas involved. There’s the supply chain and operations side of the business, and then there’s the broader financial planning component, usually sitting within FP&A. The vision was that there is enormous value in integrating those two areas to maintain the integrity of the overall financial plan.

It’s about using the capacity signals surfaced by Kinaxis and ensuring organisations are operating within cost constraints while still achieving their revenue objectives. Bringing those different perspectives together creates a much more complete planning process.”

How would you describe the working relationship between Workday and Kinaxis?

“It’s great. There’s a lot of familiarity between the two organisations, so we naturally operate with transparency and a shared focus on value and customer outcomes. We have the same customer mindset, which is a relentless focus on results, a strong passion for what we’re doing and a real commitment to innovation. From an agentic perspective, with what we’re doing through Agent Factory and the rollout of agents collectively, there are strong cultural ties as well as shared ambitions around innovation.”

What will you take away from Kinexions that perhaps wasn’t on your radar before arriving?

“We explored different scenarios around agentic orchestration and how we might use Maestro together. For me, one of the biggest insights was recognising the inherent gap between supply chain constraints and capacities identified within Kinaxis, and linking those directly into workforce planning. How does that translate into headcount requirements? Who should we hire? Do we need contingent labour to address a shortfall? That was one of the strongest messages this week.

It’s now about identifying the right customers to co-innovate with and bringing together our innovation teams and agent factories to solve those problems on behalf of our customers.”

If you’re back at Kinexions next year, how do you think the conversations will have evolved?

“I think we’ll move beyond proof-of-concept and pilot discussions around agentic AI and into conversations focused on operational improvements. The question will become: how has this translated into a return on investment? We’ll start to see significant consumption of agentic capabilities and tangible examples of value being delivered. The real progress, from both an ROI and measurable value standpoint, will become much more visible, and that will be fantastic to see…”

Read the full interview here!

We meet Peter Bennett, Senior Vice President of Global Operations at Cardinal Health and Kinaxis‘ President of Global Commercial Operations, Mark Morgan at Kinexions 2026 in Las Vegas, to discuss how advanced scenario planning, AI and digital workers are helping one of healthcare’s largest distributors shift from reactive firefighting to proactive orchestration, thus improving service levels while keeping critical products flowing to patients…

For Cardinal Health, the supply chain is not simply about moving products efficiently from A to B. It is about ensuring a surgeon has the right device in theatre, a pharmacist has access to critical medicines and, ultimately, that patients receive the care they need when they need it. That reality has fundamentally reshaped how the healthcare giant thinks about planning, visibility and decision-making.

Cardinal Health occupies a unique position within the healthcare ecosystem. Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, the company distributes pharmaceuticals and medical products to hospitals, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centres and healthcare providers across the United States and internationally. With tens of thousands of employees and an extensive distribution network, its supply chain supports the delivery of products that healthcare professionals rely upon every day. In that environment, supply chain failures carry consequences far beyond financial performance.  “A life science supply chain is regularly tested every day and the complexities that exist are global in scale,” says Peter Bennett, Senior Vice President of Global Operations at Cardinal Health, backstage at Kinexions 2026 in Las Vegas. 

Bennett is joined by Mark Morgan, President of Global Commercial Operations at Kinaxis and the pair are keen to explain how the healthcare organisation has transformed its approach to supply chain execution. And their message is clear. In a world defined by disruption, speed has become the new currency.

Proactive not reactive

Prior to its work with Kinaxis, Cardinal Health relied on a patchwork of spreadsheets and disconnected systems to manage operations. “What we tried to do prior to our engagements with Kinaxis was pull all that together leveraging Excel and tools that were disparate across our entire ecosystem,” Bennett explains. “So, we needed something to pull everything together, a glue, if you will.”

The timing proved critical. Cardinal Health began working with Kinaxis approximately four years ago, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when unprecedented disruption exposed weaknesses in traditional planning processes. “We’d started during the pandemic with a real lack of visibility within our inventory and a lack of ability to scenario plan in any meaningful way without conducting weeks of analysis, and we really had a need to be able to respond faster,” Bennett reveals. “Cardinal Health had previously been very reactive in our approach to decision making and things were happening to us that we couldn’t see,” he explains. “And so, our relationship started out of a genuine need of our customers to be able to plan their organisational work, their surgeries, their procedures without the threat of more disruption.”

That need for speed became transformational…

Read the full interview here!