Ann Drake takes to the airwaves

If you're in supply chain management and were listening to "Marketplace," American Public Media's radio show about business just a few days before Christmas, you might have heard a very familiar voice. On Dec. 20, Marketplace aired a chat with Ann Drake, chairman and CEO of the third-party logistics company DSC Logistics, as part of the show's "Conversations From the Corner Office" series of interviews.

In a session titled "Why aren't there more female CEOs?" host Kai Ryssdal spoke with Drake about what's holding women back from reaching the highest levels of business management. Drake is well positioned to answer that question. In addition to her own experiences as a female executive in a decidedly male-dominated industry, she has been deeply involved in initiatives to help more women ascend to executive positions. She formerly was a member of the Committee of 200, a women's business leadership organization, and in 2012 was the first woman to receive the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Distinguished Service Award. Three years ago, she founded AWESOME (Achieving Women's Excellence in Supply Chain Operations, Management, and Education), a nonprofit that advances women's supply chain leadership. In just a few years, AWESOME has grown to more than 900 members.

Drake is also active in a new organization called Paradigm for Parity (P4P), a coalition of CEOs that is committed to achieving a "new norm" in corporate leadership, in which women and men have equal power, status, and opportunity. In the interview, Drake spoke at length about what the group aims to accomplish and why such an initiative remains necessary in the 21st century.

To hear that conversation—including an introduction about what DSC Logistics does, how Drake got involved in the logistics business, and her thoughts on business culture today—go to http://www.marketplace.org/topics/business/corner-office-marketplace. Channel: Strategy Classifications: Business management, professional development Company mentions: DSC Logistics