Schneider Electric's Divya Seethapathy on Redefining Supply Chain Leadership

By: Divya Seethapathy, Director, Schneider Electric

Manufacturing and supply chain leadership were seen as spaces largely dominated by men. Today, women across industries are steadily reshaping that narrative by leading innovation, driving transformation, and redefining operational excellence with resilience and inclusivity at the core.

Divya Seethapathy, Director, Schneider Electric, a supply chain and manufacturing leader with nearly two decades of experience across logistics, operations, procurement, and digital transformation, stands among those changemakers. Recognized among India’s top women supply chain leaders, she actively drives industry-academia collaboration and contributes globally as a speaker and thought leader.

In an engaging interaction with Women Entrepreneurs Review Magazine, Divya shares her perspectives on navigating male-dominated industries, driving digital transformation, and building inclusive leadership cultures across manufacturing and supply chain functions.

Through the interview, she also reflects on operational excellence, resilience during crises, the evolving role of technology, and empowering more women to lead strategic transformation initiatives.

For deeper insights into leadership, innovation, and the future of supply chain transformation, read the complete interview below.

Q1. Early in your career, you combined research in lead time reduction and manufacturing systems with hands-on supply chain roles. How did being a woman shape your perspective in these technical spaces?

A. Early in my career, I worked at the intersection of research and real-world supply chain execution: studying lead-time reduction, manufacturing systems, and then moving into hands-on operations roles. Being a woman in these deeply technical and traditionally male-dominated environments shaped my perspective in several meaningful ways. It pushed me to develop a sharper observational lens. Often, I was the only woman at the table,  or on the shop floor. That experience made me more attuned to voices that get overlooked — whether it was a shift supervisor, a technician on the line, or a young engineer like myself, trying to contribute. That sensitivity helped me build more inclusive discussions, which in turn brought insights that improved processes.

Secondly, it helped me bring a systems‑thinking approach rooted in empathy. While manufacturing supply chains rely heavily on processes and metrics, the real levers of improvement are people. My perspective as a woman, which is rooted in emotional intelligence, helped me naturally build more collaboration where cross‑functional teams felt comfortable challenging each other and experimenting with new ideas. Being a woman in a rugged profession taught me the value of representation. Every time I stepped into a meeting or a plant or a supplier and someone said, “We haven’t had many women here,” or harsher comments like, “You will not be able to understand this technicality”...it reminded me that my presence challenged the norm and created a pathway for many others with aspirations like mine. That responsibility made me push harder, stay curious, and consistently raise the bar for what leadership in supply chain can look like, and I am happy today that I have been able to achieve it in my own way. Being a woman didn’t limit me — it strengthened me more.

Q2. How did you navigate situations where your technical expertise was tested, and what strategies helped you earn respect and influence as a woman in those early supply chain roles?

A. In my early supply chain roles, there were many moments when my technical expertise was tested, sometimes intentionally, sometimes unconsciously. Navigating those situations as a woman in a male‑dominated environment required a balance of emotional strength, competence, composure, and strategy. One of the biggest lessons that shaped me actually came during my master’s program. During my research days, it took me one year to crack a complex statistical problem. It taught me something very valuable: that success and credibility are something that comes through the willingness to fail, start over, and approach the same problem from different angles. The agility and discipline to iterate again and again are what help uncover solutions to problems that look unsolvable on the surface. This practice strengthened my resilience and problem‑solving mindset very early in my career, and it became the foundation for how I handled challenges later in operations. During the tough days of the lockdown during COVID or every supply chain crisis that we have faced, this training helped me keep my head above water and find solutions.

I made sure I understood the systems end‑to‑end, came prepared with facts and analysis, and could explain the reasoning behind my recommendations. I let the work speak first — through data, rigor, and preparation. When ideas were questioned, I brought the group back to fundamentals — assumptions, constraints, trade‑offs. This approach reframed the situation from “proving myself” to “collaborating on a better answer”. I responded to challenges with calm clarity, not defensiveness.

Instead of trying to “outshine” the room, I focused on elevating the whole team — encouraging quieter voices, facilitating alignment, and sharing credit generously. In any discussion, I always use the term “we” instead of “I” and give the team confidence that success is theirs and no one can take the credit away from them. I built influence by enabling others, not by competing. People tend to follow leaders who make them feel included, respected, and successful.

Q3. Over the last three years, you’ve driven digitization in procurement. How has technology helped amplify women’s voices in decision-making or level the playing field?

A. I’ve seen how technology can genuinely level the playing field — especially for women.
Digital tools shift decision‑making from intuition or hierarchy to data and transparency, which naturally reduces bias and ensures that the best insights win, not the loudest voices. Technology has also democratized access to information. Earlier, a lot of procurement knowledge sat in informal networks or on one person’s desktop, but digital platforms now give everyone — including women — equal visibility into supplier performance, risks, and market intelligence. That removes gatekeeping and allows new voices to contribute confidently.

Collaboration tools have also been a big equalizer. With structured digital workflows and multi‑stakeholder platforms, participation is no longer dependent on being in a specific circle. Finally, automation has reduced repetitive operational work, allowing women to focus on strategic, high‑influence roles in supplier strategy, sustainability, risk management, and transformation programs. I was allowed to lead highly strategic digital transformation programs for procurement in the domain of productivity and resilience, with the execution spread across regions and countries, which is clear proof that technology has opened new frontiers for everyone who is willing and capable of making a difference. This project went on to win the prestigious award at the Procurement Leaders World Congress. So technology definitely has opened new avenues for all.

Q4. In deploying new tools and automating processes, were there instances where your initiatives subtly challenged traditional gender roles in manufacturing operations?

A. Yes, absolutely. When we introduced new digital tools and automated several manual processes, it quietly disrupted some long‑standing assumptions about “who” typically does what in the function, be it procurement, planning, or the shop floor. When workflows became data‑driven, automated, and system‑governed, the conversation shifted from “who has more time and access” to “who brings sharper analysis and better decision‑making.” In a few cases, adopting digital tools also meant that teams defaulted to collaboration, transparency, and structured decision-making — spaces where women often naturally excel. And for digital transformations, the collaboration has to start right from the design stage and not just in the tail end deployment stage. As a result, women’s contributions became more visible, and their voices gained more influence in cross‑functional discussions. Women definitely catalyze collaboration, because inherently we like to bring inclusion, be it at home or at work.

One subtle impact I noticed is that when teams saw women leading automation, analytics, and digital transformation, it challenged the old stereotype that women belonged only in coordination or support roles. It repositioned women as architects of operational strategy, not just executors of it.

Q5. In your journey from hands-on operations to strategy, what shifts in organizational culture or mindset have been most critical to supporting women leaders in supply chain?

A. I would like to say that “necessity is the mother of change”. Organizations need a variety of skill sets today to survive in the harsh, volatile, unpredictable environments of today, where “every day is a new day”. With more and more women entering the workforce with strong skill sets, it’s a natural choice for organizations. Women are also making more consumer choices, which again necessitates organizations to have more women in their workforce to understand the needs of this consumer base. It’s also proven that women bring more balance to the boardroom with inclusive leadership, which opens up the room for innovation.

In parallel, Manufacturing shop floors today are not places where people are required to operate heavy machinery in sweltering heat. Technology and automation have today made it very conducive for people from all walks of life to be part of this industrial revolution. Today it's possible for women to operate a machining center or special-purpose welding machines or even operate machines/robots that do heavy-duty assembly.

Another important change has been the move from hierarchical, personality‑driven decision-making to collaborative, data‑driven ways of working. As supply chains become more complex and digital, success depends on structured problem‑solving, stakeholder alignment, empathy-driven communication, and cross-functional insights. These environments naturally reward inclusive and analytical leadership styles, enabling more women to thrive without needing to fit older, aggressive leadership molds.

Supportive managers and sponsors have also been critical. Leaders who prioritize potential over convention and intentionally give women stretch roles help accelerate growth in a field where representation has historically been low. I have had great mentors who tested my potential by giving me challenging projects and were willing to take the bet on me. Today, I do the same.

As the function becomes more technology-enabled, organizations increasingly value agility, systems thinking, and strategic communication — strengths that many women bring. In short, there is a strong need for women to step into the workforce, and this is changing mindsets, with technology helping to level the playing field in parallel.

LAST WORD: For women aspiring to lead in manufacturing and tech-driven supply chains, what practical advice would you share about navigating both operational rigor and innovation leadership?

For women aspiring to lead in manufacturing and tech‑driven supply chains, my biggest advice is to build confidence in two parallel strengths: operational rigor and innovation mindset. You need both to lead effectively in today’s environment.

There are no shortcuts. Spend time understanding processes end‑to‑end — on the shop floor, with planners, with technicians, and with suppliers. Operational credibility gives you the authority to influence change and ensures your innovation ideas are realistic and adoptable.

Learn to leverage technology; without it, you will perish. Become fluent in digital tools, embrace and leverage the AI revolution. You don’t need to code, but you do need to understand data flows, system logic, and the business impact of automation or analytics. When women speak the language of both operations and technology, they stand out quickly. Learn to embrace the grind of iteration and experimentation. Innovation leadership isn’t about perfect ideas; it’s about testing fast, learning from failures, and refining solutions. Embrace agility — the ability to start again, see a problem from a different angle, and iterate until something works.

Finally, build strong cross‑functional relationships and network well. Supply chain transformation requires collaboration with finance, quality, engineering, and IT. Influence grows when you connect and network with people, not just processes. Networking is not a side hustle; it's part of the job. Finally, own your voice. Women often bring strength in empathy, systems thinking, and clarity — all critical for modern supply chain leadership. Don’t dilute those strengths; use them. What you are strengthens you and makes you more human. In the age of the machines, that strength will be a differentiator.