Newell Rubbermaid Names Chief Supply Chain Officer
Newell Rubbermaid announced that Meredith “Meri” Stevens is joining the company in January in the newly created position of Chief Supply Chain Officer. Stevens will lead all aspects of the company’s global supply chain, driving a consistent approach to the company’s global operations, unlocking the trapped capacity for growth through improved productivity and working capital management, and building the network to support emerging market expansion.
“Meri brings world-class supply chain capabilities to Newell Rubbermaid and will play a critical role in driving our Growth Game Plan into action,” said Michael Polk, Newell Rubbermaid’s president and chief executive officer.
“Building a market-leading supply chain is one of our most important opportunities as a company,” said Bill Burke, Newell Rubbermaid’s chief operating officer. “Meri is a mechanical and electrical engineer, Lean Six Sigma expert and a respected people leader who has a proven record of designing and transforming supply chain systems to deliver step-change improvements in operating performance. She has the perfect combination of skills and experience to scale our supply chain capabilities to world-class levels.”
Most recently, Stevens was head of the Global Fire & Security Install and Service Supply Chain at Tyco. In an eight-year career at what was originally a $44 billion conglomerate, she built global procurement teams, drove manufacturing excellence and led the transformation of the company’s logistics and distribution network. Before Tyco, Stevens led Strategic Sourcing for media conglomerate Bertelsmann Inc., where she designed and implemented a new strategic sourcing operation. Stevens began her career at General Electric in a number of operations management and supply chain roles, developing significant expertise in six sigma and lean manufacturing. She has an M.S. in Industrial Management and a B.S. in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Stevens will report to Burke and will become a member of Polk’s Executive Leadership Team.
“Meri brings world-class supply chain capabilities to Newell Rubbermaid and will play a critical role in driving our Growth Game Plan into action,” said Michael Polk, Newell Rubbermaid’s president and chief executive officer.
“Building a market-leading supply chain is one of our most important opportunities as a company,” said Bill Burke, Newell Rubbermaid’s chief operating officer. “Meri is a mechanical and electrical engineer, Lean Six Sigma expert and a respected people leader who has a proven record of designing and transforming supply chain systems to deliver step-change improvements in operating performance. She has the perfect combination of skills and experience to scale our supply chain capabilities to world-class levels.”
Most recently, Stevens was head of the Global Fire & Security Install and Service Supply Chain at Tyco. In an eight-year career at what was originally a $44 billion conglomerate, she built global procurement teams, drove manufacturing excellence and led the transformation of the company’s logistics and distribution network. Before Tyco, Stevens led Strategic Sourcing for media conglomerate Bertelsmann Inc., where she designed and implemented a new strategic sourcing operation. Stevens began her career at General Electric in a number of operations management and supply chain roles, developing significant expertise in six sigma and lean manufacturing. She has an M.S. in Industrial Management and a B.S. in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Stevens will report to Burke and will become a member of Polk’s Executive Leadership Team.