As global supply chains grapple with geopolitical shocks, sustainability pressures, and rapid digitalisation, the gap between academic insight and real-world execution has never been more visible or more consequential. In this conversation with Logistics Insider, Dr Aditya Gupta, COO of the Supply Chain Management Centre (SCMC) at IIM Bangalore and Head of the TCI–IIMB Supply Chain Sustainability Lab, reflects on how institutions must evolve to stay relevant. Drawing from over two decades of industry experience and his academic leadership role, Dr Gupta shares candid perspectives on industry readiness, meaningful industry–academia collaboration, the role of GenAI in decision-making, and how SCMC is quietly building a resilient leadership pipeline for India’s increasingly complex supply chains.
Supply Chain Management Centre (SCMC) at IIM Bangalore sits at the intersection of research and real-world practice. From your vantage point, where do you see the most critical gaps today between academic supply chain research and on-ground industry execution, and how is SCMC working to bridge them?
The Supply Chain Management Centre (SCMC) at IIM Bangalore acts as a vital interface between industry, government, and academia, addressing one of the most persistent gaps in supply chain research today, the translation of rigorous academic insights into implementable, on-ground solutions. SCMC bridges this gap by actively engaging with government departments, supply chain companies, and industry leaders to undertake sponsored research on real-world challenges. The Centre documents best practices through case studies, co-authors joint white papers with practitioners, and creates platforms for dialogue through conferences, events, and webinars on emerging themes. In addition, SCMC builds practitioner capability through executive education, formal training programmes, and online MOOCs, ensuring research outcomes directly inform practice.
Industry-readiness has become a recurring concern for supply chain recruiters. What skills or mindsets do you believe young supply chain professionals must develop early to remain relevant in an environment shaped by geopolitics, sustainability pressures, and digital transformation?
In the age of AI, information is no longer scarce, it is readily available to every student at the click of a button. What truly differentiates industryready supply chain professionals today is not access to knowledge, but the ability to connect the dots between supply chain management and allied functions such as finance, operations, sustainability, policy, and digital technologies and to apply this integrated understanding in live, uncertain situations shaped by geopolitics and climate pressures.
At the Supply Chain Management Centre (SCMC) at IIM Bangalore, this capability is built through the development and teaching of India-specific, live case studies, grounded in real industry contexts. By immersing students in complex, evolving scenarios, SCMC trains them to think systemically, make trade-offs, and translate theory into practice, skills that are critical for long-term relevance.
Industry–academia collaboration often sounds good in theory but struggles in execution. Based on your experience, what does a truly effective collaboration look like in the context of supply chains, and what role should industry leaders play beyond guest lectures and sponsorships?
Industry–academia collaboration often struggles when it remains broad, generic, and insufficiently problem-focused. For such collaborations to create real impact, they must be anchored around clearly defined themes, long-term commitment, and practical outcomes. A case in point is SCMC’s approach to sustainability in supply chains. Recognising sustainability as a critical and emerging priority for supply chains, SCMC proactively reached out to industry to create a dedicated Centre of Excellence rather than pursuing fragmented projects.
TCI came forward to sponsor this initiative for a 10-year period, leading to the creation of the TCI–IIMB Supply Chain Sustainability Lab. This long-term partnership has delivered tangible outcomes: the development of transportation carbon-emissions measurement tools adopted by both industry and government, impactful case studies grounded in Indian realities, practical solutions for sustainable procurement, and extensive capacity-building through executive training and stakeholder workshops. The experience clearly demonstrates how focused, long-horizon industry–academia collaboration can translate research into real-world impact.
This is an abridged version of the interview published in the January edition of the Logistics Insider Magazine. To read the complete interaction, click here.
