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Great leadership in transportation and supply chain isn’t just about moving freight faster — it’s about building the teams that make it all possible. That’s the breaking news angle from Sally Miller, Global CIO at DHL Supply Chain, in a recent interview with Supply Chain Dive, where she broke down exactly what separates the best teams in logistics from the rest.
Diversity of Thought Drives the Best Teams in Supply Chain
Miller says the strongest teams in transportation and logistics are built on diversity of thought — and that doesn’t happen by accident. It takes deliberate effort: showing up at schools, speaking at events, and engaging with communities that don’t traditionally feed into supply chain careers.
For Miller, diversity goes beyond race or gender. It’s about people who grew up in different environments and bring different life experiences to how they solve problems on the job. Leaders, she says, have to actually see the value in that difference — not just tolerate it.
“I don’t think you get to become a leader unless you’re good at encouraging diverse teams,” Miller told Supply Chain Dive, adding that attracting, retaining, and promoting people is a core skill for anyone rising through the ranks in logistics.
From Programmer to Global CIO: A Supply Chain News Story
Miller’s own path into the transportation industry wasn’t planned. She started as a computer programmer, and after a stint living abroad in Germany, returned to the U.S. and landed a job supporting a company’s supply chain operations — her first real exposure to the freight and logistics world. She was hooked on the physical movement of goods that keeps global commerce running.
At the time, IT support for supply chain operations was still fairly immature, leaving plenty of room to build and deploy new technology. Miller worked her way up at DHL Supply Chain — from analyst to project leader to director — before eventually becoming Global CIO, marking her 20th anniversary with the company in October 2025.
Today, she leads more than 2,000 associates worldwide who deploy technology solutions like warehouse management systems and robotics for DHL’s customers — a major supply chain and transportation news story in its own right.
A Growing Space for Women in Transportation and Logistics
Supply chain has historically been a male-dominated field, but Miller says it’s come a long way — and offers real opportunity for women willing to put in the work. She points to early outreach efforts, including DHL Supply Chain’s partnership with Girl Scouts of the USA on the Solutions Superstar program, which introduces young girls to supply chain concepts through activities like planning cookie delivery routes.
Her advice looking back on her own career in logistics: keep looking forward, don’t overthink the setbacks, and trust that the opportunities will come.
Source: Supply Chain Dive.
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