Dr. Sanders is an internationally recognized thought leader and expert in forecasting, global supply chains, risk management, and human-technology integration. Her expertise is identifying best practices in forecasting, developing an enterprise technology strategy, digital transformation, and creating resilient supply chains. Throughout her career Dr. Sanders has successfully held a range of leadership roles in both academic and professional organizations, is an award winning teacher and scholar, has served on numerous executive boards, and is a frequently called upon keynote speaker. She has consulted with leading organizations, including Amazon, Dell, Kinaxis, Lego, and many others.
She is author of seven books, including the multi award winning The Humachine: Humankind, Machines, and the Future of Enterprise, 2nd ed. (Routledge, 2023), is highly published in leading scholarly journals, including, Harvard Business Review, California Management Review, Production and Operations Management Journal, Journal of Operations Management, and was ranked as World’s Top 2% of Scientist in 2020 Stanford Study.
In 2022 she was awarded the prestigious Robert D. Klein Lecturer Award by Northeastern University. She is a Fellow of the Decision Sciences Institute, has served on the Board of Directors of the International Institute of Forecasters (IIF), Decision Sciences Institute (DSI), and has served as President of the Production Operations Management Society (POMS). In 2020 POMS created an award in her name and in 2023 she was given the prestigious POMS Sushil Gupta Distinguished Service Award. She is a frequent keynote speaker, has consulted with numerous Fortune 100 companies, and serves on the Board of Economic Advisors of the Association of Industries of Massachusetts (AIM).
Education
- PhD, The Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business
- MBA, The Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business
- BS Mechanical Engineering, Franklin University
Selected Publications
- Brau, R.I., Sanders, N.R., Aloysius, J., Williams, D. (2023) “Utilizing People, Analytics, and AI for Decision Making in the Digitalized Retail Supply Chain,” Journal of Business Logistics, https://doi.org/10.1111/jbl.12355
- Choi, T.Y., Netland, T. H., Sanders, N.R., Sodhi, M. S., Wagner, S. M., (2023), “Just-in-Time for Supply Chains in Turbulent Times,” Production and Operations Management, 32 (7), 2331-2340, https://doi.org/10.1111/poms.13979
- Sanders, N.R. (2023), “Global Economy 2023: Covid-19 Turned Global Supply Chains Upside Down – 3 Ways the Pandemic Forced Companies to Rethink and Transform How They Source their Products,” The Conversation, 2023 (1).
- Sanders, N.R., Wood, J. (2021). “The Secret to AI is People.” Harvard Business Review,
- Special Issue “The Best of HBR,” 128-131. (Note: This is an updated version of a 2020 HBR paper. It was hand-selected by HBR Editorial Staff to be updated and presented as the Best of HBR in a Special Issue on AI, November 2021).
- Sanders, N.R., “How to Use Big Data to Drive Your Supply Chain,” California Management Review, Volume 58, No. 3, 2016, 26-48.
- Sanders, N.R. The Humachine: Humankind, Machines and the Future of Enterprise (with John D. Wood), Routledge, 2023 (2nd edition).
- Sanders, N.R. Operations Management (with R. Dan Reid), John Wiley & Sons, 8th edition, 2023.
- Sanders, N. R. Fundamentals of Sustainable Business (with John D. Wood), John Wiley & Sons, 3rd edition, 2023.
- Sanders, N.R. Supply Chain Management: A Global Perspective, John Wiley & Sons, 3rd edition, 2023.
Industry & Academic Experience
Sanders has held a range of leadership roles in both academic and professional organizations and has served on numerous Executive Boards. She has provided training and consulting to a range of Fortune 500 companies, including Dell, Amazon, IDG, Nike, AT&T, CIBA Corning, Mattel, MTC Corp., and many others. She is a frequently called upon keynote speaker and expert witness having worked with firms such as Jones Day; Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease; Quinn, Emanuel, Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP and others. She is a frequent quest on all the major media on outlets including CNN, NPR, BBC, CNBC, New York Times, The Economist, The Atlantic, Boston Globe, and many others.
Awards & Recognition
- Awarded the POM Sushil Gupta Distinguished Service Award for contribution to the profession (2023).
- Ranked as World's Top 2% of Scientist in 2020 Stanford Study
- Awarded the Robert D. Klein Lecturer Award, Northeastern University, 2022.
- Board of Economic Advisors, Association of Industries of Massachusetts (AIM), 2021- Present
- Award created in the name of Nada Sanders as recognition of significant contribution by Production & Operations Management Society (POMS). Award named:
- The Nada SandersEmerging Economies Doctoral Dissertation Award for Latin America and the Caribbean, July, 2020.
- Top Innovation Books of 2020, The Humachine: Humankind, Machines and the Future of Mankind (Taylor & Francis), InsideOutside.io (https://insideoutside.io)
- Outstanding Book Category 2019 The Humachine: Humankind, Machines and the Future of Mankind (Taylor & Francis).
- Center for Management Consulting Excellent (CMCE) Consulting Research Award Finalist 2020, “The Secret to AI is People,” Harvard Business Review, August, 2020. (www.cmce.org.uk).
- President, Production and Operations Management Society (POMS) (2019 – 2020)
- Faculty Affiliate, Global Resiliency Institute (GRI), Northeastern University (2017-Present).
- Top 10 most downloaded paper for 2017 and listed as a “must read”: Sanders, N. R. “How to Use Big Data to Drive Your Supply Chain,” California Management Review, Volume 58, No. 3, 2016, 26-48
- Fellow, Decision Sciences Institute (2008)
- Invited participant at The Gordon Cook Conversations at Windsor Castle; This retreat brought together a small group of international leaders identified to have ‘star quality' in order to develop strategies to impact society in the coming decade; Windsor Castle, Windsor, UK, May, 2008 (www.gordoncookconversations.com)
