What the global cotton industry taught me about leadership

For much of my career, global supply chains were built around a simple premise: Optimize for efficiency. But after working across the global cotton industry—one of the world’s most interconnected supply chains—I’ve seen how quickly that model can be tested when disruption becomes the norm. Today, climate volatility, geopolitical shifts, trade uncertainty, and rising sustainability expectations are reshaping how companies operate. Few industries offer a clearer view of these forces than cotton.…