What will separate supply chain winners and losers in the years to come

For decades, logistics and supply chain operations have been the unsung heroes of commerce—efficiently humming behind the scenes, away from public attention. But in a world shaped by pandemic shocks, geopolitical tensions, and shifting consumer expectations, supply chains have stepped into the spotlight. For Emile Naus, Partner at BearingPoint, this shift is long overdue.

“I’ve just been really lucky,” Naus reflects, surveying a career that has spanned continents and corporate cultures. From early beginnings in the Netherlands and Canada to senior positions at UK retail giants Tesco and Marks & Spencer, and now his strategic role at the consulting firm BearingPoint, his journey traces the evolution of logistics from a back-office utility to a strategic pillar.

Falling into Logistics—and Finding Purpose

Naus’s entry into logistics wasn’t planned. “I fell into logistics almost by accident. I didn’t really know what to do,” he says, recalling his decision to study a course that blended engineering, economics, and supply chain. “I’m an engineer by background, and I like fixing things, and data and facts and models is a logical part of that.”

That pragmatic mindset has shaped his entire career. “I’m not particularly interested in sort of the theoretical side of it… For me, all of the data, all of the analytics, all of the decision making ultimately comes down to what are you going to do with it? What decisions are you going to make?”

Even before terms like “analytics” became fashionable, he was building models and solving real-world problems. “The course I did was really analytical before people talked about analytics. They just got modeling.”

From Strategy to Execution

After early roles in the Netherlands and Canada, Naus joined LCP, a niche UK supply chain consultancy. What drew him in was “their focus on data and using data for fact-based analysis, fact-based decision making.” Later, his work for Tesco transitioned from advice to action. “I joined Tesco as… Long Term Planning Manager because they weren’t allowed to use the word strategy in anybody’s job title unless you were on the board.”

That hands-on application of analytical tools became a hallmark of his work. “We were using optimization tools… for network strategy. You’ve got a series of distribution centers. You’ve got a lot of stores. You got to deliver products from those distribution centers to those stores. And where is the ideal location…?”

Naus points out that many of these tools are not new. “Tools like simulation, tools like machine learning, tools like optimization, they’ve been around for many, many years. So I don’t think it’s the tool itself that’s really made such a big difference… Now you don’t [have to program them]. That’s really the difference.”

Despite changes in technology, the core questions remain constant. “Ultimately it all comes down to how do you make better decisions and how do you use the information that you’ve got to make better decisions?”

A Broader Canvas at BearingPoint

When LCP was acquired by BearingPoint, the move opened new doors. “LCP was a great company. It was very specialized… When we joined Bearing Point, we effectively became the UK operations team.”

At BearingPoint, Naus found himself part of a wider ecosystem. “Now we have access to people with fantastic capabilities around technology… a team around customer growth… people and strategy.” The result? A more holistic offering. “It’s been really nice to see lots of extra capabilities that we can bring to our clients.”

Retail remains his primary focus. “There is so many interesting facets to retail, and it always comes down to the customer… You can have the best logistics… if it doesn’t get the right product at the right time to your customer, there is no value.”

Geography, Competition, and the UK’s Unique Landscape

Having worked in Canada and across Europe, Naus is well-placed to assess regional supply chain differences. The UK, he argues, poses distinct challenges. “UK and Ireland… is an island. It’s difficult to get products to an island.” Compared to continental markets, the UK is fiercely competitive. “If you look at Holland, you look at France… you tend to have a 1 or 2 really dominant players… In the UK, we’ve got Tesco, but we’ve got Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, we’ve got Amazon… Ocado.”

He contrasts this with Canada, where scale and geography create different pressures. “Toronto to Vancouver, that’s a five day drive… Those distances don’t happen in the UK.” In Canada, “you get more regional variations… going across to Washington state is easy. Driving to Toronto… is a huge enterprise.”

As for international expansion, it’s not as simple as it sounds. “The success rate of retailers going into other countries is quite mixed… It’s not always easy to translate, and I think a lot of it comes down to really understanding the customer.”

Fragile Global Chains and the Reshoring Debate

The global disruptions of recent years have made logistics visible in ways it never was before. “We then got into a period, particularly around Covid, where there was specific product shortages… There was a big shortage in flour in one kilogram bags. There was plenty of flour in 1000 kilogram bags… it was an issue with the production capacity for packaging.”

The Suez Canal blockage and current Middle East tensions have underscored another truth: global supply chains are long—and brittle. “We are seeing that some of those chains are actually quite brittle. And if something breaks it’s the endpoint that feels the pain.”

He cites the Fukushima tsunami as a sobering example. “All of those four manufacturers… bought a ten cent component… from the same manufacturing plant in Fukushima.” The lesson: true resilience requires visibility “three tiers back in the supply chain.”

Calls for reshoring have followed, but Naus urges caution. “It’s very easy to say it. It’s not quite so easy to do it… Where’s the skills, where’s the equipment, where’s the knowledge, where’s the raw materials?”

Cost vs. Value—and the Hidden Traps of Local Optimization

One of the most common pitfalls Naus sees is focusing too narrowly. “A local optimum is almost certainly not an end to end optimum. So buying something at the lowest price but driving a lot of stock in might actually be the wrong thing to do.”

He recalls a client workshop where two products were indistinguishable to the commercial team. “One of them is very profitable and the other one costs you… and X was quite a big number.” That kind of insight, he says, only comes from looking at “the total profit you make… on that day. That’s the profitability.”

And yet, data is just the beginning. “The real value is what are you going to do with it… How do you then take that data and turn it into a set of actions…?”

Fast Isn’t Always Better

In the race for rapid delivery, Naus challenges the assumption that quicker is always better. “There is no such thing as free of charge if somebody pays… Given the option of having [it] tomorrow for a small charge… and have it free of charge in 2 or 3 days time… 50 to 70% of the customers go back and wait.”

He describes working with a leisure clothing brand that assumed it needed to relocate to the Midlands. “We asked them a really stupid question, which is why does your customer want a product next day? And they couldn’t answer the question.” After analysis and research, the company decided to stay put, retaining its team and cutting unnecessary costs.

The lesson: “Let’s get some data and let’s back it up.”

What Makes a Winner?

For Naus, future success hinges on several core principles.“Start with the customer… What do they actually want?” Then, think holistically. “If you cause your suppliers a level of pain because of cost cutting… that cost is going to come back.”

Collaboration also plays a role. “Why do you have vehicles going with small volumes… when your competitor takes… to the store next door?” Technology offers promise—but only when applied wisely. “Pick the automation which is fit for you today, but also for the future… Automate appropriately.”

Long-term thinking is crucial. “It’s very easy… to focus on quarterly results… But actually long term, what’s the right thing to do?”And finally, people. “Retail is very, very much a people business… If you’re an online retailer… the only person the customer meets is the delivery driver. That delivery driver effectively is your brand.”

People, Training, and the Risk of Disconnection

Naus is blunt about the industry’s shortfalls in training. “It’s really disappointing to see the retail training spend to be quite low… Training is often seen as a cost… For me, training has a value and the value is much more important than the cost.”

On-the-job learning, he argues, is just as vital. “Leading by example is a really good way to progress people… Just observing them, just seeing them in action.”

But remote work, while beneficial in some ways, has chipped away at that. “People miss out on working together and learning… That’s actually quite sad.”

In the end, perspective matters. “If you’ve got somebody running a retail business… that has the perspective of what would it have meant to me when I was 18… That level of reality is really important.”

From strategy to simulation, from the global to the granular, Emile Naus offers a vision of logistics not just as a system—but as a mindset. One grounded in data, sharpened by experience, and always, always focused on the customer.