ASEAN Next-Gen Mentoring Program

 As ASEAN’s supply chain landscape grows more complex and interconnected, the next generation of talent needs more than technical skills — they need guidance, wisdom, and leadership. The Global Supply Chain Leadership Alliance (GSLA) launched the ASEAN Next-Gen Mentoring Program to nurture young professionals who will one day lead the region’s logistics, manufacturing, and supply chain transformation.

Across industries, universities, and borders, mentors stepped in with experience, heart, and conviction — guiding emerging leaders toward purpose-driven impact.

Since 2024, the ASEAN Next-Gen Mentoring Program welcomed 65 mentees from 7 ASEAN countries, each aspiring to grow in the fields of logistics, supply chain, manufacturing, sustainability, and digital transformation.

The participating nations include:

• Singapore
   
• Malaysia
   
• Indonesia
   
• Philippines
   
• Vietnam
   
• Thailand
   
• Myanmar
   

These young leaders were paired with senior practitioners from multinational corporations, leading logistics providers, government agencies, humanitarian organisations, and technology companies — creating a rare cross-border network dedicated to raising the next generation of supply chain professionals.

 Throughout the program, mentors invested deeply into mentees through structured conversations and personalised guidance. Together, they explored pressing topics that shape the future of ASEAN’s supply chain:

• How to navigate a career in logistics and supply chain
   
• Digitalisation, automation, AI, and the future of operations
   
• Regional trade flows and ASEAN’s economic shifts
   
• Building resilience in supply networks
   
• Leading cross-cultural teams across borders
   
• Sustainability, ESG, and green supply chain strategies
   
• The mindset and character of effective supply chain leaders
   

Each session blended professional insights with personal growth, equipping mentees to rise with confidence in a fast-evolving industry.

Beyond mentor–mentee meetings, all 65 mentees gathered for regional workshops, leadership panels, and community-building activities such a mentoring walk around Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. These sessions created an environment where future leaders learned from one another, exchanged ideas, and built friendships that extend beyond nations and industries.

Mentees came from logistics firms, multinational manufacturers, universities, and government-linked agencies — forming a diverse ecosystem of young professionals ready to contribute to ASEAN’s supply chain transformation.

Through the program, they gained:

• Clearer career direction within the supply chain sector
   
• Leadership tools tailored to complex, fast-moving environments
   
• Access to regional mentors with real-world expertise
   
• Cross-cultural learning and exposure
   
• A strong, future-ready professional network
   

Wherever they are placed in the supply chain, these young leaders now carry the confidence to lead with purpose.

The ASEAN Next-Gen Mentoring Program is part of GSLA’s broader mission to elevate the region’s supply chain capabilities. By investing in the next generation, GSLA is building a sustainable talent pipeline that will support ASEAN’s growth for decades to come.

GSLA continues to strengthen this ecosystem by:

• Strengthening partnerships across industry, academia, government, and the humanitarian sector, ensuring mentees gain a holistic view of the modern supply chain landscape.
   
• Developing leadership toolkits, mentoring frameworks, and capability models that reflect today’s expectations for resilience, digital fluency, and people-centred leadership.
   
• Connecting mentees to real-world industry challenges through curated projects, problem statements, thought-leadership sessions, and selected site visits with GSLA’s partner companies.
   
• Supporting opportunities for internships, scholarships, and cross-border exposure, opening doors for young professionals to build practical experience across ASEAN.
   
• Collaborating with universities, policy institutes, and industry bodies to jointly shape capability development, curriculum design, and research pathways for next-gen talent.
   
• Embedding values of collaboration, innovation, and purpose-driven leadership, reflecting GSLA’s belief that the future of the supply chain is shaped by leaders who serve communities as much as they drive industry transformation.
   

With 65 mentees across 7 nations so far, they represents a new wave of resilient, innovative, and values-driven supply chain professionals — leaders who will strengthen the region’s connectivity, competitiveness, and community impact.