Data for Business: Driving Business Decisions with Data in Logistics

In today's rapidly evolving supply chain landscape, data has emerged as a critical driver of innovation, efficiency, and strategic decision-making. Mastering data-driven decision-making is essential for staying ahead of the curve. This short course offers a practical approach to understanding how business leaders should harness the power of data in the digital age. Throughout the course, participants will embark on a comprehensive journey into the world of data and analytics in the logistics industry, exploring its transformative potential in optimizing supply chain operations, driving innovation, and achieving strategic business objectives. At the end of this course, students will be able to: Understand data’s role within logistics and transportation industry. Business value of data. Types of data and their impact on the data lifecycle. Understand how data is leveraged for analytics, including AI and Gen AI. Common data challenges and how to overcome them. Vision regarding business leaders’ role to foster a data-driven culture within their teams and organization. Immediate areas of focus for a data action plan, including responsible use of data for AI. Course Faculty: Ioana Mazare is an innovative executive leader with nearly two decades of distinguished experience in the logistics industry, specializing in leveraging data, analytics, and technology to drive transformative business outcomes. As the Vice President of Enterprise Data Strategy at UPS, Ioana spearheaded the creation of the company’s inaugural global enterprise data strategy, laying the foundation for a digital and data-driven culture across the organization. Under her leadership, UPS initiated an enterprise-wide program aligning business objectives with technological advancements, significantly enhancing operational efficiencies and customer satisfaction. Ioana's extensive background encompasses leadership roles at notable logistics and transportation companies, including TTX Company and Roadie, where she played a crucial role in guiding strategic decisions and fostering substantial organizational growth. Her efforts have consistently focused on integrating technologies, processes and people to position UPS for AI and generative AI implementation, thereby positioning the company at the forefront of innovation in the logistics sector. In addition to her executive career, Ioana is a faculty member in the Executive Master’s Program at the Transportation and Supply Chain Institute at the University of Denver (TSCI). Her passion for education is evident in her years of teaching at institutions such as Western Michigan University, University of Utah, Weber State University, and Mercer University, where she has influenced the next generation of leaders in economics and technology. Ioana holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Western Michigan University and was recently honored as one of the Data Leaders 100 – The Leading Influencers in North America 2023 by the CDO Magazine.