Matson’s Valencia puts Guam on the map by receiving award

GUAM—Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine has recently announced that Bernadette “Bernie” Valencia, Matson vice president and general manager for Guam and Micronesia, has been recognized as one of its inaugural Women in Supply Chain Award winners. The Women in Supply Chain Award honors female supply chain leaders and executives from around the world whose accomplishments, mentorship, and examples set a foundation for women in all levels of a company’s supply chain network.

Supply & Demand Chain Executive, the only magazine in the supply chain industry covering the entire global supply chain that focuses on ROI, professional development, and change management, celebrates its 20-year anniversary with the introduction of a new award designed specifically for women leaders in the supply chain industry.

“We received over 300 entries for this new award, entries that were submitted from a combination of men and women. This proves that our industry needed an award like this, especially in conjunction with Supply & Demand Chain Executive’s 20-year anniversary,” says Marina Mayer, editor-in-chief of Supply & Demand Chain Executive and Food Logistics.

Valencia said, “I appreciate the SDCE for establishing this award to recognize the contributions of women in the shipping and supply chain industries and creating awareness that these industries welcome and need more female professionals. Congratulations to Bindiya Vakil, the SDCE’s Woman of the Year, and my fellow award winners throughout the globe. I am fortunate to have been able to grow my career with a wonderful organization such as Matson, and I hope to see more women from our region consider careers in shipping and supply chain management.”

Mayer added, “According to Gartner’s 2020 Women in Supply Chain Survey, 17% of chief supply chain officers are now women—a 6% increase compared to 2019. It represents growth, evolution, and community. And, that future shows that it’s a great time to be a part of the supply chain industry. So, congratulations to these top female leaders. I look forward to seeing what else you do to grow the supply chain industry.”

Valencia was recognized for her work in the Western Pacific and Micronesia regions, which includes Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Okinawa, Japan. Valencia helped to establish the Okinawa route, Matson’s newest service route, in 2017. Her team’s excellent on-time service record and Matson’s commitment to the region and the communities they serve for almost 25 years gained a mention in the magazine.

The SDCE specifically recognizes Valencia’s work at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the company’s work to reassure residents in Guam and Micronesia that their weekly shipment of goods would continue, uninterrupted and on-time. This public service campaign is recognized as helping to reduce panic buying and placing the well-being of the island’s residents as a top priority.

Valencia noted how she takes great pride in supporting and helping to grow island economies through the reliability of Matson’s transportation networks. As a resident of Guam and daughter of Micronesia, Valencia stands behind the company’s core mission of improving the quality of life in the communities they serve.

Supply & Demand Chain Executive received more than 300 entries for its newly launched Women in Supply Chain award. Check out Supply & Demand Chain Executive’s website at www.sdcexec.com for the full list of all of the 2020 Women in Supply Chain winners. The 2020 Women in Supply Chain award appears in the SDCE’s September issue, which was recently distributed. (PR)