READERPROFILE Marcus Chung: Guiding a Sustainable Career
as told to Karen Kroll
MARCUS CHUNG is chief operating officer of Coyuchi, which develops sustainable premium home textiles.
RESPONSIBILITIES: Ecommerce and retail operations, supply chain, sourcing, production, sustainability, and IT. EXPERIENCE: Vice president, manufacturing and supply chain, ThirdLove; director, sourcing, Stitch Fix; vice president, responsible sourcing, The Children’s Place; director, responsible sourcing, Talbots; director, sustainability, McKesson; senior manager, social responsibility strategy, Gap Inc.; consultant, CEB (now Gartner). EDUCATION: MBA, University of California, Berkeley; BA, Wesleyan University.
I began my career as a consultant. It was like an extension of school because I gained exposure to many different companies, but I wasn’t actually managing a part of the business. Because I didn’t have a formal business background, I needed to gain the skills and competencies so I’d feel confident that I could succeed in an operational role. When I went back to business school, it seemed like a natural way to transition from an external advisor role to being an operator. After business school, I started at Gap Inc. as part of its social responsibility and corporate sustainability team. A lot of our work involved partnering with the factories that produced our goods overseas and protecting the rights of workers, as well as managing the
sustainability impact of our operations around the world. To be effective and help influence decisions, I had to put myself in the shoes of the people in other functional areas. For example, if we needed to move production away from a factory that’s not complying with our standards, how do we manage that in a responsible way for the business? SHIFTING TO SUPPLY CHAIN The more I advanced in my career, the more I enjoyed supply chain and operations. I organically moved into more commercial roles. It’s rewarding to be making decisions. Supply chain is such an interesting, dynamic part of business. We have to think about how issues in faraway
countries can impact us, whether the disruptions in the Red Sea, or elections in different countries that might shift trade relationships. I love how global it is. I still have a mindset on sustainability and social impact. Now, I’m in a position where I can guide my team so they consider these impacts as part of everyone’s jobs. There’s a lot more awareness about sustainability and the impact supply chains can have on people and the planet. When I started out, we’d have to explicitly ask about organic cotton options and there’d be, say, two swatches. Now, suppliers have entire books of eco collections, with recycled, organic, regenerative, and other options. Having an impact beyond the business operations also motivates me.
12 Inbound Logistics • October 2024
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