Avetta EHS and Sustainability Expert Wins 2022 Pros to Know Award for Enabling Sustainable and Ethical Supply Chain Practices

Supply & Demand Chain Executive recognizes Michael Ford for developing and implementing programs that help companies reach their safety, sustainability and ESG goals

Avetta®, the leading provider of supply chain risk management software, announced today that Michael Ford, the company’s Global Lead of Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability, was named a 2022 Pro to Know by Supply & Demand Chain Executive.

Ford was recognized for developing and implementing Avetta’s global supplier evaluation programs. The programs help organizations facilitate increased transparency and assurance across their supply chains by applying sustainability management and risk mitigation to meet their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) objectives.

The Pros to Know award recognizes outstanding executives whose accomplishments offer a roadmap for other leaders looking to leverage their supply chain for competitive advantage.

Ford is passionate about the development and delivery of sustainable and ethical supply chain programs and educating the industry on the topic. At Avetta, he has:

• Developed and implemented global audit and compliance programs in a wide range of industrial sectors, including construction, manufacturing, mass transit and the development of industry-wide safety passport programs.
• Implemented supply chain assurance programs and risk strategies in developed and emerging economies, including West Africa, Southeast Asia, APAC and throughout Europe.
• Provided a more holistic overview of safety performance by analyzing leading indicators to ensure clients can evaluate potential suppliers based upon their multi-disciplinary capabilities and business capacity, applying a supplier life-cycle approach based upon supplier due diligence—pre-contract award, work delivery and post-work analysis.
• Implemented programs to mitigate slavery and human trafficking within the extended supply chain.
• Developed a global sustainability program that provides a range of learning and support programs that simplifies business expectations and explains how companies can implement better working practices, improve human rights and reduce their environmental impact, irrelevant of their business size.

In January 2022, the company launched Avetta One™, the first truly unified supply chain risk management platform for identifying and mitigating safety, liability, sustainability, workforce, cybersecurity and financial risks. Avetta One helps corporations, suppliers, contractors and their workers through contractor prequalification, document management, auditing, employee-level qualification and training, insurance verification and business intelligence. Within the platform is a powerful sustainability and ESG risk mitigation solution that allows companies to reach their sustainability and ESG goals faster and more confidently. Avetta is the only supply chain company with an ESG scoring system that considers individual company goals and global standards in 20 industry trades.

“When people hear sustainability, they often picture recycling bins and projects promoting clean air. However, sustainability includes caring for people just as much as the planet—and Michael does just that,” said Danny Shields, VP sustainability and risk at Avetta and previous recipient of a Pros to Know award. “Global supply chain networks are increasingly vulnerable to widespread human rights violations such as child labor, forced labor and human trafficking. Ford has built robust supplier due diligence measures into Avetta One that address the growing prevalence of modern slavery in supply chains and help eliminate the root causes of these human rights violations.”

Ford has also written many thought leadership articles to better educate companies and supply chain professionals.

“When I look back at past Pros to Know winners, I see many individuals who accomplished a lot of great achievements. But this year’s winners are reinventing what it means to be a supply chain professional. This year’s winners are intuitive, adaptive, smart and continue to push the envelope when it comes to everything supply chain-related,” says Marina Mayer, Editor-in-Chief of Supply & Demand Chain Executive and Food Logistics. “We received over 360 nominations this year, the highest number of nominations ever for this award. It’s proof that today’s supply chain professionals are not only doing great things for the supply chain but are also being supported by their teams, peers and partners.”

To view the complete list of 2022 Pros to Know winners, go to www.SDCExec.com. The overall winner will be announced live at MODEX 2022 in Atlanta.

About Avetta

The Avetta SaaS platform helps clients manage supply chain risk and their suppliers to become more qualified for jobs. For the hiring clients in our network, we offer the world’s largest supply chain risk management network to manage supplier safety, sustainability, worker competency and performance. We perform contractor prequalification and worker competency management across major industries, all over the globe, including construction, energy, facilities, high tech, manufacturing, mining and telecom.

For suppliers in our network, our audit and verification services help lower their safety incidents rate by 29%. As a result, nearly 50% of members find additional job opportunities within the first year of joining. In addition, our suppliers receive privileged access to the Avetta Marketplace, where dozens of partners offer special discounts for business services like insurance and work gear. Avetta serves 500+ enterprise companies and 125,000+ suppliers across 120+ countries.

Visit https://www.avetta.com/ for more information.

About Supply & Demand Chain Executive

Supply & Demand Chain Executive is the only supply chain publication covering the entire global supply chain, focusing on trucking, warehousing, packaging, procurement, risk management, professional development and more. Supply & Demand Chain Executive and sister publication Food Logistics are also home to L.I.N.K. and L.I.N.K. Educate podcast channels, L.I.N.K. Live, SCN Summit, SupplyChainLearningCenter.com and more.

Go to www.SDCExec.com to learn more.

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