From Paperboy to Platform: A Conversation with Chris Gaffney on the Future of Supply Chain

Chris Gaffney didn't stumble into supply chain leadership; he delivered it. Literally. At the early age of 10, Chris was up before dawn delivering the Washington Post with his brother, pulling a wagon through neighborhoods while learning firsthand about service levels, demand variability, and route optimization (without calling it that). That childhood job set the stage for a remarkable career in supply chain leadership at two of the most iconic global brands, Frito-Lay and Coca-Cola, and now in academia at Georgia Tech, where he's helping shape the next generation of supply chain leaders.

I sat down with Chris at ketteQuest 2025 in his hometown of Atlanta to talk about the most significant challenges and opportunities in supply chain, the critical importance of speed in planning, and why he believes ketteQ is uniquely positioned to bring back what he calls the "winnable game."

Q: What planning challenges shaped your thinking most in your career?

A: One of the biggest was when I led midterm planning at Coca-Cola. We tried to get seasonal inventory settings right, but encountered a latency problem. It was too late when we had the data, ran the analysis, and socialized the recommendations—the season had already passed. It became this frustrating loop of good work that didn't translate into timely impact. It drove home the importance of speed and responsiveness in planning. The world doesn't wait.

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Q: What's the biggest challenge supply chains are facing today?

A: Large organizations are still struggling to align and integrate different views from customers, suppliers, and internal assets, as well as create a coherent picture for decision-making. Even the most sophisticated supply chains wrestle with this. It's hard to take in all the variability and still make sound business decisions. And that challenge is magnified when your systems assume stability in a world that's anything but.

Q: How have supply chain playbooks changed given the rise in disruptions?

A: Most companies still operate with a structured planning cadence—monthly cycles, quarterly reviews, annual planning. But the world doesn't move in cycles anymore. You need to be able to make a good decision today, because tomorrow might be too late. The whole muscle memory of traditional planning needs to shift toward real-time responsiveness, utilizing technology that enables rapid decision making with the highest degrees of confidence.

Q: Which technologies or capabilities are you most excited about?

A: The ability to run thousands of scenarios quickly and at scale is a game-changer. For most of my career, we were lucky if we could run one or two scenarios with the tools we had. And we knew that wasn't enough. We understood we might face a wide range of demand and cost outcomes, but we simply didn't have the speed or capacity to explore them.

What excites me now is seeing platforms like ketteQ that are purpose-built for this new reality. The idea that you can model thousands of possibilities, not just a handful, and actually do it in time to make a meaningful business decision? That's powerful. It's one of the reasons I was drawn to what ketteQ is doing. They've designed a system that can process that level of complexity without slowing planners down. That kind of scalable scenario capability is no longer a luxury; it's becoming essential to making smart, timely decisions in today's environment.

Q: How did you become involved with the ketteQ Executive Advisory Board?

A: I managed Frito-Lay's raw material transportation network early in my career at 24 years old. I had a dedicated fleet of drivers, and every Friday I knew if I won or lost. That was a "winnable game." But as I rose through the ranks, that clear line of sight to winning moved farther away. I've spent the second half of my career trying to bring back the winnable game for supply chain planners. When I shared that idea with Mike (Landry), I think it really resonated. That's what drew me to ketteQ.

Q: What's impressed you most about ketteQ?

A: The people. The team's pedigree is outstanding, and they have deep industry experience, a strong customer mindset, and a willingness to rethink everything. This background has enabled them to understand today's challenges and build an impressive technology platform. It's not just about solving today's problems; it's about creating a foundation that can evolve and scale with the business and the chaos of the world around us.

Q: How is ketteQ disrupting the supply chain planning space?

ketteQ had the rare opportunity to start from scratch with a greenfield build. That's a huge advantage. Most platforms are trying to retrofit solutions onto aging architectures. ketteQ was designed from day one for the current environment, leveraging the latest thinking and technologies to tackle modern challenges head-on.

Q: How is ketteQ different from other supply chain planning products?

The ketteQ platform delivers real scenario planning at speed and scale. That's rare. Most companies are forced to bolt on separate scenario analysis tools, creating friction. With ketteQ, it's all integrated. And because the platform is constantly evolving with customer input, you get a solution that grows with you both operationally and strategically.

Q: What's the impact of ketteQ's Salesforce integration and AgentForce?

Demand insight is a massive head start, and Salesforce gives you that. Layer in AgentForce, and now you're enabling intelligent agents to assist with decision-making right inside the ecosystem. It's not just tech for tech's sake—it's about reducing friction and unlocking smarter, faster planning.

Wrap Up

Chris Gaffney's journey from paperboy to supply chain visionary is more than a compelling career story—it reflects how much the supply chain profession has evolved, and how much more potential lies ahead. His belief in the "winnable game" underscores what's at stake: empowering people with the right tools, the correct data, and the right mindset to make confident, value-driven decisions. With platforms like ketteQ reimagining what's possible—at scale, speed, and scenario intelligence—supply chain leaders are better equipped than ever to navigate uncertainty and shape a more adaptive, resilient future.

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Watch the entire interview with Chris Gaffney.

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