Yossi Sheffi Headshot

Yossi Sheffi

Best-selling author, entrepreneur, and MIT Professor Dr. Yossi Sheffi is a keynote speaker with expertise in systems optimization, risk analysis, and supply chain management.

Meet Yossi Sheffi

Dr. Yossi Sheffi is a keynote speaker and expert in systems optimization, risk analysis, and supply chain management. Dr. Sheffi holds a diverse set of distinguished academic positions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Principally, he is the Elisha Gray II Professor of Engineering Systems at MIT.

He is also a best-selling author of nine award-winning books and is a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, Bloomberg, Sloan Management Review, and Supply Chain Management Review, and many others. His latest book is The Magic Conveyor Belt: Supply Chains, A.I., and the Future of Work (April 2023). He also authored books on business resilience, sustainability, clustering, and other topics.

Leading enterprises around the world hire Yossi Sheffi for business consultation and keynote speaking. Dr. Sheffi is a successful founder or co-founder of five disruptive and innovative businesses in tech and logistics. Yossi Sheffi is available to be booked for corporate and private events. Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group today to inquire about Yossi Sheffi’s fees.

Want to book Yossi Sheffi for an event?

Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group at 215-510-6607 to book Yossi Sheffi for corporate or private events, keynote speeches, workshops, fireside chats, motivational speaking, or virtual appearances. Our agency will work directly with your organization and our keynote speakers to create an unforgettable event.

The Mollie Plotkin Group is the leading keynote speakers agency and entertainment bureau bringing excitement to audiences, clients, and employees. We represent subject-matter experts in every possible field, so whether we’re your partner in creating a memorable meeting, or your meeting planner’s secret weapon in securing the perfect keynote speaker, we’re in this with you.

Biography

Academic Career

In 1975, Yossi Sheffi obtained his Bachelor of Science from the Technion in Israel. He obtained his Master of Science and PhD from MIT in 1977 and 1978 respectively.

Today he resides in Boston, Massachusetts, and holds several directorial positions at MIT.

Dr. Sheffi is Director of the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL), and Director and Founder of the Master of Engineering in Logistics Program. He is the director and founder of the Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence (SCALE) network of six academic centers around the world. 

He is a faculty member of the MIT Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, as well as the MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society. 

Under his leadership, the MIT CTL has launched many educational, research, and industry/government outreach programs. Notably, he led the launch of the MIT online MITx MicroMasters program in supply chain management. Launched in 2016, it enrolled its 1 millionth (!) registrant in November 2022, attracting learners from 196 countries.

Private Enterprise and Consultation

He is a global expert in systems optimization, risk analysis, supply chain management, and the usage and impacts of advanced technologies, subjects that he researches, teaches, and writes about.

Dr. Sheffi has consulted with numerous governments and leading manufacturing, retail, and transportation enterprises all over the world. He has also founded or co-founded five successful companies: 

  • LogiCorp (acquired by Ryder in 1994) 
  • PTCG (acquired by Sabre in 1996) 
  • e-Chemicals (acquired by AspenTech in 2001)
  • Logistics.com (acquired by Manhattan Associates in 2003)
  • Syncra Systems (acquired by Oracle in 2004) 

Awards and Recognition

Dr. Sheffi has been recognized in numerous ways in academic and industry forums, including the 1997 Distinguished Service Award, the highest award given by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, and many others. In addition, he is a life fellow of Cambridge University’s Clare Hall College, and an honorary doctor of science of the University of Zaragoza in Spain.

How to Hire Yossi Sheffi

Find out how to hire Yossi Sheffi to appear at your next event. Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group to inquire about Yossi Sheffi’s availability and cost. When booking Yossi Sheffi for an event, we need to know the type of venue and location the event will take place. Yossi Sheffi is a popular choice for corporate events, private events, and virtual events. So, you can click the Check Availability button or contact us and an MPG Yossi Sheffi booking agent will get back to you within 48 hours.

Yossi Sheffi Booking Price

How much to book Yossi Sheffi depends on the type of event. So, the cost to hire Yossi Sheffi for corporate or private events is available by contacting a Mollie Plotkin Group Agent. Notably, Yossi Sheffi is available for conferences, festivals, private parties and events. Just contact the Mollie Plotkin Group and tell the booking agent the proposed date, time, and location.

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Upcoming Engagements

Our speakers are in high demand! View their upcoming events.

Dec 03 2024

Data & Revenue Management Conference – Keynote Speaker Will Guidara – Destin, FL

Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa
Jan 13 2025

IMSH 2025 – Keynote Speaker Nicole Malachowski – Orlando, FL

Feb 02 - 04 2025

Imaging USA 2025 – Opening Keynote Shola Richards – Dallas, TX

No event found!

Key Audience Takeaways

Dr. Yossi Sheffi is a highly sought-after keynote speaker who specializes in trending topics such as supply chain and risk management.

AI and the Future of Work

The Capabilities of Automation

Based on his book: The Magic Conveyor Belt: Supply Chains, A.I., and the Future of Work (April 2023), Professor Sheffi analyzes past technological changes and what the future workplace will look like. He will also outline the roles of individuals, companies, and governments in preparing for the future. In this speech, Professor Sheffi addresses the following questions:

  • Will advanced technology replace jobs? 
  • Will AI make people redundant?
  • What will the future workplace look like?

 

Supply Chain Resilience

The essence of prevention, detection, and response. 

Companies’ fortunes in the face of disruption depend more on the choices made before the shock than actions taken in the midst of it. The interconnectedness of the global economy today means that unexpected events in one corner of the globe can ripple through the world’s supply chain and affect customers everywhere. This presentation includes examples of Yossi Sheffi’s extensive experience working with companies before, during, and after major disruptions. Furthermore, Professor Sheffi will cover:

  • How companies can build flexibility throughout their supply chains
  • How corporate culture can make or break a company’s flexibility in disruption
  • Case studies from leading organizations 

 

The Pandemic Impact on Supply Chains

The New (AB)NORMAL

In this presentation, Professor Sheffi discusses the impact of the pandemic, as well as current events, on the structure of future supply chains. Sheffi conducted research with multiple companies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, he wrote two books concerning the pandemic, “The New (AB)NORMAL)” and “A Shot In The Arm,” that were widely acclaimed by academics and business leaders. In this presentation, Professor Sheffi will cover topics such as:

  • The Future of Business in China
  • JIT
  • The notion that supply chains failed during the pandemic (they did not)

 

Sustainable Supply Chains

Handling Growth & Environmental Sustainability

For companies, sustainability is not a simple case of “profits versus planet.” Businesses face natural resource costs, public relations problems, regulatory burdens, and a green consumer segment. In this presentation, Professor Sheffi sheds light on:

  • What it takes to build a green supply chain
  • The difficulties of building a green supply chain and lack of consumers’ “buy in”
  • Whether, and to what extent, companies should invest and engage in green initiatives

 

Logistics Clusters

Delivering Value and Driving Growth

Yossi Sheffi based this groundbreaking presentation on his research that addresses unexplained business trends that are rooted in logistics clusters – geographically concentrated sets of logistics related business activity. Professor Sheffi covers:

  • Why multiple companies of the same type like to luster geographically
  • Why competitors benefit from geographical proximity
  • What real-world examples demonstrate these phenomena

Client Testimony for Yossi Sheffi

Books

The Magic Conveyor Belt Book Cover
The Magic Conveyor Belt: Supply Chains, A.I., and the Future of Work

This book explores the vital role of global supply chains in the modern economy, and how they have been impacted by the societal and economic spasms of the early 2020s. Divided into four parts, it covers the history of supply chain management, the complexities of meeting growing consumer demands for fast delivery services, the impact of technology, and how people can succeed in an increasingly complex and automated future.

Strategic Planning for Dynamic Supply Chains Book Cover
Strategic Planning for Dynamic Supply Chains: Preparing for Uncertainty Using Scenarios

Presents a process to create scenarios, illustrating it with in-depth cases of the three types of organizations

Provides guidelines for assessing the strategic decision-making process described in the book

Explains how to answer the question “did scenario planning work” in a particular process

A Shot in the Arm Book Cover
A Shot in the Arm: How Science, Engineering, and Supply Chains Converged to Vaccinate the World

MIT Professor Yossi Sheffi recounts the vaccine’s world-changing journey from scientific breakthrough, to coronavirus antidote, to mass vaccination. And he explores how the mission could transform how the world combats other global-scale challenges.

The New (Ab)Normal Book Cover
The New (Ab)Normal : Reshaping Business and Supply Chain Strategy beyond Covid-19

In this book, MIT Professor Yossi Sheffi maps the advance of the Covid-19 pandemic and the critical role played by supply chains in helping people, governments, and businesses to manage the crisis. Expanding on themes from his previous books, "The Resilient Enterprise" (MIT Press, 2005) and "The Power of Resilience" (MIT Press 2015), Sheffi draws on executive interviews, pandemic media coverage, historical analyses, and his own experience to paint a detailed picture of how the Covid-19 virus is changing many facets of human life and what our post-pandemic world might look like.

Balancing Green Book Cover
Balancing Green: When to Embrace Sustainability in a Business (and When Not To)

The demands and stresses on companies only grow as executives face a multitude of competing business goals. Their stakeholders are interested in corporate profits, jobs, business growth, and environmental sustainability. In this book, business strategy expert Yossi Sheffi offers a pragmatic take on how businesses of all sizes—from Coca Cola and Siemens to Dr. Bronner’s Magical Soaps and Patagonia—navigate these competing goals.

The Power of Resilience Book Cover
The Power of Resilience: How the Best Companies Manage the Unexpected

A catastrophic earthquake is followed by a tsunami that inundates the coastline, and around the globe manufacturing comes to a standstill. State-of-the-art passenger jets are grounded because of a malfunctioning part. A strike halts shipments through a major port. A new digital device decimates the sales of other brands and sends established firms to the brink of bankruptcy. The interconnectedness of the global economy today means that unexpected events in one corner of the globe can ripple through the world's supply chain and affect customers everywhere.

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