At Eton Bridge Partners, we spend our time working closely with C-suite and board-level executives across a wide range of businesses and leadership roles. What consistently fascinates us is the path people take to get there, the decisions, the risks, the moments of doubt, and the turning points that shape them.

In this conversation, Ross Dawson, Partner and Practice Lead for Procurement, Supply Chain & Operations, sits down with Louise Welch, a Supply Chain & Transformation Leader and board member who has operated at scale, led significant transformation, and more recently transitioned into a portfolio career. Supply chain as a function has evolved enormously over the past decade, from operational backbone to strategic differentiator, and Louise has been right at the heart of that shift.

Together, they explore her journey, the leadership lessons she’s learned along the way, and her perspective on building impact at enterprise and board level, including what it’s really like to rise as a senior female leader.

Watch or listen to the podcast here

Ross: Louise, can you give us an insight into your background and career to date?

Louise: I started my supply chain career at PlayStation in a planning role. The company was very small, and over the 20 years or so that I was there, my career evolved as the business grew.

I worked at the head office in London, but I also had the opportunity to move to Madrid and work in the Spanish office twice. When I returned to the UK after five years in Spain, I took on an EMEA director-level role covering supply chain execution, alongside a significant amount of systems work, including SAP upgrades.

My final role there was a global senior director position focused more on transformation and change, including large-scale systems, integrations and implementation. We rolled out S/4HANA across the organisation, delivering a new target operating model for the global operations function, spanning people, processes and systems.

Ross: When you reflect on your career so far, what do you think is the thread that connects it all?

Louise: I think there are a couple of things. Languages have played a big part, which I didn’t fully appreciate for quite a long time. Learning another language is a form of connection. It’s more than just being able to order a coffee. It’s about understanding how ideas are expressed, how a language is structured, and what that tells you about culture and people. I’ve always found that fascinating.

That people-focused thread has run throughout my career, meeting different individuals, understanding their perspectives, their backgrounds, and how they see the world.

The other element is intellectual stimulation. I’ve always enjoyed logic puzzles, crosswords, and that kind of challenge, and I need that in my work too.

That’s one of the reasons supply chain is so interesting. It’s rare that any two days are the same.

Ross: You mentioned you didn’t follow a strict long-term plan. How did that shape your career?

Louise: I didn’t start with a clear plan, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. I fell into different opportunities, and fortunately project management, planning and supply chain aligned well with my skills.

Joining a large, growing global business gave me a lot of opportunities. I was always talking to people and staying curious about what was happening around me. When I started to feel ready for something new, perhaps subconsciously, I would widen those conversations, explore different areas, and let people know I was open to change. Those opportunities would then come along, and I would take them.

Ross: What advice would you give to people who feel pressure to have everything mapped out?

Louise: I do think having some kind of direction or vision is helpful, but it doesn’t need to be rigid.

For me, it’s more important to have clarity on the values that guide your decisions. If you understand what you need from a role or an environment, you can use that as a lens when making choices.

We’re often taught that careers should look like a ladder, but I don’t think that’s true at all.

Ross: You touched on mentorship earlier, how important has that been for you?

Louise: When I started out, mentorship wasn’t really a focus. But, particularly as a woman in what can be male-dominated industries, it can be incredibly valuable in helping to raise your profile.

Later in my career, when I did have that support, I could really see the difference it made. Having someone who would advocate for you when you weren’t in the room and highlight your achievements.

I would encourage anyone starting out to find someone they can talk to, someone who can offer a different perspective.

Ross: You’ve led complex supply chain organisations at scale. What does that really require?

Louise: Supply chain is a bit like finance. It’s one of those back-office functions where, if everything is working perfectly, no one notices.

But often we’re like swans, calm on the surface but working hard beneath the water.

What people don’t always see is the breadth of the role. You’re engaging with so many parts of the business, finance, sales, IT, engineering, as well as partners, vendors and customers.

On complex projects, supply chain is a bit like conducting an orchestra, bringing all those elements together.

And when something goes wrong, it’s about knowing which levers to pull, who to call on, and how to keep everyone aligned and moving in the same direction.

Ross: And what about that step from manager to leader?

Louise: That’s a challenging transition.

It can be difficult to let go of what you’re known for, being the specialist or the expert.

But stepping into leadership means trusting your team to be the subject matter experts. Your role becomes bringing everything together, asking the right questions, and maintaining a broader perspective.

You’re no longer there to be in the detail. You’re there to see the bigger picture.

Ross: You were often one of the few women in the room. How did that shape your leadership?

Louise: Earlier in my career, I didn’t think about gender as much. But as I progressed, it became more noticeable, there were fewer and fewer women, and often I was the only one in the room.

It didn’t necessarily bother me, but it did make me reflect on how I wanted to show up as a leader. It’s hard to be what you don’t see.

That became a bit of a lightbulb moment, realising that the most important thing is to be yourself and lead in line with your values.

For me, that meant being open and genuine in how I approach things. And when I leaned into that, people responded positively.

Ross: Why is diversity of thought so important at that level?

Louise: If everyone has the same background, they’re more likely to reinforce each other’s perspectives.

But when you bring together people with different experiences, across gender, age and heritage, you’re far more likely to arrive at stronger, more robust solutions.

I remember the example of Gucci creating a shadow board of younger employees to help reconnect with their market and bring in fresh perspectives.

That worked well because those individuals were closer to the customer.

It reinforces how important it is to stay open and curious.

Ross: You’ve now moved into a portfolio career. What do future C-suite leaders need to cultivate earlier?

Louise: It’s about continuous learning and evolution.

Nothing stands still anymore, the pace of change is accelerating.

As a leader, you need to navigate that yourself, but also support others through it.

That ability to step back, understand context, and see how everything connects is critical.

With tools like AI, you can access data and recommendations, but what it can’t replicate is the human layer, context, experience and judgement.

That comes from lived experience, from having faced challenges before and building that instinct over time.

It’s also important to recognise that AI is built on historical data. If that data is biased, we need to question the outputs.

That critical thinking will become an increasingly important leadership capability.

Closing reflection

What comes through in Louise’s story is that senior leadership isn’t built in a straight line.

It’s built on curiosity.

On conversations.

On being open to opportunities you didn’t plan for.

And on having the confidence, at the right moments, to lead in a way that is authentic to who you are.