Ajit Sivadasan, Founding Executive and President of Global eCommerce at Lenovo, took to the keynote stage at DELIVER Europe 2025 with a bold assertion:

“Supply chain is now the single biggest brand differentiator.”

It’s not a message retailers are used to hearing from a tech giant — but Sivadasan makes the case with clarity and conviction.

SUPPLY CHAIN: FROM BACK OFFICE TO BRAND DRIVER

As global customer expectations rise and experiences become increasingly hyper-personalised, supply chains are no longer just operational enablers — they’re strategic levers.

“Whether you’re delivering services or goods, your ability to fulfil promises is what builds brand trust,” Sivadasan explained. “And that’s fundamentally a supply chain issue.”

Brands today are built not just on bold marketing, but on consistent delivery — and failure at any point in the customer journey can erode trust just as easily as a bad product.

A WORLD OF COMPLEXITY — AND OPPORTUNITY

From personalisation to real-time delivery promises, Sivadasan points out that AI and data are reshaping what’s possible.

“Experiences are becoming more complex. AI is driving optimisation. And the brands who can stitch all of this together — from demand to doorstep — will win,” he said.

He believes more brands need to think like logistics companies — placing supply chain thinking at the heart of their brand strategies, not just their operations.

BEYOND THE BACK END

For Lenovo, which serves millions of customers across the globe, supply chain excellence is inseparable from brand performance.

“Brands must understand that how you deliver is just as important as what you deliver,” Sivadasan concluded. “That’s how you build lasting loyalty.”

And as he closed his session at DELIVER Europe 2025, he left no doubt: in a world of high expectations, supply chain is the battleground where customer trust is won or lost.