After a volatile 2025, how are supply chain leaders approaching 2026? Mahesh Rajasekharan, CEO of Cleo, offers a perspective.

Last year found supply chain organizations confronting extreme volatility in multiple forms, and the situation continues in 2026, Rajasekharan says. But one thing is different: As geopolitical tensions dominate decision-making, “companies are now viewing supply chain volatility as structural, not episodic.”

Supply chains are under “complete reconsideration,” as companies move from a tactical approach to one that covers end-to-end movements. As that happens, supply chains evolve from providing a source of efficiency to “monetizing uncertainty, so that they can compete in the market.”

Why, though, is it proving so difficult to obtain end-to-end visibility across supply chains? Rajasekharan says companies have been hampered in recent years by the cobbling together of multiple point solutions. That approach has created “massive friction” and led to a poor customer experience.

Companies are realizing today that they can no longer restrict automation to the four walls of the business. “They need to see signals across the supply chain,” he says.

The key lies in supply chain orchestration, an approach that “bridges the gap between planning and execution.”

For suppliers, it’s becoming increasingly important to avoid chargeback penalties assessed by retailers for failure to deliver on time, or meet other requirements of service-level agreements. That inability accounts for between 1% to 3% of revenues.

Also important is the ability of suppliers to expand their presence to additional sections of the store — a desire that won’t be realized if they fail to perform in the first category.

“The ability to orchestrate allows you to deliver on those metrics,” Rajasekharan says.