Ep 45: Kim Kirkconnell's Legacy at Kimberly-Clark: A Journey of Choices and Opportunities

Kim Kirkconnell joined Kimberly-Clark in 1990 as a System Analyst.

Her leadership journey began as an ITS Team Leader for Manufacturing, which led to her taking on the positions of Organization Effectiveness Project Manager, IT Director of Kimberly-Clark Global Professional Division, IT Strategic Planning Director, and Senior Director of ITS KCP Business Partner KCP.

Kim is currently the Vice President and Head of Global Digital Supply Chain and Finance. In this role, she is driving technology enablement for the Kimberly-Clark Global Supply Chain, the Finance organization, and Digital Operations across the globe. Her current focus is ensuring the successful delivery of the Aurora Transformation Program.

This technology transformation program includes moving to a global SAP S4, a global rollout of Coupa for procurement, and Kinaxis for planning and delivery of foundational finance. Kim also successfully drives the implementation of MES and Quality systems for Manufacturing globally, all as part of strategic global transformation efforts.

Kim is also a mother of four and holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Sciences from the University of South Alabama and a Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of South Alabama.

Key themes emerging out of our conversation:

• Building trust, delivering on commitments.
• Taking a chance on yourself, not being afraid.
• Women bring ideas that men don't think about.
• Everyone has biases, often even the minute they meet you.
• Being realistic and authentic, having those tough conversations.
• Speak up and share your opinion; it's about how to share it in the right way.
• Being vulnerable lets people know if you're not in the right frame of mind.
• Take care of yourself for the sake of your organization and for your own sake.
• Understanding diversity and recognizing the different needs to get the right outcome.
• Being prepared for a meeting, take the time to reflect on topics that may come up.
• Significance of sports, learning to compete, experiencing wins and losses, strategizing.
• Leadership is not only about solving problems; it's about listening, encouraging, and knowing when to back off.
• Leadership is not unattainable. It's about making the right choices, taking the right steps and leveraging the right opportunities.

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