Gorgeous Girls In Supply Chain: Jenni Ruiz
Welcome to our series celebrating the incredible women in Supply Chain and Logistics! In a traditionally male-dominated field, it's important to shine a light on the inspiring women who are making a significant impact. Through a mix of insightful and fun questions, we’ll explore their journeys, challenges, and successes. While we acknowledge the contributions of everyone in this industry, this series aims to elevate the voices and stories of women who often get missed. Jenni Ruiz is our next feature.
JENNI RUIZ
Meet Jenni, Head of Marketing & PR at Transfix, and someone I instantly clicked with through the Supply Chain Social Club (again). Some people you just vibe with and for me, Jenni's one of those people. After spending her 20s in finance, she pivoted to logistics and spent the last ten years working her way up, from office manager to running the whole marketing and PR show. She hosts the Supply Chain Decoded podcast, geeks out over performance data, and has zero patience for AI-written cold outreach, who does these days. Her advice for other women? Show up as yourself even on the bad days, and always prioritize your peace, you can't pour from an empty cup. And she's even working on her first novel coffee in hand and her black cat Leo on her lap.
What is your current role and company?
Head of Marketing & PR at Transfix
How did you end up in the world of supply chain?
Well, I spent my 20s selling my soul in finance and was exhausted, needing a break, and a new lane. Transfix was the second company I interviewed for after leaving Dow Jones and I was immediately drawn in by the broker-floor energy and the way everyone genuinely seemed to love working there. I actually interviewed as office manager (talk about a true change from leading global customer support teams to day traders!) and worked my way up over the last ten years from employee experience to social media, to now using my parallel experience in journalism and communications to run our marketing and PR department. I couldn't be prouder. I've meet so many incredible people along the way that have become lifelong friends.
What is your favourite part of your work day?
Truly it's interacting with the people in our industry. I feel very lucky that true trailblazers, experts, and industry leaders are willing to spend some time with me to unpack the nuances of supply chain via our Supply Chain Decoded podcast. Another is really geeking out about our marketing performance data – which is kind of wild to write, because had you asked my ten years ago what my favorite part of the day is, I'm sure the answer would be vastly different.
What is the least favourite part of your work day?
Truthfully, the least favorite part of my day is sifting through cold outreach. I can't tell you how noisy my inbox is with AI-written emails. I get the hustle, but the output has to match the product's value-add, and I wish vendor emails would reflect that. And don't even get me started on a random cold call.
What is a systemic issue in your part of the supply chain that concerns you currently?
Freight broker tech stacks seem to be something that's increasingly becoming an operational hazard in servicing the full lifecycle of a load. There is rarely one source of truth that anyone on a team can look to when it comes to their freight. This feels like table stakes – if everyone on a team had the same level of information on a load, freight brokers would get a lot of time back in resolution and exception management.
How would you address it if you had the power, money, or influence?
I'd run a diagnostic report on every single broker's current tech stack and give them an understanding of how much money they could save should they consider consolidation.
What is one piece of advice you have for young women entering your field?
It's just as important showing up as your authentic self when you're having a bad day. Always check in with yourself and be honest - what can you achieve today? If that answer has changed from one day to the next, it's okay to readjust and reprioritize. Never stop prioritizing your peace, even when the job gets demanding. You can't pour from an empty cup.
What are your top 3 podcasts? (do not have to be industry related)
Who are your top 5 women in supply chain to follow on LinkedIn?
How do you deal with creeps you encounter in your work day?
Luckily I don't deal with many creeps at all but for the few I do encounter I've learned to challenge them on the spot with one of my favorite questions, "what made you say that?"
What is your favourite way to unwind?
I do a lot of creative writing in my own time and right now, I'm working on my first novel (a sci-fi grief adventure).
What have you recently changed your mind about?
AI in marketing. But with a major caveat - I don't believe it's the proper replacement for creativity, but I do think it's a good place for research gathering and brainstorming. I do think it's becoming incredibly obvious who builds their content with AI and I'm not knocking it entirely but I do think humans need to at the very least go in and edit with their own angle and way of building content.
Must haves to get you thru the day?
Coffee
Coffee
Coffee
Journaling
Snuggle time with my black cat, Leo.
Social media for Jenni:
