Helping small- to mid-sized companies build real visibility into their Asian supply chain.
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Helping small- to mid-sized companies build real visibility into their Asian supply chain.
Start a ConversationThe Problem I Solve
You have suppliers in Asia. You may have a purchasing team managing them day-to-day. What you probably don't have is someone who has been in those factories, speaks the language, and can tell you what's actually going on - and what to do about it. Whether you're trying to scale, dealing with quality issues you can't pin down, or too dependent on a single supplier, I can help you build the kind of supply chain that holds up.
Your supplier knows exactly what's happening in their factory. You should too.
What I Do
Every engagement is grounded in direct supplier experience built over nearly two decades in Asia.
Evaluating and qualifying manufacturing partners in Mandarin-language markets - whether you're assessing existing suppliers, comparing a shortlist of new candidates, or ramping up supply for a new product launch.
On-site evaluationOn-site evaluation of existing manufacturing partners: process controls, quality management systems, capacity, succession risk, and a baseline for stronger supplier management processes going forward.
Capability reviewRisk registers, sourcing criticality analysis, FX agreement structuring, contingency planning, and exit strategies for single-source dependencies. Turning risk into a documented, prioritized mitigation plan.
Risk managementOngoing Engagements
Not every supply chain problem is solved in a single engagement. Some companies need ongoing procurement and supply chain leadership - someone accountable for outcomes over time, not just a report at the end.
I work with companies on a fractional basis: embedded in the business, available to the team, and focused on building something that lasts. This includes standing up procurement functions that have never existed, strengthening ones that were built only to execute transactions, and providing senior supply chain leadership for operations that don't yet have it in-house.
Senior procurement and supply chain leadership on a part-time or interim basis. Useful for companies scaling their Asia operations, managing a leadership gap, or navigating a supply chain challenge that requires more than external advice.
Embedded leadershipBuilding procurement functions that go beyond transaction execution - second-source programs, risk registers, supplier scorecards, and the processes that let a team own risk rather than just manage POs. Particularly relevant for companies whose Asian sourcing has grown faster than their procurement structure.
Function buildingWhy Cartesian
The majority of electronics, hardware, and precision manufacturing worldwide - in China, Taiwan, and the Chinese-owned factories that dominate Southeast Asian manufacturing - operates in Mandarin. Walking into a factory in Mandarin changes the dynamic immediately. Suppliers engage differently when they know the conversation isn't going through a filter.
I learned Mandarin during the seventeen years I spent in Taiwan. For the last several of those years I was the legal representative for a UK-based specialist electronics manufacturer serving aerospace, defense, healthcare, and industrial automation. Supplier assessment, qualification, and risk management were core job functions.
Get in Touch
Tell me what you're working with. If I can help, I'll say so. If I can't, I'll say that too.
Based in Vancouver, BC. I work with companies that have Asia-based suppliers, traveling to Taiwan, China, and Chinese-owned operations in Southeast Asia as needed.