Christine Rutherford

Biography

Following a career in the Royal Air Force as a supply officer, Chris joined the Cranfield School of Management in 2002 as a lecturer in logistics & supply chain planning. In 2010 she moved to Scotland and joined the Logistics Research Centre at Heriot-Watt as a Senior Teaching Fellow. She lectures extensively on postgraduate courses and continues to lecture on executive programmes at Cranfield University as a visiting lecturer. She is also a visiting lecturer at the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg and has delivered many guest lectures at business schools across Europe. Her research and teaching is focused on the application of modeling techniques for improving supply chain performance with particular emphasis on inventory planning and demand forecasting. She is the Course Director of Heriot Watt’s Demand and Inventory Planning programme; this two day course draws on the expertise of seasoned practitioners as well as Heriot-Watt faculty. Chris has designed, developed and delivered a number of customized short courses in the area of supply chain planning for a wide range of customers including: Accenture; Argos; Avon; Gillette; ICI; John Lewis; L’Oreal; Ministry of Defence; NYK Logistics and many others. As Director of her own consulting firm Chris has successfully helped many organizations reduce their stock investment through improved forecasting and optimal inventory management. Recent customers have included: BAESystems; Cummins Engines; Defence Equipment & Support; Kimberley Clark; Kimberley Clark Professional; Random House Group; Suzuki and World Duty Free.

Research Interest

Logistics, Chemistry and Management