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Global Supply Chain Week Days 6-8 preview: Maritime

Keynotes by former senator, global economist and entrepreneur who made his mark selling wine online

Keynote speakers lined up for the last three days of Global Supply Chain Week are, left to right, James Pomeroy, Gary Vaynerchuk and Bob Corker.

While the theme of the final three days of FreightWaves’ eight-day virtual summit is global maritime logistics, the scope truly will cover the world of shipping, from containers on the ocean to cargo in the air and the geopolitical issues that cloud worldwide trade. 

Getting goods from point A to point B when there are customs and international regulatory hurdles is an ever-evolving challenge, so expect to hear thought-provoking conversations on global logistics, importing and exporting, international relations, sustainability, containerized trade, ports, and the technological advances propelling all of this forward during the sixth, seventh and eighth days of Global Supply Chain Week

To ensure the world of global trade is addressed from all angles, FreightWaves has engaged three keynote speakers to provide unique perspectives: former U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, James Pomeroy and Gary Vaynerchuk.

Corker, a resident of FreightWaves’ hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee, served in the U.S. Senate from 2007 to 2019, during which he chaired the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was regarded as a thought leader on global financial and policy issues. And he’s often been quoted in FreightWaves and American Shipper. Corker also is a former Chattanooga mayor and the founder of a construction company.


Expect a truly worldwide view of the global economy from keynote speaker Pomeroy. That’s his job as a global economist with HSBC, the multinational investment bank and financial services holding company with assets somewhere around $2.7 trillion. He’s served on HSBC’s economics team since 2013, following a stint with the asset allocation research group. Pomeroy’s work focuses on long-term trends and the impact they have on the global economy — ideal fodder for FreightWaves’ Global Supply Chain Week. 

Vaynerchuk is everywhere these days — including on FreightWaves’ Global Supply Chain Week agenda as a keynote speaker. The serial entrepreneur came into the spotlight with one of the first e-commerce wine businesses, Wine Library. (Join GaryVee’s Monthly Wine Club and you can watch him taste each wine and offer his impressions.) Vaynerchuk also can be seen alongside Jessica Alba, Gwyneth Paltrow and will.i.am on the Apple TV series “Planet of the Apps.” And his fifth book, “Crushing It! How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence — and How You Can, Too,” is available now.

So pop open a bottle with Vaynerchuk (or pour a cup a coffee and save the wine for summit icebreakers) and enjoy the full slate of sessions. Whether you prefer red or white or even something bubbly (think maritime stocks, port congestion and COVID-19’s impact on supply chains), there will be a wide array of selections from which to choose during the last three days of FreightWaves’ Global Supply Chain Week.  


Kim Link Wills

Senior Editor Kim Link-Wills has written about everything from agriculture as a reporter for Illinois Agri-News to zoology as editor of the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine. Her work has garnered awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Magazine Association of the Southeast. Prior to serving as managing editor of American Shipper, Kim spent more than four years with XPO Logistics.