Supply chain guru Bill Copacino passed away

Bill Copacino, one of the most respected leaders in the field of supply chain, died mid-May at the age of 61 following a long battle with cancer. Copacino has also had a long career in consulting, he was partner at Arthur D. Little, Anderson Consulting and later Accenture.

Copacino graduated in industrial engineering and operations from Cornell University in 1972. After several years in General Electric's manufacturing management program, he earned his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1978. He then joined Arthur D. Little, where he rose to become managing director and vice president of the operations management practice. In 1989, Copacino joined Anderson Consulting, later known as Accenture, as a partner.

He became the firm's global managing partner of supply chain management and served on Accenture's global executive committee. After retiring from Accenture in 2004, he became chief administrative officer for C&S Wholesale Grocers and then as chief executive officer of Oco, a software company that was acquired by Deloitte Consulting in 2011.

Copacino wrote three books and more than 150 articles on supply chain management. His contributions to the profession as a consultant, practitioner, and educator were widely recognized. He received a number of industry awards, including the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals' Distinguished Service Award in 1998 and the Salzberg Medallion from Syracuse University in 2002.