Conversing with Scott Cleaver, ecobee's COO - A Chatting SessionsTM with Industry Veteran Scott Cleaver!

Interview with Scott Cleaver, COO of ecobee

At our platform, we bring expertise and experiences from professionals across various industries worldwide. Our latest interview in the "Seasoned Leadership in Action" series features Scott Cleaver, the Chief Operations Officer at ecobee.

I first crossed paths with Scott during his time at Celestica, where I managed the Supply Chain function. Scott was an Expediter in the Production Control Department, demonstrating great potential early in his career. His exceptional drive, swift work pace, and dedication stood out, making it easy to see his bright future.

Throughout his career, I watched Scott's progress with interest. Our paths intertwined again when he worked at Kobo, and I had the opportunity to highly recommend him for the job.

We would like to express our gratitude to Scott for being a friend and sharing his experiences and expertise with us. Here is our interview with a truly remarkable leader.

Q: Could you share a bit about your background and experience?

My career began with little understanding of supply chain and operations. I started as an Inside Sales Rep at Wesco and then moved to Celestica in a similar role. The next five years proved crucial as I gained varied experiences in Supply Chain and Manufacturing.

While at Celestica, I was fortunate to work under exceptional leaders and mentors who guided me through diverse roles, positioning me for future success. Over 13 years at Celestica, I accumulated invaluable experience in all facets of Supply Chain and Operations management, and I learned the qualities of a great leader.

Moving to Spin Master revealed new challenges, as I had limited knowledge of the CPG industry and working with retailers. In this role, I managed over 30 manufacturers and hundreds of SKUs with expected life cycles ranging from a few months to a few years. Establishing a robust S&OP process to maintain flexibility while managing risk was vital.

Joining Kobo, another successful Canadian-based company, presented another set of challenges. Identifying the Customer Acquisition, Retention, and Churn model and understanding the physical good's role was both challenging and exciting.

My interest in IoT and connected homes led me to ecobee, another Canadian success story. Merging my skills in Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Customer Support allows me to position ecobee for long-term success.

Q: Could you discuss some of your career achievements in Supply Chain and Business?

One of my greatest achievements at Spin Master involved re-engineering our process to improve inventory performance. Initially, we struggled with a high percentage of non-performing inventory. By reworking the S&OP and planning processes, we were able to significantly reduce non-performing inventory, freeing up capital for growth.

During my tenure at Kobo, we transformed the focus from 100% growth to balanced growth and profitability. Over the course of two years, we sustained growth while eliminating $100M annually from the business. This success was due to strong leadership that made smart decisions based on a clear understanding of where to allocate resources effectively.

Q: How has the Supply Chain landscape evolved throughout your career?

From my experience in manufacturing, Supply Chain was initially viewed as a support function, with little strategic importance. However, as contract manufacturing commoditized, the need for dynamic, flexible, and efficient Supply Chains became essential.

Now, a well-managed inventory is no longer just important but failing to do so could be disastrous. The pace of technological change continues to quicken, with the introduction of Machine Learning and AI into all facets of business, particularly Supply Chain.

Q: What career lessons would you like to share that others can learn from?

I emphasize the importance of curiosity and continuous learning to truly understand Supply Chain and make informed decisions. Being adaptable to various roles throughout the business helps to make balanced and effective decisions.

Successful individuals in Supply Chain and Operations focus on providing clear direction and empowering their teams to achieve their objectives. It is more infectious and leads to impressive results.

Q: What current challenges in the world are you focusing on?

The new tariff war holds significant disruption. The comfort of outsourcing manufacturing to China with minimal supply chain disruptions has been shaken. I now spend time strategizing options to minimize the impact on the business.

I also monitor blockchain in supply chain closely. While many companies are using "blockchain" as a buzzword, I am cautious due to past frustrations with large scale ERP solutions and their added cost and complexity without clear value to the business.

Q: What role does Supply Chain and Change Leadership play in addressing these challenges?

Effective leaders filter through new systems, processes, and proposals to find the best solutions for their businesses. Identifying where to invest while minimizing complexity is crucial.

On a global scale, the focus on supply chain flexibility has expanded. The ability to adapt a manufacturing solution that offers the best total landed cost, the simplest vertical supply chain, and global mobility has risen in importance.

Q: What are you currently working on?

Our growth requires significant investment in the right systems to support and manage scale. What worked for us in the past may not allow us to scale efficiently, so we are carefully evaluating our present and future needs.

In Customer Care, we continue to invest in AI, Chatbots, and other technologies to provide excellent service, adhering to customer expectations of support through multiple channels at all hours.

Q: What advice would you offer to those considering a career in Supply Chain?

My first manager once told me that being in Supply Chain is thankless. You are rarely right, and you spend most of your time tackling challenges and problems.

As you start your career, be a keen learner. Stay updated on industry trends and learn from others' experiences. Additionally, work for bosses you respect and admire to foster growth. Focus on solutions and results, rather than simply pointing fingers and making excuses.

Q: How can people contact you?

Although I would typically provide my work email, I prefer to connect through LinkedIn to avoid unwanted calls from sales representatives.

Originally published on August 7, 2018.

Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)LinkedIn
Click to share on X (Opens in new window)X
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Like this:

Seasoned Leadership in ActionTM! An Interview with Skip Boothby!

At our platform, we believe in sharing experiences and expertise from people in every industry and from across the globe. As such, we have introduced our "Seasoned Leadership in ActionTM" Interview series. The first in our Interview series is with Skip Boothby, a colleague and good friend...

Seasoned Leadership in ActionTM! An Interview with Leonard Han, Freelance Consultant!

At our platform, we believe in sharing experiences and expertise from people in every industry and from across the globe. As such, we have introduced our "Seasoned Leadership in ActionTM" Interview series at our platform.This interview is with Leonard Han. I have had the tremendous...

Seasoned Leadership in ActionTM - An Interview with Mike Croza, Founder of Supply Chain Alliance!

At our platform, we believe in sharing experiences and expertise from people in every industry and from across the globe. As such, we have introduced our "Seasoned Leadership in ActionTM" Interview series at our platform. This interview is with Mike Croza, Founder and Managing Partner at...

Scott Cleaver shares insights about his career journey in the business world, highlighting his experiences in Supply Chain and Operations, leadership roles, and his transition to IoT and connected homes.
Throughout his career, Scott has achieved significant success in Supply Chain and Business, such as improving inventory performance by reworking S&OP and planning processes and transforming Kobo's focus from growth to balanced growth and profitability.

Conversing with Scott Cleaver, ecobee's COO - A Chatting SessionsTM with Industry Veteran Scott Cleaver!