Simrit Sandhu

Simrit Sandhu
Executive Director of Supply Chain
Cleveland Clinic
Lyndhurst, Ohio

Nominations submitted by Tom Nikiel, vice president/general manager, Member Business Ventures, Vizient; and Jenifer Axline, senior director operations, Excelerate.

Simrit Sandhu embodies Cleveland Clinic’s philosophy of putting patients first. She understands that supply chain exists to support the clinical enterprise. She empowers a physician-driven sourcing approach, both internally at the Clinic and externally through Excelerate Strategic Health Sourcing. Her organization works tirelessly to understand clinical needs and develop solutions that reduce clinical variation, not only for the cost benefits, but more important, for quality and safety purposes. Her team doesn’t stop at contracting; rather, they work with clinicians to develop supply utilization guidelines, again focusing on quality and cost.

Simrit’s group helps manage the Clinic’s approximately $2B non-salary spend and their operations both nationally and internationally. As such, she is personally engaged in advancing many of the Clinic’s key business strategies. Lastly, Simrit is always willing to engage with other supply chain leaders, both to share what she’s learned and to learn from others.

Regarding mentors and/or key events in her life, Simrit Sandhu says: “I left India to pursue an educational journey here in the U.S., starting out with my undergraduate work at Michigan State through my graduate degrees at Boston University. This journey of self-discovery is undertaken by almost every young adult, but very few do it in a world away from everything and everyone they grew up around. As I look back at my first day on campus, I remember being terrified, uncomfortable and yet determined and convinced of endless possibilities. When people ask me today about why I thrive on program development and change management, I reflect on the fact that I am a product of this life-changing event. I fundamentally believe that based on merit, determination and perseverance, and if surrounded by the right resources, experts and leadership, we can achieve anything we dare to imagine.”