Northeast Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition  Author Biographies and Presentations

Rob Shepard

Rob Shepard is Director of Import Operations at Reebok International Ltd. in Canton MA where serves in a Shared Service Role that provides logistics support to the 5 brands within the RIL corporate umbrella: Reebok Footwear and Apparel, Rockport Footwear, Ralph Lauren Footwear, Greg Norman Apparel, and OnField Apparel which supplies the NFL & NBA leagues. His role is global in scope covering all tradelanes destined for the US & EU markets.

Rob has led Reebok International LTD. in various strategic Supply Chain. On Customs issues, he authored Reebok’s CTPAT survey that recently resulted in the successful completion of the final validation phase. He has helped set up a bonded warehouse facility in Rotterdam that serves as Reebok’s EU Distribution Center thereby supporting a central European distribution strategy. In the US, he has set up Foreign Trade Zones for Reebok’s Footwear Brands.

He oversees a Logistics Service Provider Base that delivers Consolidation, Freight and Brokerage services that delivers over 25,000 TEU annually. In this role, he has elevated Reebok’s Supply Chain Execution through strong LSP partnerships and enhanced Supply Chain Visibility through developments with MIS system.

Rob has been with Reebok for the past 9 years. Prior to Reebok he worked several years in Production & Quality functions in US manufacturing facilities which included the Lincoln Electric Company in Cleveland, OH.

His zeal in pushing Reebok’s CTPAT compliance comes in part from his 4 years as a Marine Infantry Officer where he served as a member of the US peacekeeping efforts in Beirut, Lebanon.

Rob received his degree in Math/Economics from Amherst College and an MBA from Harvard. He is a Certified Quality Engineer through the American Society of Quality Control, a Licensed Customs Broker, and is involved in local Logistics and Trade Organizations.

Rob and his wife, Eileen, have a son, Michael, and daughter, Hannah, and live in Milton, MA where he spends his spare time as a Soccer Coach and Math Enrichment Program Leader for his children’s school. 

2004 Conference Abstract
Logistics of Sourcing in China