Mattel’s CSCO shares insights on managing change

Roberto Isaias has had a busy few years. The executive vice president and chief supply chain officer at Mattel faced the complexities of COVID before the Barbie movie became the biggest hit of 2023, putting extra pressure on the supply chain to keep up. But for Isaias, it was just another day at the office.

A native of Mexico, he has seen a lot in his career, from 12 years at Procter & Gamble in various commercial and supply chain leadership roles to 22 years at Mattel, where he’s served as managing director and senior vice president of Latin America, as well as senior vice president and general manager of Spanish Latin America.

Isaias was the keynote speaker at the recent EDGE 2025 Conference in Nashville. He shared insights from his 30-year career and distilled his experience into five key lessons for leading change.

1. The business is the boss
2. Don’t delegate complexity
3. Take bad news well
4. Be fair and take care of people
5. Lead the execution 

Isaias noted that he believes you should “Never ask anyone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself” and that it’s best to “lead by example—arrive early, stay late, and show that you care.”

Supply Chain Management Review’s sister publication Supply Chain 24/7 has more coverage of Isaias’ keynote, including details on how he handles bad news, and why people need to be treated fairly.

Read more: Five lessons for managing supply chain complexity and change

SC
MR