Megan Gregory
Megan Gregory, CPSM, is a results-driven Supply Chain Manager at Daikin Applied Americas, where she leads complex domestic and international operations with a focus on optimizing performance and driving measurable business outcomes. With more than a decade of experience in supply chain management, she oversees multimillion-dollar inventory portfolios, ensures production continuity, and strengthens supplier partnerships to support organizational growth. Known for her strategic mindset and operational excellence, Megan consistently delivers improvements in inventory efficiency, cost savings, and service levels.
Throughout her career, Megan has demonstrated expertise in strategic sourcing, demand planning, and continuous improvement initiatives. She has successfully led high-performing teams, implemented standardized processes, and leveraged tools such as Oracle ERP and Sales, Inventory, and Operations Planning (SIOP) methodologies to enhance decision-making and operational alignment. Her accomplishments include significantly reducing excess inventory, mitigating supply chain risks through dual sourcing, and driving key performance metrics such as on-time delivery and production readiness. As a Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM), she combines technical knowledge with strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
Megan holds a dual degree in Mathematics and Psychology from Salem College, where she graduated summa cum laude and served as President of the Association for Women in Mathematics chapter. Passionate about leadership development, she founded an internal book club, “Readers to Leaders,” to foster cross-functional learning and collaboration within her organization. Megan is recognized for her ability to empower teams, cultivate innovation, and lead with both precision and purpose, positioning her as a dynamic leader in the evolving field of supply chain management.
• CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management)
• LeanDNA Subject Matter Expert (SME)
• Salem College
• President of Salem College Chapter of AWM
• Valedictorian of Central Davidson High School
• Institute for Supply Management
• Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM)
• Center of Women in Business
• Family Services
• Ride with Pride
What do you attribute your success to?
I would say my parents. That's probably a DNA and a just, you know, nurture thing. They've always supported me and told me I can achieve whatever I put my mind to. I can get my stubbornness gene from them, whether it's indirectly or actually encoded in my DNA. We are all very stubborn and determined individuals, so that, with their support, I have lofty goals, and I work towards them.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I don't know if I've received this directly or indirectly, but especially as a manager, I feel like I'm only as good as my team. I really want them to succeed, and I can't do everything - I can't cut the POs, I can't talk to all the suppliers - but if they succeed, then I succeed.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say that they should understand that they deserve a seat at the table. There's an employee under me who reminds me a lot of me five to ten years ago. She is more timid about her skills, and I try to reiterate to her that she deserves a seat at the table. She deserves the promotion she got. If she wants to move up in this career, like a similar career path to me, she can do it. She just needs to come forth with some more confidence and understand that she does deserve to be here. When I talked to my manager, Shane, two years ago, I was like, no, I don't want to be manager. And then now, here I am.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Corporate America today is not predominantly women, so sometimes I don't feel like I'm necessarily taken seriously, or sometimes my ideas are not listened to until someone else, a male, maybe rephrases the idea. And to take that one step further, I am a single mom, but in general, mothers in society are the ones that are supposed to take care of children, yet we also have to go to work in modern day. So it's balancing - I want to be there for my child, I want to be a good mom, but I also want to be a good employee, and I want to have a career to be able to support her. Manufacturing and management are male-dominated fields. In terms of opportunities in supply chain, you can really go two main directions. You can go into sourcing, where companies have a separate team that buys from the same suppliers and uses that volume to get better relationships or price breaks. The other way is management from a site level. I'm interested in being on the ground floor at manufacturing facilities, and as I develop in my career, I could be over multiple manufacturing sites and leverage my knowledge and skills across different locations.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I would say honesty. If I don't know the answer, or I can't meet a date, I don't want to commit to it. That's something that I take very seriously - my word. Kindness is also important. In and out of the office, I want to treat people with kindness, whether they're the CEO, whether they're the janitorial staff, whether it's a waitress, whether it's the president. I think we should be kind to all individuals. And I don't know if this is a value, but laughter. Every day, I try to be silly at work to get some camaraderie, or I'm silly with my toddler, and we laugh about anything. Sometimes life is hard, and laughter definitely helps you get through it.