Dr. Muddassir Ahmed spent 17 years working his way up through global supply chain roles – from buyer to divisional supply chain head overseeing a $700M business across Romania, China, Germany and the Middle East. What he kept noticing was the same problem everywhere: most supply chain professionals land in the field by accident, with no real theoretical foundation to draw on when things get complicated. Traditional accreditations existed, but they cost thousands of dollars and hadn't changed in decades. So he built something different. Starting with a $9 blog domain and YouTube videos recorded on a sofa in Karachi, he grew what is now SCMDOJO – one of the world's largest supply chain learning platforms, with 18,000 members, 76 courses across 23 expert contributors, and a community of over 300,000 supply chain professionals. In this episode, Mark Francis sits down with Dr. Muddassir to trace the full journey – from practitioner to influencer, from blogger to academy founder, and now into his boldest pivot yet: building SCMDOJO Sensei, an AI-powered supply chain consultant trained exclusively on SCMDOJO's proprietary body of knowledge. They get into the realities of building an online education business, why ChatGPT is not the threat most educators think it is, how multi-agent AI is about to change business operations, and what it actually takes to keep pivoting before the market forces your hand. Key Takeaways:Most supply chain professionals enter the field by chance rather than design, creating a massive gap between the knowledge they need and what traditional, expensive certifications provide – that gap is exactly what SCMDOJO was built to close.Building an audience takes consistent value creation over years, not months. Dr. Muddassir shared content for three years before seeing any meaningful traction – and that patience is what made the difference.Covid was unusual, not a business model – the real proof of concept was that people will pay for digital learning when it solves a real problem. That insight drove the decision to go full-time with SCMDOJO.Generic AI tools like ChatGPT hallucinate on technical, domain-specific content because they are not trained on deep vertical knowledge. Proprietary AI trained on expert content – like SCMDOJO Sensei – fills that gap in a way public LLMs cannot.Multi-agent AI is the next major shift: rather than querying AI, businesses will deploy chains of agents that act autonomously to send emails, qualify leads, create documents and run workflows while the operator does something else entirely.The biggest challenge in change management is not technology adoption – it is changing user behaviour among people who are too busy and too proud to admit they need a better system. Visit SCMDOJO: https://www.scmdojo.comFollow SCMDOJO on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/scmdojo Connect with Dr. Muddassir Ahmed:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/muddassirismSocial media: @muddassirism on Instagram, TikTok, X and Facebook I hope you enjoy this episode! Give it a like, share, and subscribe to not miss the content coming your way weekly.– Mark and the Who's Your Captain podcast team Connect with Mark Francis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-francis-78b3061/Visit The Uspire Partnership website here: https://theuspirepartnership.comPreview Mark's book here: https://www.book2look.com/book/5PLGQaM16K Listen to Who's Your Captain on the following Platforms:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/097OvlL7btd8f7bplgIfv0Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whos-your-captain/id1875226706Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c6109160-6448-4d95-9850-07456d5adbca/who's-your-captain #WhosYourCaptain #MarkFrancis #LeadershipPodcast #ExecutiveCoaching #BusinessLeadership #Mentorship #LeadershipDevelopment #PurposeDrivenLeadership #TransformationalLeadership #BusinessGrowth #ExecutiveThinking #Leadership Hosted by Mark Francis, founder of The Uspire Partnership and former senior leader at Burberry and Tesco, this podcast provokes fresh thinking, energises purpose, and transforms how leaders perform. With over 25 years of experience in learning and development, organisational change, and executive coaching, Mark brings deep insight to every conversation. He's worked across retail, FMCG, logistics, and professional services, helping leaders and organisations unlock potential and drive meaningful transformation. Whether you're building a business, leading a team, or navigating your own path, you'll discover practical wisdom and inspiration from those who know what it takes to steer the ship. If you're a business leader, entrepreneur, or professional looking to elevate your leadership, find inspiration from great mentors, or understand what drives transformational performance, this podcast will give you the insights and energy to chart your own course with confidence.
