The Advisor
Amber Salley · Founder & Managing Director
Corporate. Consulting. Advisory. Software. Now independent.
Chicago, IL · Serving North America
Independent supply chain advisory.
25 Yrs
Supply Chain Experience
1,000+
Executives Advised
12 Yrs
Gartner MQ Lead Author
4,000+
Practitioner Reach
Zero
Vendor Affiliations
Amber Salley · Founder
A word from Amber
For most of a 25-year career, my perspective was shaped, and at times constrained, by the role I was in. As a Gartner analyst, I operated within the boundaries of research methodology. At GAINSystems, I represented the company's point of view. Both experiences made me sharper. But for the first time, my voice is fully my own.
That means 25 years of insight about where supply chains break down, which technologies actually deliver, which vendors are worth your attention, and what separates high-performing operations from everyone else — available without qualification, without agenda, and without fine print.
Career Background
Four distinct angles that rarely overlap.
Nov 2025 — Present
Founder & Managing Director
Amber Salley Advisory Group
Independent supply chain advisory serving mid-market operators, supply chain technology vendors, and consultancies navigating complex transformations.
2023 — 2025
VP, Industry Solutions
GAINS (GAINSystems)
Led Product Marketing and Industry Solutions; developed Agentic AI framework and Resilience Maturity Model; secured 13 analyst recognitions including Gartner MQ, IDC MarketScape, and Frost & Sullivan.
2012 — 2023
Sr. Director Analyst, Supply Chain Technology & Planning
Gartner
Nearly 12 years covering the SCP vendor landscape; lead author of the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Supply Chain Planning Solutions, Hype Cycle for SCP, and multiple market guides and toolkits; 4,000+ executive interactions; 50+ conference sessions globally.
2010 — 2012
Supply Chain Strategy Consultant
Accenture
Delivered supply chain strategy and digital transformation across manufacturing, chemicals, healthcare, and retail.
2008 — 2010
Associate
Booz & Company
Cross-functional consulting across industrial, health, retail, and insurance sectors.
2001 — 2006
Business Analyst & Engineer/Scientist of Manufacturing
IBM Integrated Supply Chain
Global supply chain transformation including the divestiture of IBM’s PC division to Lenovo.
Lifetime Achievement
Pros to Know — Lifetime Achievement Award · Supply & Demand Chain Executive · 2024
Recognition
Women in Supply Chain Award · Food Logistics + SDCE · 2024
Network
Forté 500 Member · 2025–Present
Education
The University of Chicago — Booth School of Business
MBA · Economics · Accounting · Managerial & Organizational Behavior
Duquesne University
BSBA · Information Technology · Supply Chain Management
How the practice runs
Independent and solo by design. Engagements are scoped tightly enough to deliver, and bounded enough to keep the advice honest. No bench, no junior-consultant pyramid, no preferred-partner kickbacks. Where deeper execution capacity is required, established partners and subcontract networks are brought in transparently and on the client’s terms.
Based in Chicago, IL. Travel-willing for keynotes and major engagements. Defaults to remote for advisory work.
How this works
How this works.
1
Listen.
I look at how you’re doing processes. What systems you’re using. Where the work breaks down.
2
Identify the gaps.
Quickly. Because of the experience.
3
Prioritize what to fix first.
Not every problem matters equally. The game plan starts with the one that moves the most money.
Begin the conversation
Ready to explore whether
there’s a fit?
30 minutes. No pitch. Just a conversation about what you’re working on and whether I’m the right person to help.
Or write directly: amber@salleyadvisory.com