Cathy Morrow Roberson, the managing director of Logistics Trends & Insights, has spent her career moving between libraries, corporate supply chains, and entrepreneurship—a career path that demonstrates how deliberate shifts across industries can create new opportunities rather than serve as a last resort.
A friend of hers was working at UPS and mentioned they needed research analysis help. Roberson took the job, and the rest was “basically history,” she said. Her journey started in an unexpected place: as a librarian. At UPS, she worked on projects beyond package tracking, including global freight movements that contributed to the launch of UPS Supply Chain Solutions, the company’s dedicated logistics division.
By 2015, after nearly 16 years in corporate settings, including positions at a startup and a market research firm, Roberson launched her own business. The transition was a major leap. “I was never one to take chances, and that was a huge leap for me, when I finally went ‘screw it, I’m doing it,’” she said. This required her to coach herself to destroy self-doubt, including breaking out of a mindset focused on all that could go wrong. “There are a lot of people out there that want to climb that corporate ladder all the way to the top, or as close to the top as they can, I was never like that,” she said.
The launch of Logistics Trends & Insights required overcoming self-doubt, particularly the fear of failing. Her guidance for women exploring entrepreneurship is direct: act now and let nothing stop you. She acknowledges that modern tools, such as online business formation and digital networking, have lowered entry barriers, but she insists that lasting industry relationships are essential. “I’ll continue to have ups and downs, but you get through it,” Roberson said. “I mean, that’s what businesses are, not everything is a field of roses.”
Since founding her firm, Roberson has held senior positions at Transport Intelligence and the Reverse Logistics Association, written for publications like Cargo Facts, and spoken at major supply chain events.
