ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Keppler Speakers, representing sought-after speakers from the worlds of business leadership, innovation, cybersecurity, world affairs, entertainment, sports and the arts, today announced the agency’s exclusive representation of General Gustave “Gus” Perna, the four-star Army leader who co-led Operation Warp Speed. The initiative was the world’s largest and fastest vaccine distribution ever undertaken, successfully delivering more than 390 million COVID-19 vaccine doses across America.
In addition to keynote speeches, Keppler is arranging unique “Executive Roundtable” sessions with General Perna at companies active in the nation’s supply chains. The Executive Roundtable is a gathering of a company’s high-level executives, such as senior managers, division heads or board directors meeting onsite at the company. The format provides the opportunity for executives to meet face-to-face with General Perna and discuss in confidence their most pressing supply chain issues. Executives from wholesale, distribution and supply serving healthcare, manufacturing, food, retail and other industries gain unique insights and actionable ideas from General Perna, who shares practical, behind-the-scenes takeaways from almost four decades of logistics leadership.
“Global supply chain issues in the private sector are remarkably similar to those in the military, but with additional and unique challenges,” said General Perna, who coordinated daily with both commercial and government entities throughout Operation Warp Speed. “Applying innovative supply chain strategies can rapidly transform a business in new and exciting ways. The Executive Roundtable environment is perfect for collaborating about new approaches, generating fresh ideas and pivoting quickly toward action.”
Executive Roundtables are highly customized for each company, from the length of the session to the subjects covered. A Senior Customer and Speaker Engagement Manager from Keppler handles all logistics in coordination with the hosting company’s internal planners.
“As we got to know General Perna, we realized keynote speeches were only part of the value he could offer our customers,” said Warren Jones, CEO of Keppler Speakers. “We developed the Executive Roundtable offering specifically for this remarkable leader and the timely expertise he can bring to any company dealing with today’s supply chain complexities.”
About General Perna
One of the military’s most skilled and most senior logisticians, General Gustave F. Perna (Ret.) worked to build manufacturing capacity and the end-to-end supply chain needed to get vaccines distributed at unheard-of speed in “Operation Warp Speed.” Leveraging public-private partnerships, he accelerated the operation beyond what anyone thought possible — all while the vaccines were still in development.
Before he was named to co-lead the U.S. government’s COVID-19 vaccination distribution, General Perna served as head of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, where he managed redistribution of critical munitions to the Pacific and fixed the Army’s housing crisis. As commander of the Philadelphia Defense Supply Center, he was responsible for the fighting force’s global supply chain.
General Perna retired from the U.S. Army in August of 2021 after 38 years of service in which he was awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Defense Superior Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Legion of Merit and Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster. In 2021, the association of Business Executives for National Security honored him with the Eisenhower Award.
About Keppler Speakers
Based in the Washington, D.C. area, Keppler Speakers represents many of the most prestigious and celebrated speakers from the worlds of business leadership, innovation, cybersecurity, world affairs, entertainment, sports and the arts. The company’s growing customer base includes Fortune 500 companies across every industry sector, national trade associations representing over 75 million members, colleges and universities, performing arts centers and audiences around the world.
For more information about Keppler Speakers, go to kepplerspeakers.com.
