Smith Executives Named Supply & Demand Chain Executive Pros to Know 2024

Houston, TX (March 11, 2024) – Smith, a leading global distributor of electronic components and semiconductors, today announces that Jennifer Kabbara, President, Americas, and Art Figueroa, Chief Operating Officer, have been named among the winners of the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Pros to Know award from Supply & Demand Chain Executive. The award acknowledges the diligent work of supply chain executives who guided their companies and people to success throughout their careers.

“Congratulations to Jennifer and Art on this recognition from Supply & Demand Chain Executive,” said Marc Barnhill, Chief Executive Officer at Smith and 2022 Pros to Know honoree. “Their proactive leadership and focus on workforce development have helped propel Smith’s remarkable growth over the last several years, and they exemplify the ways dedication and hard work can drive innovation within an organization and its people. I look forward to seeing what else is in store for these two influential leaders.”

Jennifer has served in a wide variety of roles throughout her 30-year tenure in the industry and was most recently named President, Americas in July 2023. In this role, Jennifer supports Smith’s six trading offices in the region and works alongside her counterparts in EMEA and APAC to cohesively manage the company’s multinational network of suppliers and customers.

She has been instrumental in expanding the company’s physical footprint and fortified its ability to cater to a broader spectrum of automotive and manufacturing customers. Her focus on further developing Smith’s highly trained workforce and learning-management system has also helped to strengthen the company’s agility as the industry moves into the next demand cycle.

Art joined Smith in 2004 as Manager of Corporate Security. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Global Operations before being named to his current position of Chief Operating Officer last month. In this role, Art leads Smith’s worldwide Operations team at its five distribution hubs and guides all operational initiatives and strategy.

He has spearheaded several leading-edge initiatives to improve employee development and enhance the company’s quality program and testing capabilities. His people-focused leadership and commitment to continuous improvement have helped to elevate Smith’s operational activities through systems-based processes and the integration of new, innovative technologies, such as artificial intelligence.

About Smith

Founded in 1984, Smith is celebrating 40 years of Intelligent Distribution™. As the leading independent distributor of electronic components, Smith sources, manages, tests, and ships billions of components to partners worldwide in every industry and vertical. Offering a comprehensive suite of flexible and scalable supply chain solutions, Smith identifies and delivers customized service programs to support its customers’ success. The company’s expertise is backed by decades of market data, cutting-edge technology, and a systems-based approach to quality excellence. Smith has generated more than USD $12.9 billion in global revenue since 2019 and ranks sixth among all global distributors. Visit www.smithweb.com to learn more.

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For more information, contact:
Rich Witmer
Smith, Senior Director of Marketing
+1 713.430.2141