Disruption is what drives true innovation. I know — because I’ve spent my career with industry disruptors like Zappos, Amazon and Travelocity. When I joined C.H. Robinson, I saw the logistics industry as one on the brink of significant transformation — full of potential for innovation. However, the real advantage in this space lies in the hands of scaled incumbents with rich domain expertise, ready to disrupt from within to spearhead industry evolution.
Newer entrants to the industry, especially those trying to establish their niche, often claim that the supply chain industry is broken. Sure, they're partly right, but technology alone won't solve it. Despite massive investments, these new players haven't achieved success (or profits) at scale. That’s where companies like C.H. Robinson are in the pole position — possessing the combination of scale, deep expertise, tech, and relationships to make a huge impact.
We’re not about narrow technology solutions; we connect supply chain data for thousands of customers, enhancing their experience and transforming industry economics. Shippers need partners who understand global supply chain complexities, not disjointed solutions. They need integrated, comprehensive experiences.
"We are not thinking about possible solutions; we have already done it – at scale. We’ve built the technology that disrupts the old way of doing things and have deployed it for thousands of global customers."
Despite the industry’s challenges, we repeatedly hear from our customers how Robinson has enabled them to navigate complex supply chain and logistics challenges while simultaneously acting as an extension of their business. We craft unique solutions spanning TMS, 3PL, and 4PL services, integrating demand and supply signals across multiple channels and regions to deliver real-time data, execution, and expertise.
From small shippers to industry giants, our customers benefit from our dedication to leadership in the industry. Henry Schein, a global healthcare solutions provider, has trusted us for 20 years, calling us “the only global provider that meets [their] needs.” Navigating policies, regulations, and freight movement, they rely on us to fulfill their customer expectations.
Henry Schein is just one of the 83,000 customers we serve. Robinson’s scale is our unrivaled advantage, and this cannot be overstated. The innovations we bring to the industry, like Gen AI and automation, have a market-wide impact with immediate benefit to our customers. Our extensive dataset is unmatched, making our algorithms and artificial intelligence more powerful than those of our competitors. When combined with our talented people — the best logisticians in the world — this translates into superior insights, best-in-class service, and substantial savings for our customers.
Scale and expertise matter and will matter even more in the future. Those that have it, and choose to boldly disrupt from within, will deliver large scale differentiated customer value and industry impact.
Disruption can come in many forms. People often think incumbents are stuck in the past, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth at C.H. Robinson. We learn from our pioneering past, ensure we understand the dynamics of our present, and lead industry change for the future.
Arun Rajan
Arun Rajan serves as the Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer (CSIO) at C.H. Robinson. In this role, Arun oversees Robinson’s enterprise strategy and innovation process, from creation to implementation, and measures the company’s performance against strategic goals. Prior to joining Robinson, he held technology and operating leadership roles at innovative, digital-first companies that have transformed entire industries. Arun was the Chief Technology Officer of Whole Foods Market, part of Amazon, where he led the creation and execution of the technology strategy. Arun also held leadership positions at customer-obsessed Zappos, through its acquisition by Amazon, serving as Chief Operating Officer from 2014 to 2019 and Chief Technology Officer from 2009 to 2013. During his time as Zappos CTO, Arun led the creation and execution of Zappos’ technology and data strategy in the context of rapid business growth and scalability
