By Samuel Werschel, Contributing Editor
In a world of constant disruption from geopolitical shifts to climate shocks and cyber threats enterprise leaders are realizing that supply chain and third-party risk can no longer be siloed. It’s now a board-level issue. I spoke with Tim Albinson, founder of a leading supply chain and third-party risk management software company, about why he believes this space is becoming one of the most critical in enterprise technology.
Samuel Werschel: Tim, what led you to launch a company focused specifically on supply chain and third-party risk?
Tim Albinson: “I saw a huge gap. Companies were managing incredibly complex supplier networks with tools better suited for 2003 than 2023. Risk was being tracked in static spreadsheets, or worse ignored entirely. I realized there was an urgent need for a modern, real-time platform that made risk management smarter, faster, and more collaborative.”
SW: Why do you think this problem is finally getting attention now?
Tim Albinson: “Because the world changed. Between COVID, the war in Ukraine, and a wave of cyberattacks, businesses have learned the hard way how fragile supply chains really are. As a result, risk awareness has exploded. Boards are asking better questions. Regulators are paying closer attention. And organizations are realizing that third-party risk is enterprise risk.”
SW: How does your platform address that shift?
Tim Albinson: “We built our system to centralize risk intelligence across vendors, geographies, and categories. The key is real-time visibility. Companies using our platform can track the financial, cybersecurity, compliance, and ESG risks of their suppliers in one place and act quickly. It’s not just about data, it’s about making it actionable.”
SW: What sets your approach apart?
Tim Albinson: “Flexibility. We built the software to adapt to different organizations’ needs whether it's a Fortune 100 enterprise or a fast-growing mid-market company. What matters is enabling decision-makers to move from reactive to proactive risk management.”
SW: Who needs this kind of solution most right now?
Tim Albinson: “Any company that relies on third parties which is pretty much every company. From procurement to legal to IT, there’s growing pressure to quantify and manage vendor risk. Whether you're outsourcing software development or managing a global supply chain, the risks are real and growing.”
SW: You’ve spoken a lot about enterprise strategy how does risk tie into that?
Tim Albinson: “Risk is strategy. Companies that treat it that way are the ones that thrive under pressure. The goal isn't to eliminate risk that's impossible. It’s to understand it, prepare for it, and build resilience into the way you operate.”
SW: What’s next for your company?
Tim Albinson: “We’re scaling quickly expanding into new verticals, integrating more real-time data sources, and enhancing predictive capabilities. But the mission remains the same: to make enterprise risk management smarter, faster, and more effective.”
SW: Final thought, Tim?
Tim Albinson: Make risk a first-class citizen in your business. Don’t wait for the next crisis to take it seriously. The companies that succeed in the next decade will be the ones that know how to manage what they can’t see before it’s too late.
As Tim Albinson reminds us, resilience isn’t built during calm it’s built during chaos. And in today's volatile economy, he believes software that puts risk front and center may be the most important investment a business can make.
