Sandra Kazee, VP, finance for Ambi Robotics, was named an overall winner of the Leaders in Excellence category for this year’s Pros to Know award, presented by Supply & Demand Chain Executive.
Kazee is the financial architect behind the company’s innovative solutions, ensuring fiscal health and strategic growth. On a day-to-day basis, she leads the development of financial strategies that align with Ambi Robotics’ long-term vision; oversees the implementation and optimization of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems; manages and refines the company’s inventory systems; collaborates with cross-functional teams to design customer contracts and pricing models that are both competitive and mutually beneficial; fosters a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning; maintains the spares program, ensuring customers have uninterrupted access to critical components; and actively engages with initiatives like the U.C. Berkeley Society of Women Engineers (SWE), promoting inclusivity and diversity in the tech and engineering fields.
Kazee has made significant contributions to the global supply chain industry. One example is her implementation of RaaS (Robotics-as-a-Service) within warehouses across the United States. With RaaS, organizations have access to state-of-the-art technology and the ability to scale in response to changing market conditions and unique customer needs. Within the last 12 months, she led the creation of internal inventory management and optimization initiatives, which leverages data-driven insights to streamline inventory control, forecasting, and replenishment processes. Kazee also established a spares program for Ambi Robotics customers, which ensures timely availability of necessary components and support for the systems deployed. And her work with SWE provides networking opportunities and resources to empower and advance women in the field of engineering.
Over the next 12 months, Kazee is poised to expand the RaaS model, making state-of-the-art technology accessible to a broader range of U.S. businesses. She also plans to strengthen the spares program, optimizing on-site spare parts and preventative maintenance programs, and will continue championing inclusivity and diversity within the engineering and robotics fields.
We talked exclusively with Kazee to learn more about the future of automated warehousing and what other supply chain leaders can do to support women in engineering.
Supply & Demand Chain Executive: Let’s first talk about you. Tell me a little bit about yourself and your journey to get to this current stage in your career?
Sandra Kazee: When I look back at my career, I would say that my journey has been driven by a combination of things and a passion for converging financial strategy with technological innovation to create efficiencies across organizations. After I graduated from Cal (U.C. Berkeley), I started my career in public accounting, which was great foundational training. I got my first exposure to supply chain when I was consulting and I was immediately fascinated by the intricacies of logistics and the immense opportunities for innovation.
Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to work with industry leaders like UPS and Walmart, where I gained hands-on experience in optimizing financial and operational strategies for large-scale supply chain networks. As VP of finance and business operations at Ambi Robotics, I integrate financial strategy with AI-powered automation to drive sustainable growth, ensuring ROI for our customers and operational efficiencies that support long-term innovations and scalability. A key lesson I’ve learned is that success is built on strong teams—developing and empowering people is just as important as driving numbers.
Beyond my professional work, I am committed to mentorship and community engagement, especially supporting young women in supply chain and technology. As a first-generation college graduate, I know firsthand the impact that mentorship and access to opportunities can have. Outside of work, I love exploring the Bay Area’s beautiful hiking trails, running half marathons, traveling with my family and cheering on my son on the football field – under the Friday night lights.
Supply & Demand Chain Executive: One of the things outlined in your submission is how you implemented RaaS (Robotics-as-a-Service) within warehouses across the United States. What does this entail? And what does this mean for the future of automated warehousing?
Kazee: Robots-as-a-Service (Raa) is designed to make AI-powered warehouse robotics more accessible to all companies through a subscription or usage-based model, lowering the barrier to entry for logistics companies. Instead of requiring heavy capital investments, businesses can leverage cutting-edge automation in a flexible, scalable way. This model accelerates the adoption of robotics, allowing companies to remain competitive in an industry that demands speed, precision, and adaptability.
By implementing RaaS, we’re not just deploying more robots—we’re making it easy for all companies to approach automation. This shift ensures that technology grows alongside the workforce, augmenting human capabilities and enabling businesses to navigate fluctuating demand with greater agility and resilience.
Supply & Demand Chain Executive: Over the past year, you’ve created internal inventory management and optimization initiatives. What does this look like?
Kazee: Our customers can’t spare downtime. And Robot Operators rely on our technology every second. So we implemented an on-site and on-demand spares parts program to ensure round-the-clock uptime. With operations spanning the U.S., this became a costly feat. Our goal was to strike the right balance between supply and demand while improving cash flow, reducing costs, and enhancing visibility across operations. To achieve this, I worked closely with stakeholders to identify pain points, applied a data-driven approach, and led an agile rollout of new inventory management solutions.
One key initiative was the development of AmbiShip and the concept of “shopping at Ambi,” which streamlined forecasting and replenishment processes. These improvements provided greater visibility for various teams and ensured optimal inventory utilization. By implementing these systems incrementally, we saw immediate benefits—improving efficiency, reducing waste, and supporting our broader mission of scaling AI-powered robotics responsibly.
Supply & Demand Chain Executive: You’re also actively involved in supporting women in engineering through the U.C. Berkeley Society of Women Engineers (SWE). How does this work?
Kazee: Women remain underrepresented in engineering and robotics, and organizations like SWE play a critical role in fostering a supportive community. As a UC Berkeley alum, a first-generation college graduate, and often one of the few women in leadership roles, I know how vital mentorship and visibility are.
At Ambi Robotics, we host SWE members among many more organizations at our headquarters, giving them firsthand exposure to real-world robotics applications. We’re building next-generation technologies for the next-generation of work. We’re always eager to invite organizations into our HQ as we believe STEM should be an integral part in education. Seeing our AmbiStack system in action provides a tangible connection between their studies and potential career paths. Through mentorship, I aim to empower these young women to embrace challenges and see themselves as future leaders in tech, logistics, and beyond.
Supply & Demand Chain Executive: If you could have a conversation with your younger self, what would you tell her?
Kazee: Be bold, own your accomplishments, and champion yourself with confidence. Build a “brag bag” to track your wins. At the same time, embrace failure as a learning opportunity. Our art teacher once told us, “There are no mistakes, only new directions.” That perspective has stuck with me. Every setback refines your approach, builds resilience, and ultimately shapes your success. Keep pushing forward.
Supply & Demand Chain Executive: The Leaders in Excellence category honors company leaders who’ve made outstanding contributions to the supply chain space. What advice do you have for other leaders in the industry as well as young professionals entering the supply chain space?
Kazee: You’ve got to dive into the problem before finding the right solutions. In our industry, start by immersing yourself in the warehouse—understand the real-world challenges and identify opportunities for innovation. The best solutions are born from being in the problem.
Success in the supply chain comes from balancing efficiency, innovation, and persistence. Data-driven decision-making and cross-functional collaboration are key. Lastly, adaptability is everything—our industry evolves rapidly, and those who stay ahead of the curve will drive the future of logistics.
Supply & Demand Chain Executive: What are some things not addressed above that would be pertinent to include in the article detailing your strengths, achievements, overall goals, etc.?
Kazee: What’s most important to me is continuing to make an impact for Ambi in this important space as well as make an impact in the supply chain industry overall. I want to contribute to more diverse and inclusive workplaces. I'm driven by the belief that when you empower individuals with the right tools, knowledge, and opportunities, you create a ripple effect that can transform entire industries for the better – and logistics is no exception.
