Welcome. I’m Neil, a global sourcing leader, based in Hong Kong, and working at the intersection of product, supply chain, and risk.This is a portfolio of the projects and ideas I’m currently building, along with selected work from the past.
Notes from the Field
I lead global sourcing for a high-growth PPE portfolio based in Asia, owning supplier strategy, cost, risk, and execution across multiple product lines and regions.I'm now writing The Hidden Layer, a Substack exploring microchips, supply chains, and digital transformation, with occasional forays into adjacent frontier technologies. It’s a space for measured analysis, comparison, and original perspective. You can find it under Projects.I’m currently completing the MITx Supply Chain Management MicroMasters, a graduate-level program focused on systems thinking and global operations. Alongside this, I’m building TraceLayer, an academic SaaS project exploring component-level supply chain risk and visibility in electronics.Based in Hong Kong, I’ve immersed myself in the region outside of work as well, including competitive dragon boat racing and training in Muay Thai. These pursuits have become part of how I stay grounded while working in fast-moving, high-responsibility roles.
Bio
I’m Neil Hawke, a global sourcing and operations leader working at the intersection of product, supply chain, and risk. My work focuses on how complex, physical products actually get built at scale, and how decisions across engineering, sourcing, and manufacturing compound into either resilience or fragility.
Based in Hong Kong, I lead global sourcing for a high-growth PPE portfolio inside a leading industrial OEM, owning supplier strategy, cost, risk, and execution across Asia. I work closely with engineering, quality, and product teams to translate long-term product roadmaps into supplier capabilities, negotiate at both the category and project level, and ensure continuity in markets where reliability matters as much as cost. Much of my time is spent navigating tradeoffs between innovation, scale, geopolitics, and supplier economics, and building simple operating systems that keep fast-moving teams aligned. The goal is fewer surprises, faster decisions, and a supply network that can support growth without becoming brittle.
Highlights
- MBA and BS Engineering Management from Michigan Technological University
- MITx SCM MicroMasters (in progress)
- PMP-certified
- Hong Kong-based; originally from Michigan, USA
- Michigan Tech Engineering & SCM Industry Advisory Board Member
- Founded the Hidden Layer Substack (supply chain insights)
Other Notes
- Eagle Scout (BSA Troop 304, Saginaw, MI)
- Hobbies: sailing, paddling, skiing, hiking, learning Mandarin
- My Chinese name is 霍寧 (Huò Níng, "swift peace")If we haven't met in-person yet, let's grab a coffee. Please reach out and we'll find a time.
Projects
The Hidden Layer and TraceLayer are my current high-priority projects, both with a focus on semiconductors, supply chains, and frontier tech.
Other Projects
These projects are all either on hold, passive, or lower-priority.
Contact
Please reach out via email, and I'll respond within 2 business days.
TraceLayer is an academic SaaS project exploring electronic component supply chain sovereignty, counterfeit detection, and predictive lifecycle analytics. This is in conjunction with my MITx SCM MicroMasters.
Good in the Great Lakes Region- that's what Thimbleberry Capital is about. I have a lot of belief in the grit and innovation of founders in the Michigan-Wisconsin-Minnesota-Illinois area, and I founded Thimbleberry Capital as a purpose-driven nanocapital initiative, supporting founders in the outdoor, mobility, and health sciences industries in this region.Our first investment was sponsoring Michigan Tech's Circular Solutions Enterprise Team in a project to develop a recyclable textile solution. [Read more below]
Founded in 2021, Great Lakes Coastal is my love letter to my home, the Great Lakes region.With the help of talented designers, I created the first Great Lakes Beach Shirt, and will soon be re-launching as a premium, limited-run line.This project was designed to be explicitly low-tech and to step away from complexity, but proved to have its own challenges in terms of unit economics and global sourcing.We've had the opportunity to partner with great organizations, creating custom shirts for Door County Brewing Company, and Copper Harbor Trails Club, in addition to our own collection.Currently operations are paused, with plans to resume on my return to the US.
College Coaching with Neil
College Coaching with Neil was founded in 2025 as an outlet to give back to struggling college students, using my unique perspective and experiences from my undergraduate degree. I offer downloadable PDF materials and an upcoming Udemy course.
