For some, sustainability is a movement. For others, it’s a mission that has evolved over decades of experience, observation, and purpose. This edition of Leaders Who Inspire features Mark Kaplan, a visionary whose journey began long before “traceability” and “responsible sourcing” became industry standards. From shaping the early days of mobile commerce at global brands like P&G, Coca-Cola, and Nike, to co-founding initiatives that transformed how technology connects consumers and causes, his path reflects a consistent pursuit of progress with impact.
Today, as a driving force behind Wholechain, he’s redefining how data, transparency, and collaboration can unlock more resilient, equitable supply chains. His story reminds us that sustainability is not a slogan—it’s a system built on trust, verifiable information, and shared accountability.
When did your passion for sustainability begin, and what sparked it?
Aging myself here… early in my career I worked as a Partner at Ad Agency, Anomaly at the intersection of mobile technology and commerce for leading brands like of P&G, Coca-Cola, ESPN, Nike, CondeNast and Hearst before iOS or Android existed in the market. I ultimately became the founding Co-Chairman of the Mobile Marketing Association mCommerce committee with Eswar Priyardashan who ended selling his company Quattro mobile to Apple. The highlight from the early part of my career was creating PayPal Text2Buy and Text2Give.
Over time, my work moved from the intersection of technology and commerce to focus on what is now sustainability. Seeing how markets have failed small producers, environmental stewardship and how companies struggle to achieve their commitments due to supply chain fragmentation pushed me toward practical solutions, not slogans. The moment it clicked was watching how a lack of basic data: who, what, where and when undercut both livelihoods and conservation. I realized transparency is a precondition for sustainability.
How did earlier roles shape your mindset for Wholechain?
I’ve moved between large enterprises and entrepreneurial teams. At scale you learn discipline, standards, and the power of systems. In startups you learn speed, iteration, and how to remove friction for users in tough environments. That convinced me the right path is standards-based tech that’s simple at the edge and rigorous at the core. It also taught me to measure progress in adoption and verified outcomes, not decks.
What are some accomplishments or turning points that you’re most proud of in the company’s journey so far?
- Proving our thesis that standardized traceability is applicable across commodities
- Helping integrate traceability with certification so claims follow the movement of goods.
- Signing our engagement with the UN Global Compact to create Better Food Future
- Work with small scale producers ranging from Madagascar to Philippines to South Africa and Mexico to connect them more directly with markets.
- Work with leading brands ranging from Estee Lauder, Topco, Wegmans, Sainsbury’s, Chicken of the Sea, True Grade and many other leading brands.
- Closing our seed stage investment round with Blue Revolution Fund and working with The Nature Conservancy on our impact
- Working with the Government of Yucatan, Environmental Defence Fund of Mexico and Norwegian Cruise Lines to establish traceability across the Yucatan State
- Partnership with Hatch Blue and Environmental Defense Fund Mexico to facilitate a traceable trade exchange between Mexico and Ireland
Are there any technologies—whether in supply chains, sustainability, or everyday life—that excite you or have helped you be more effective as a leader?
End-to-end digital traceability and the evolution of data standardization towards interoperability. I lived through the launch and evolution of GSM in telecommunications, how interoperability enabled the massive impact on society. Arguably, the GSM standard had more impact on society than the touch screen.
You’ve been part of True Grade’s journey toward sustainability. What stood out to you about our work, and how do you see it connecting with the future of responsible sourcing?
True Grade focuses on real-world operations where product moves fast and precision matters. You’ve leaned into traceability and supplier engagement instead of treating sustainability as a marketing layer. That matters. Responsible sourcing will increasingly be about verifiable claims tied to events and locations, not broad policies. The work you’re doing on clean master data, supplier onboarding, local supply chain enablement and case-level visibility sets you up to meet regulatory requirements and buyer expectations while improving margin through waste reduction and better mix decisions.
Looking back at everything you’ve built, what helped you turn your vision into reality? What advice would you share with others working to bring their goals to life?
Three things:
- State with the business case and ensure the business model works for current operations and margins of our businesses.
- Build on standards. Interoperability beats any single platform’s feature set.
- Prove value quickly. Pick one lane—one fishery, one ingredient—and show recall readiness, fraud reduction, or cycle-time gains in weeks, not years.
Advice: Treat sustainability as an information problem. Make the data reliable, then let operations, compliance, and storytelling pull from the same source of truth.
Lastly, what’s your vision for the future of global supply chains, and how do you see Wholechain and yourself evolving to meet those challenges?
Supply chains will be digitally native, event-driven, and compliance-ready by default. Traceability data will travel with the product, not in separate spreadsheets. Regulation will accelerate this, but the business case: resilience, agility, and brand trust—will sustain it.
