Dr. Zal Phiroz
Office: 619-940-4087
Dr. Zal Phiroz (PhD) is a supply chain specialist, with faculty appointments Harvard University, industry experience at P&G, and an established background as an expert witness on complex supply chain related cases (including experience at deposition, trial, mediation, arbitration).
Having honed his expertise as a practitioner through senior appointments at Proctor & Gamble (NYSE:PG) and TELUS (NYSE:T), Dr. Phiroz has a background in analyzing complex supply chains involving product recalls, product liability, quality assurance, distribution vulnerabilities and manufacturing shortcomings.
In addition to a faculty appointment at Harvard University, Dr. Phiroz holds faculty appointments at University of California, San Deigo, and Michigan State University - all focused on Supply Chain Analytics and Operations at the retail, warehouse, wholesaler level; liability as a result of supplier / manufacturing / warehouse / distribution shortcomings, 3PL and consumer behavior. In 2023 he was appointed as a Faculty Inclusive Fellow at Harvard University.
From a litigation perspective, Dr. Phiroz has opined on numerous cases as an expert witness for both plaintiff and defense, at various levels of federal and state court. He has an established record of testifying at deposition, trial, arbitration, and has worked on several major cases involving notable parties (e.g. Pfizer, 3M, Home Depot etc.).
The following are some examples of supply chain cases involving personal injury, product design, product liability, quality control, product recall, distribution, packaging and logistics in which Dr. Phiroz’s has opined on:
- Personal injury due to manufacturing and quality assurance flaws. Analysis of industry standard and expectation for product recalls, product design, and product safety at the manufacturing, distribution, storage, transportation, packaging and quality control phase of a supply chain.
- Supply chain ownership at various stages, and determination of which nodes bear responsibility for various instances of product liability. Determination of supply chain liability across channels, and assessment of liability as a result of functionality and design.
- Inventory and loss analysis. Inventory depreciation valuation and analysis due to product obsolescence, storage standards, improper customer behavior including forecasting and demand projection.
Dr. Phiroz has published numerous articles on supply chain innovation (e.g. driverless technology) and has been featured on numerous forms of media; most recently on a ASCM supply chain documentary scheduled to be released on the Discovery Channel in 2026. His latest book titled ‘Perspectives of Supply Chain Competitiveness - A Handbook’ was released in 2020. Dr. Phiroz holds a PhD in Supply Chain, as well as an MBA and two degrees in Computer Science.
- Import/Export
- Logistics/Freight Forwarding
- Mass Torts
- Packaging
- Personal Injury
- Products Liability
- Retail Store Design & Operations
- Risk Management
- Supply Chain
- Warehouse Operations
- Q: Please list your professional accreditations, degrees, licenses, and certificates granted:
- A: PhD, University of Cape Town (Supply Chain - Hierarchical Decision Making Patterns for the Placement of Physical Supply Chain Entities)
MBA, Wayne State University (International Marketing)
BS, University of Windsor (Honors, Computer Information Systems)
BCS, University of Windsor (Computer Science) - Q: Please list your affiliations or memberships in any professional and/or industry organizations:
- A: Inclusive Practice Fellow, Harvard University
CIPM (Certified International Procurement Manager), International Purchasing and Supply Chain Management Institute
CISCM (Certified International Supply Chain Manager), International Purchasing and Supply Chain Management Institute
CISCPM (Certified International Supply Chain Planning Manager), International Purchasing and Supply Chain Management Institute - Q: Please list any teaching or speaking experience you have had, including subject matter:
- A: Presentations and publications available upon request
- Q: Have any of your accreditations ever been investigated, suspended or removed? (if yes, explain)
- A: No.
- Q: On how many occasions have you been retained as an expert?
- A: 38
- Q: For what area(s) of expertise have you been retained as an expert?
- A: - Personal injury due to manufacturing and quality assurance flaws. Analysis of industry standard and expectation for product recalls, product design, and product safety at the manufacturing, distribution, storage, transportation, packaging and quality control phase of a supply chain.
- Supply chain ownership at various stages, and determination of which nodes bear responsibility for various instances of product liability. Determination of supply chain liability across channels, and assessment of liability as a result of functionality and design.
- Inventory and loss analysis. Inventory depreciation valuation and analysis due to product obsolescence, storage standards, improper customer behavior including forecasting and demand projection. - Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the plaintiff?
- A: 55%
- Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the defendant?
- A: 45%
- Q: On how many occasions have you had your deposition taken?
- A: 18
- Q: On how many occasions have you been qualified by a court to give expert testimony?
- A: 28
- Q: On how many occasions have you testified as an expert in court or before an arbitrator?
- A: 2
- Q: For how many years have you worked with the legal industry as an expert?
- A: 8
- Q: What services do you offer? (E.g.: consulting, testing, reports, site inspections etc.)
- A: - Consultation on specific areas of supply chain vulnerability (including manufacturing, distribution, storage, quality assurance, etc.).
- Verbal and written expert reports.
- Site inspections, and operational analysis.
- Testimony at deposition, trial, arbitration, mediation. - Q: What is your hourly rate to consult with an attorney?
- A: Rates available upon request.
- Q: What is your hourly rate to review documents?
- A: Rates available upon request.
- Q: What is your hourly rate to provide deposition testimony?
- A: Rates available upon request.
- Q: What is your hourly rate to provide testimony at trial?
- A: Rates available upon request.
- Q: Please list any fees other than those stated above (E.g.: travel expenses, copy fees, etc.)
- A: Rates available upon request.
Andrew B. Goodman
Novian & Novian LLP
agoodman@novianlaw.com
(310) 553-1222
Andrew Danas
Grove, Jaskeiwicz and Cobert, LLP
adanas@gjcobert.com
(202) 416-0219
Mikalia M. Kott, Esq.
Herman, Herman & Katz, LLP
mkott@hhklawfirm.com
(504) 581-4892