CPOstrategy – September 2019 by B2e Media

5 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE CIPS PROCUREMENT SALARY GUIDE

I s sue 6 • September 2019 • www.cpostrateg y.com

EXC LUSIVE

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION FOR PROCUREMENT AT DU

Business growth through procurement Jill Robbins, Senior Director, Global Procurement of Indirect Goods & Services at Elanco, explores how a procurement focus enables smarter business growth

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Welcome to the September issue of CPOstrategy! Over cover story this month features Jill Robbins, Senior Director, Global Procurement of Indirect Goods & Services at Elanco, the animal health enterprise. In an absorbing interview, Robbins outlines how a procurement lens enables smarter business growth. “Procurement has a unique lens and insight into all aspects of the business,” she says. “There are always going to be people that do not understand the value of procurement… but we see opportunities and connectivity across the value chain that others may not be able to see that drive enterprise efficiency and productivity.” Elsewhere, we speak to Anis Tabka, CPO at UAE telco du to talk about the challenges to procurement transformation. “A lot of people aren’t coming from the supply chain background. They have technology experience or administration experience and just assume that procurement is simple price squeezing and handling of contracts,” he explains. “I always try to tell them that there is so much more to procurement.” Plus, we have articles focusing on procurement at Roland Berger and The Cost of Holding Inventory, alongside the best events and conferences around, and the Top 5 takeaways from the CIPS procurement salary report.

E DI TOR I N CH I E F Andrew Woods

CON T R I B U T I NG E DI TORS Dale Benton Kevin Davies

CR E AT IVE L E AD Mitchell Park

VP T E CH NOLO G Y

I hope you enjoy the issue!

Andy Lloyd

VP P RO C U R E M E N T Heykel Ouni

P R E SI DE N T & CE O Kiron Chavda

ndrew Woods, Editor in chief A content@b2e-media.com

PUBLISHED BY

Contents

08 ELANCO

THE COSTS OF HOLDING INVENTORY

38 DU

ROLAND BERGER

66 5 THINGS

78 EVENTS

Get your e n i l n o s t e tick today!

The event for CPOs and

OCT

15 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 17 | 2019

Hesperia Barcelona Tower Barcelona | Spain

d Heads of Procurement

A procurement lens on business growth W R IT T EN BY

D a l e B e n to n P R ODU CED BY H ey ke l O u n i

Jill Robbins, Senior Director, Global Procurement of Indirect Goods & Services at Elanco, explores how a procurement lens enables smarter business growth

he typical career journey for any procurement professional is often one of great

variety, but it’s this variety that enables a greater understanding of the value that procurement brings to the enterprise. For Jill Robbins, Senior Director, Global Procurement of Indirect Goods & Services at Elanco, this is most certainly true as she lives by a key philosophy that helps her drive the value of procurement. ”Procurement has a unique lens and insight into all aspects of the business. There are always going to be people that do not understand the value of procurement - and that’s how you learn to up your game and to be better at what you do,” explains Robbins. “While we’re not 10

ELANCO

the experts in marketing or in research

developed an understanding of the

and development, or in IT, we do see

importance of strong category strategy,

opportunities and connectivity across

supplier relationship management and

the value chain that others may not be

supplier consolidation, building programs

able to see that drive enterprise effi-

from the ground up. She was given a

ciency and productivity.”

lot of autonomy to work for a company

Prior to Elanco, Robbins worked for a large healthcare conglomerate of hospitals and rehabilitation centers. It is here

with very strong procurement talent at that time. Following this, Robbins transitioned

that Robbins was first exposed to infor-

to Eli Lilly and Company, holding a

mation technology procurement, lead-

number of roles, including Sourcing,

ing competitive bids, RFPs, RFQs, and

Research & Development, Information

supplier relationship management in the

Technology and Procure to Pay opera-

medical information space.

tions, as well as general and adminis-

She moved on to Ingersoll Rand where

trative procurement.

she fully immersed herself in strate-

“I sourced everything from consulting

gic sourcing on a global scale. Under

services to benefits, financial services -

the tutelage of ‘great mentors’, Robbins

everything that is behind the scenes at w w w.c postrate gy.com

a company,” she says. From there she moved into a corporate finance and an investment banking role. This is where I saw all sides of the business across the value chain, which gave me a very unique perspective.” It was during this time that Robbins was given advice on how to advance in procurement. “I was told that I needed to have a core finance role, which is why I accepted a role in corporate finance investment banking, even though it has little to do with procurement. In many organizations, procurement reports up through finance,” she says. Upon completion of the corporate finance investment banking role, she moved into a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt role, “working on supplier master data governance to deliver a single version of the truth through a Lean Six Sigma effort. I have my Lean Six Sigma black belt certification, as well as my Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) and Certified Purchasing Manager (C.P.M.)”. After this, Robbins moved to Elanco Animal Health, at that time a division of Eli Lilly and Company, leading all the indirect procurement globally. Also during this time in Corporate America, Robbins and her husband, 12

ELANCO

“ Procurement has a unique lens and insight into all aspects of the business. There are always going to be people that do not understand the value of procurement - and that’s how you learn to up your game and to be better at what you do” — JILL ROBBINS SENIOR DIRECTOR, GLOBAL PROCUREMENT OF INDIRECT GOODS & SERVICES ELANCO ANIMAL HEALTH w w w.c postrate gy.com

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ntric Sourcing

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who is an attorney by trade, opened a few franchised Sky Zone indoor trampoline parks, As well as authoring a children’s book. These entrepreneurial experiences have made Jill a better corporate employee and steward of funds, by exposing her to how an operation works at all levels. “When you sign the front of a check vs. the back of the check, it gives you a different level of appreciation on how every decision and employee impacts business profitability,” explains Robbins. In 2018, Elanco separated from Eli Lilly and Company after completing an IPO. One of the first projects from this, from a procurement perspective, was the acquisition of a new ERP system. Robbins and her team have played an instrumental part in negotiating with major suppliers to establish Elanco’s own systems, as well as negotiating with and securing agreements with other major technology and employee benefit companies around the world. “My team has been instrumental in driving value, driving efficiency and protecting the company from a risk perspective,” she says. “Then we focused on ensuring that long-term value is secured during contract negotiation. It’s easy for procurement to 16

ELANCO

secure short-term value, but you have to look at every deal across the duration of the relationship.” “With the unique lens procurement has across the value chain, we’ve been instrumental in really changing the culture to be more ownership minded, establishing policy training around financial controls. It’s about shaping how the business spends money versus just saving money, which again is very instrumental in ensuring sustainable value in what we do and how we do it.” PROCUREMENT VALUE CHAIN CONNECTIVITY The perception of procurement is transforming on a global scale. Businesses are ‘waking up’ to the idea that procurement is more than a cost center or support function – we are now a proven profit center and business enabler. “In my 20 years of procurement experience it can be an uphill battle at times, because people do not always treat company dollars the same way they treat personal dollars. Or sometimes they just don’t have the right discipline or mindset,” she says. “At Elanco we’ve simplified the branding effort on what to do, how to do it, and when to pull procurement in through a Buy SMART approach.” w w w.c postrate gy.com

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“We are getting recognition across the business on the enterprise value

externally is invaluable,” she says. Over the course of her career,

secured and spend optimization, through

Robbins has established herself as

improved involvement upfront with busi-

a true champion of Procurement.

ness partners to enable a procurement

Speaking regularly at global events and

view early in the process of outsourcing.”

conferences, Robbins promotes the

Robbins highlights, “The first earnings

value of procurement across business

call, we had as an independent company,

areas and industries.

Procurement was mentioned. That rarely

“One of my philosophies with my team

happens. procurement has proven and

and the business is: ask why, and then

continues to play an instrumental role in

ask why again, sometimes up to 5 times.

maximizing our margins and achieving

Ask with internal stakeholders, and

the goals as an independent business.”

ask with suppliers. We’ve had various SRM meetings, where I ask my suppli-

LEADERSHIP, TALENT AND

ers what margins they are making on

RETENTION

this account? How can we both benefit

As part of her role, Robbins is responsi-

by becoming more efficient and produc-

ble for a truly global procurement team.

tive?” She adds, “by asking these ques-

With direct reports coming in every

tions, the revelations and learnings are

time zone and proving communication

invaluable in helping to inform a more

vital to achieving procurement excel-

profitable and productive future.”

lence, Robbins is keen to highlight the

“You’ve got to ask the tough ques-

significance of investing in the people

tions. Your toughest negotiations

of the business. “We have a globally

are oftentimes internal, not with the

diverse and extremely talented team,

supplier. Procurement has a unique and

so having regular one-on-one meet-

valuable lens that really no one else in

ings, coaching and mentoring sessions

the company has. When you work with

with those individuals is critical. Getting

thousands of suppliers and billions of

people exposure to what is going on

dollars in spend, you can see things in a

across industries and best practices in

way that others do not. Even in finance,

the procurement discipline, is critical. In

you see things from an accounting

addition, the networking internally and

perspective, procurement has a unique w w w.c postrate gy.com

lens seeing how spend is interconnected across the business.” “Procurement talent has evolved over my 20 year tenure in the discipline. I have learned that you can diversify yourself within procurement. I think that’s something that, historically, has been undervalued. You can source direct materials, you can source indirect materials, and you can take an operational business role to get full exposure across the business. Seeing how things are done in business development is a great opportunity as well.” Personal and career development doesn’t just happen inside a company; it happens outside of the company as well. Robbins encourages her team to get involved in their community and in different organizations that they’re passionate about, as she recognizes the

has their back when things get tough”.

business acumen and relationship skills

Leadership is not showboating, it is about

gained are transferable.

developing strong talent that makes the

Jill’s philosophy and leadership style

business more profitable and productive.

enables optimal team collaboration. She believes it is imperative to “treat team

JILL’S ADVICE TO THE YOUNG

members as equals. We are all on the

PROCUREMENT TALENT:

same team, I allow autonomy and the

• Learn everyday

ability for each team member to learn

• Read about your categories and trends,

and grow, providing coaching along the

there are many blogs and LinkedIn arti-

way. Employees must feel safe to do

cles available for no cost

their best work and know that their boss 20

ELANCO

•K now your suppliers, do your research...

“ We’re not the experts in marketing or in research and development, or in IT, but we see opportunities and connectivity across the value chain that others may not be able to see, while we look to drive efficiency and productivity” — JILL ROBBINS SENIOR DIRECTOR, GLOBAL PROCUREMENT OF INDIRECT GOODS & SERVICES ELANCO ANIMAL HEALTH

information is power in every

how a business works and what

negotiation.

can be improved; on the tough days,

• Shadow those more senior than you in

remember this!

negotiations, both internal and external • Ask why 5 times, when a business

PROCUREMENT GROWTH JOURNEY

stakeholder resists consolidation of the

Elanco is at the start of its growth

supply base or when you bring back a

journey, but it can already look to the

best practice to test and they respond

future with solid foundations in place

“we cannot do that, this is how we have

within its procurement function. The

always done it”, etc.

future is one of opportunities and for

• P rocurement has the “best seat in the house” when it comes to learning

Robbins, it will be one that contains systems and streamlined processes in w w w.c postrate gy.com

“ Our toughest negotiations are oftentimes internal, not with the supplier. Procurement has a unique and valuable lens that really no one else in the company has” — JILL ROBBINS SENIOR DIRECTOR, GLOBAL PROCUREMENT OF INDIRECT GOODS & SERVICES ELANCO ANIMAL HEALTH

ELANCO

order to create a single source of truth with strong metrics. As technology continues to redefine the world over, procurement is no stranger to disruption and innovation. Robbins views technology as driving a more proactive approach to the supply chain needs, versus a reactive approach. “I can remember when I started my career, it was very much the business would enter a requisition and then procurement or a buyer would react to create an order, then everyone would go on their merry way,” she says. “Today, I see guided buying and sourcing from a select group of suppliers for goods and services, allows the business to maximize the leverage and value with those suppliers. Guiding the business to sourced suppliers is key to category strategy compliance, maximized SRM and spend optimization; all of which maximize operating margins.” With regards to back office functionality and supplier on-boarding, Robbins sees the automation of processes through artificial intelligence and RPA. “So many companies have gone offshore for the back office P2P and I would like to see, in combination of going offshore, we automate those processes as much as possible to maximize value and w w w.c postrate gy.com

productivity,” she says. “Then you have

Jill Robbins

more reliable data as a result. With this

Senior Director, Global Procurement

approach using artificial intelligence and

of Indirect Goods & Services

RPA, renders a much more reliable and

Elanco Animal Health

repeatable result; and it’s more efficient than waiting for a person who is two time

Jill is an entrepreneurial procurement leader

zones away to get something done.”

with proven delivery of procurement trans-

“As an independent company we have

formation, vision and strategy delivering

an opportunity to pull all of our contract

multi-million-dollar savings for multi-na-

information together into a single

tional corporations across a number of

version of the truth for all contracts

industries: healthcare, industrial products

across the enterprise, historically many

and life sciences. Jill holds certifications

functions stored contracts in disparate

from the Institute of Supply Management

systems. There are so many synergies

(ISM) as a Certified Purchasing Manager

when it comes to contract manage-

(C.P.M.) and Certified Professional in

ment,” she says.

Supply Management (CPSM); she is also

“Make it easy for people to Buy

certified as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

SMART,” she says. “Give the business

A visionary leader, throughout her career,

everything they need in an easy to

Jill is relentlessly striving to make things

use way because we’re all consumers,

better, easier, and more profitable, while

we all use Amazon and the Internet to

continuously coaching her teams to

buy things. It should be no different in

think bigger, deliver more value and

the workplace.”

connect the dots across the value chain. Jill is also acknowledged as an industry expert on negotiation, entrepreneurship, talent development and retention, and is a process automation advocate. Jill is a highly sought-after speaker on a variety of procurement and business productivity topics.

ELANCO

w w w.c postrate gy.com

The Costs of Holding Inventory Eman Abouzeid, CIPS Associate explores the various categories of costs associated with holding excess levels of inventory WRITTEN BY E m a n A b o u ze i d , C I P S A s s o c i a te

hen you look at the balance sheet of a typical manufacturing company, you will

find that one of the largest monetary amounts in the assets section is the “value of stocks”. Published accounts analyse the total stock figure into its constituent parts; such as stocks of raw materials and consumables, work in progress, finished goods and goods held for resale. In non-manufacturing companies, the level of stockholding may be less significant, but should not be underestimated. Likewise, retailers also hold huge level of inventory for resale. It is only in ‘pure’ service organisations (such as insurance compa-

EMAN ABOUZEID CIPS ASSOCIATE

nies, consultancies etc) that the level of physical inventory is not a major balance sheet element. This is despite

holding large level of inventory has

the fact that holding inventory plays a

considerable costs which must be

pivotal role in keeping the supply chain

minimised.

moving, by mitigating risks of unex-

Let’s explore the various categories

pected situations; such as demand

of costs associated with holding excess

rising or supplier being unable to

levels of inventory.

deliver the usual stock within agreed lead time.

1. The cost of security:

Additionally, such stockholdings can

Some warehouses store a great many

represent a safety measure in minimis-

valuable and ‘attractive’ items. If they

ing production disruptions and keeping

are stolen in significant quantities, the

customer satisfaction high. However,

company will lose a large amount of

THE COSTS OF HOLDING INVENTORY

value each year, thus greatly increasing the cost of storage. Other warehouses

security staff. • All goods received should be checked

may not carry such valuable items but

accurately for quantity, weight,

may suffer from internal pilferage of

specifications etc.

such things as small tools. These measures can be undertaken by warehouse managers to reduce, or eliminate, such theft and pilferage: • Limit access so that only store personnel can enter the warehouse. • Keep buildings locked when not in use and consider employing

• Adequate systems of stock-checking and auditing should be implemented. • Correctly authorised issues – items should only be issued against a properly signed and authorised requisition. • Adequate records to be maintained w w w.c postrate gy.com

“ The use of space is a measure of a store’s efficiency If a warehouse is largely empty, the cost of rent and rates, the cost of heating, lighting and power, and other costs such as labour, and the cost of storage and handling equipment are wasted and are nothing more than a drain on company finances” — EMAN ABOUZEID CIPS ASSOCIATE

– if you do not know what you have

as stock value increases and decrease

and keep a record of what comes in

as stock value decreases.

and what goes out, you will not know if anything is missing.

3. The cost of space used: The greater the quantity of stock held,

2. The cost of insurance:

the more space will be required in the

Stock should be insured against the

store’s building. Once again, if we can

risks of fire, theft or damage. The value

reduce the amount of stock held to a

of goods held in stock will have a bear-

reasonable minimum, we can reduce

ing on insurance premiums, covering

the size of the warehouse.

loss or damage, for the warehouse. Insurance premiums usually increase 30

THE COSTS OF HOLDING INVENTORY

Thus, the use of space is a measure of a store’s efficiency. If a warehouse

should be filled simply to achieve this target. If the warehouse is too large, then it is wasting money for reasons just mentioned and thought should be given to ‘hiving off’ some of it for other purposes or, in extreme cases, renting some of it to outside organisations for temporary storage accommodation.

4. The cost of stock damage: If items in stock are handled carelessly, they might become damaged. Clearly, this is most likely to be the case with fragile items such as those made of glass. However, even sturdier items such as those made of steel could become bent if dropped. Also, apparently sturdy material such as concrete blocks could become chipped is largely empty, the cost of rent and rates, the cost of heating, lighting and

if knocked over. Such damage might cause the items

power, and other costs such as labour,

to be useless. This means that they

and the cost of storage and handling

would need to be replaced at extra

equipment are wasted and are noth-

cost to the organisation. In this situ-

ing more than a drain on company

ation they would need to be ‘written

finances. It is important, therefore, to

off’, meaning that the money spent

ensure that the warehouse is as full as

on them was wasted. Additionally, the

it needs to be, to provide the organisa-

money spent on the items could not

tion’s required service levels.

be recovered by selling them to other

It is worth noting that this is not a suggestion that the warehouse

users. Some of their value might be recovered by selling them for scrap w w w.c postrate gy.com

but this, of course, would only recoup a fraction of their original value. Insurance could mitigate this problem.

Here are some specific measures that may be taken to reduce the occurrence of damaged stock: Check stock carefully as it is received into stores. Damaged or inadequate packaging needs action to ensure that the stock will be protected. •U se stock in the order in which it is received (e.g. first in first out). •M aintain conditions that are appropriate to the type of stock – for example, in terms of temperature, humidity, and so on. •T rain all staff in the use of handling equipment and stress the importance of moving stock items carefully.

• As with damage, deterioration will increase the cost of storage because

5. The cost of stock deterioration:

it means that items affected will be

Deterioration happens to some types

useless. As with damaged items,

of items or material if they are kept in

items that have deteriorated will

stock for a long time. Examples include

incur costs of replacement. Once

the following:

again, they may be able to be sold

• Paper can become discoloured.

for scrap, which would mitigate such

Iron and steel items can become rusty

costs. Insurance, also, would help

• D amp could cause cement to

mitigate such losses.

become solid and therefore

The likelihood of deterioration could be

unusable.

minimised by reducing stockholding.

THE COSTS OF HOLDING INVENTORY

“ The likelihood of deterioration could be minimised by reducing stockholding. More effective, however, would be to ensure that goods likely to deteriorate are stored in suitable conditions” — EMAN ABOUZEID CIPS ASSOCIATE

More effective, however, would be to ensure that goods likely to deterio-

apply particularly to retail items. An example might be where super-

rate are stored in suitable conditions; an

markets sell items that are approach-

example would be keeping materials that

ing their “sell by date” – below their

are susceptible to damp in dry locations.

normal price. Depreciation applies to all stock items, however, and it is the main

6. The cost of stock depreciation:

reason why it is not considered a good

Many items that are held in stock for

idea to hold larger quantities of stock

any length of time will depreciate

than are necessary.

in value. In other words, their value will diminish because they will be

7. The cost of fraud:

perceived as being ‘old’. This would

Fraud may arise because a member of w w w.c postrate gy.com

staff is seeking to achieve an illicit personal gain. It might also occur where staff are trying to mask inefficiencies such as losses of stock items. Here are some typical warehouse frauds arising from criminal activity: • Claiming that materials have been delivered short by the supplier – when in fact the consignment was delivered fully and correctly. • Claiming that materials were received as damaged or faulty from the supplier - when in fact the consignment was delivered in good conditions. • Over-picking an order so that surplus materials are on the warehouse floor – ready to be stolen. • Putting extra materials on to a delivery vehicle for an unauthorised delivery. • Plain petty theft. • Failing to ‘book in’ certain attractive stock returns (items returned by users or customers because they are not needed) and stealing them. In order to eliminate or, at least, minimise fraud, documentation should be required for any materials to be issued out of the warehouse area. Issuing materials without the correct documentation will lead to stock losses and create a possibility of fraudulent practices. Nowadays issuing stocks without any documentation is only likely to occur within very small warehousing functions or privately-owned businesses.

8. The cost of obsolescence and redundancy: Obsolescence is usually due to items being held in stock for long periods of time, during this time advancing technology makes the item outdated. It occurs in 34

THE COSTS OF HOLDING INVENTORY

w w w.c postrate gy.com

“ The best way of mitigating the effects of redundancy would be to forecast requirements as accurately as possible” — EMAN ABOUZEID CIPS ASSOCIATE

THE COSTS OF HOLDING INVENTORY

retail organisations, for example, when a customer would no longer want to purchase such items. Costs lost through obsolescence might be mitigated by selling the item second-hand. A better approach used to reduce obsolescence is to accurately forecast usage of these items, then items could be purchased and held in stock in small quantities, and only replenished when those in stock has been sold. Redundancy occurs when items are held in stock for a long time and there comes a point where they are no longer required. In retail organisations, particularly, those selling items that are subject to fashion, redundancy might occur because of changes in consumersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tastes. Once again, the best way of mitigating the effects of redundancy would be to forecast requirements as accurately as possible.

In conclusion: One of the most significant tasks that facing procurement and supply chain professionals is to work in close co-operation with production planning, marketing, and other functions, in order to balance or (better still to reconcile) conflicting demands relating to inventory levels. Such major cooperation is essential to avoid serious costs in the form of idle time and production stoppages, or on the other hand, costs in the form of holding a high level of inventory.

w w w.c postrate gy.com

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION FOR PROCUREMENT AT WRITTEN BY D a l e B e n to n PRODUCED BY H ey ke l O u n i

THROUGH A DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION, ANIS TABKA EXPLORES HOW DU AND VIRGIN MOBILE EMBRACE INNOVATION IN PROCUREMENT n 2017, it was announced

Key to this transfor-

that the Emirates Integrated

mation has been the

Telecommunications Company

company’s supply chain

(EITC) would launch a mobile service and

and procurement func-

bring the Virgin Mobile brand into the

tion and this is where Anis

UAE. Virgin Mobile UAE is a wholly owned

Tabka, Chief Procurement

business unit within EITC, which allows

Officer, has played a

one of the world’s most recognisable

pivotal role. Entering the

telecommunications brands to lever-

business in 2005, Tabka

age economies of scale in order to bring

has worked in the tele-

unique, innovative products, and value, to

communications space

market. The company represents a sister

for over 20 years, cutting

operation to EITC’s other telecommuni-

his teeth with the global

cations company, du.

conglomerate Siemens

du currently has more than 8.5 million

and overseeing commer-

mobile customers, representing close to

cial management across

50% market share and operates with a

its global operations from the United

clear vision: to enhance your life, anytime

States, Germany and Tunisia. Tabka feels

anywhere. Since 2006, du has had to

that this commercial experience has

evolve its operation in order to continue

been crucial to his role with du. “When I

delivering on this vision. And with tech-

joined du, which was to be a new service

nology continuing to redefine global

provider, it was my first experience with

industry, du has undergone a significant

the supply chain,” he says. “But since I’d

digital transformation to ride the wave of

been working on the sales side before

innovation.

handling large service providers such as

AT&T, Verizon, etc., I had an understand-

on far more responsibility and looked

ing as to what the expectations are for

after the full du sourcing requirements

procurement. I basically worked with the

(Technology, Marketing, Facilities,

company to build the whole supply chain

etc.) exceeding $1.5 B per annum. This

function from scratch and support my

saw Tabka absorb the Procurement,

technology colleagues with the roll-out

Contracts Management and Logistics

of du Mobile and fixed networks.”

responsibilities and consolidate the

Over the course of the following

company’s 19 warehouses into one

years, Tabka’s role evolved and he took

central warehouse, enabling greater w w w.c postrate gy.com

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“ I BASICALLY WORKED WITH THE COMPANY TO BUILD THE WHOLE SUPPLY CHAIN FUNCTION FROM SCRATCH AND SUPPORT MY TECHNOLOGY COLLEAGUES WITH THE ROLL-OUT OF DU MOBILE AND FIXED NETWORKS” A n i s Ta b k a CPO, DU

efficiency and inventory control.

With a centralised procurement func-

Although it was managed by a very thin

tion, Tabka needed to call upon his

experienced in-house team, Logistics

sales experience in order to collabo-

ran like clockwork, with multiple partners

rate more effectively with du’s supplier

managing the distribution of du stock

network. “I know how things work on

(SIMs, handsets, customers’ premise

the sales side and what the suppliers

equipment, etc.) to all retail and enter-

think. What works, what doesn’t work

prise customers throughout the UAE.

and certain tricks of the trade,” he says.

Detailed stock planning processes were

“That makes it easier to establish a

also implemented to slash inventory

dialogue with a partner on what you’re

levels and improve company working

trying to accomplish, rather than turn-

capital.

ing the discussion into a price greeting

debate – it’s much more of a long-term

that over time, this has created a greater

relationship.”

understanding as to when to take risks

As Tabka entered du during its earliest days, he admits that it was a challenge to

and how to take risks. The challenge Tabka faced in the Middle

operate fast enough in order to get the

East, when compared to his experi-

network up and running. This, ultimately,

ence in the US and Europe, stems from

resulted in the company not being able

regressive notions of procurement and

to dictate the most favorable agree-

supply chain. “A lot of people aren’t

ments effectively and making compro-

coming from the supply chain back-

mises in order to launch services. Those

ground. They have technology expe-

agreements were renegotiated once du

rience or administration experience

launched its services. Tabka believes

and just assume that procurement is w w w.c postrate gy.com

simple price squeezing and handling of contracts,” he explains. “I always try to tell them that there is so much more to procurement and so it’s a case of educating people as to what procurement can bring.” Running alongside this was a traditional approach in the region that saw businesses handling their own negotiations, or “doing their own deals and getting procurement to rubber stamp the contracts”. Tabka and his team had to prove that procurement was a business leader and a contributor to the full success of sourcing requirements, taking into account the company’s long term strategy. To him, it mirrors a global procurement conversation; businesses “waking up” to the value of procurement. To this, Tabka feels du has grown dramatically over time. “As my role evolved, so too had the company,” he says. “If we knew what we could bring, back when we started, everyone would sign up for it right away. Things can get done faster if procurement is integrated within their function and proper project planning is enforced within the company.” After long persuasion efforts and an alignment with Finance, he was able to get business to provide detailed future project information to constitute 46

“ IF WE KNEW WHAT WE KNOW, BACK WHEN WE STARTED, EVERYONE WOULD SIGN UP FOR IT RIGHT AWAY. THINGS CAN GET DONE FASTER IF PROCUREMENT IS INTEGRATED WITHIN THEIR FUNCTION” A n i s Ta b k a CPO, DU

an annual Procurement plan. This ultimately helped Business to improve their project execution timelines, Finance to improve the budgeting accuracy and Procurement to reduce the overall tendering process timelines. This visibility has also helped the Procurement category managers to better plan their Category Strategies. This new ethos and approach to a central procurement function is best personified in the start-up and roll out of Virgin Mobile UAE. Positioned as the second brand name of EITC, Virgin Mobile uses a platform infrastructure from Virgin, but a w w w.c postrate gy.com

large portion of its backend functional-

says. “It’s a very smooth and different

ity is born out of du. Tabka, as a further

experience compared to the traditional

evolution of his role within the company,

telco. It is focused on a niche market, but

played a key role in this new venture.

the people are more technology savvy.

“When we set up the company and

It’s very different from du, but it’s born

launched, it was basically with a different

out of the success of du.”

mindset where everything was simple

Virgin Mobile UAE also differenti-

and agile. It’s very much customer expe-

ates itself from du in its supply chain

rienced and a very focused digital expe-

processes. Tabka had to accommodate

rience where all customer interactions

a new brand, which in itself brought new

are done through the Virgin Mobile app,

processes when compared to the du

with the minimum of human touch,” he

vision of mobile experience. Tabka had to

digital transformation of sorts for both Virgin and du, believes that digital transformation such as A.I. and chatbots are the key technology differentiators within the industry. “We try to minimise the interaction with customers via a call centre. Everything is as digital as possible,” he says. “We look to give flexibility to the customer to choose their mobile plan and the tariff. They can choose whatever tariff pleases them. They are more in control of their wallet and it’s not like the traditional telcos where they are imposed a certain tariff plan.” This approach represents both du and Virgin Mobile’s customer experience-driven ethos; it’s all about serving the customer better and making their lives less complicated. Virgin Mobile UAE has been praised for readjust some of the team members to

its excellent customer experience. New

adapt to the faster requirements of the

customers receive their SIM card, with

go-to-market offering. “The partners

activation happening within one hour of

we were working with were different too,

buying the service through the Virgin

so we had to basically put in a different

Mobile app. This was an industry first in

team within a team,” he explains.

the region.

As a new brand emerging at a time of

It’s not just the customer experience

great innovation, Virgin Mobile enters

that’s experiencing a sea change; the

a marketplace dominated by a seem-

very nature of procurement is being

ingly endless array of technologies and

redefined by innovation and disruptive

where mobile market penetration has

technologies. Since the beginning, du

exceeded 200%. Tabka, overseeing a

has implemented paperless processes w w w.c postrate gy.com

in Supply Chain, Procurement and

so the customer would be able to track

Inventory ERP systems. As the company

on their mobile app their Virgin Mobile /

matured, constant changes were being

du order from time of order placement.

made to the procure-to-pay processes

Tabka described this as “Uberizing” the

to make them more agile. Business

telco supply chain.

Intelligence dashboards were automated

At this time, the number of logistics

to provide live data to category manag-

transactions being processed through

ers from the data warehouse rather than

RPA reached close to 65,000 customer

manual extracts from ERP. Live reports were also made available to Executive Management through digital handsets. In 2017, the company embarked on a true digital transformation of procurement through the implementation of robotics process automation (RPA). “Digital transformation is a journey and so I kept on pushing and pushing to drive innovation,” says Tabka. “RPA represents that push. With RPA we were able to replicate a number of processes, do them faster, work 24 hours a day and achieve zero human error. This translates into increased customer experience, because we could improve the customers’ orders, processing and delivery lead times while also reducing our internal costs.” Through this, supply chain was able to integrate the full sales to orders fulfillment cycle by integrating the 3rd party couriers applications to du and Virgin Mobile ERP systems (Sales Orders , Inventory management, Finance module) 50

Anis Tabka Chief Procurement Officer du

With over 24 years of Telecommunications experience, Anis Tabka has worked in very diverse environments from very large and established Fortune 500 companies like AT&T and Siemens in the USA and Germany to start-ups in the Middle East (UAE). Currently managing the Sourcing, Contract management, Logistics and Distribution channels of the Telecom Operator EITC (parent holding of du and Virgin Mobile) out of Dubai. His Sourcing department manages the whole company spend of over + USD 1.5 Billion/year. Under his leadership, du was the first Telco in the Middle East to get awarded the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply award in Q 4 2010 and ISO 9001 in 2015 for Procure to Pay Process.

orders, with around 7,000 front-end procurement transactions being fully automated. This was the first phase of RPA. Phase two, which is currently being implemented, will see RPA combining with chatbot capabilities to further reduce non-essential basic interactions of time between business and customer lead-times. To date, Tabka has seen a reduction in processing time of more than 50%. With Virgin Mobile and du, Tabka can point to a number of successes, both internally and around the customer experience. He is the first to admit that a digital transformation is a journey and that every milestone for him is the first step to achieving the next one. One in particular that will open the door to future innovation, has been the further inclusion of supply chain and procure-

Now we are the ones giving the tips and

ment into the strategic direction of the

advice.”

company for a full digital transformation.

It’s a time of great opportunity for

“Other areas of the business are asking

du and Virgin Mobile. Having already

for recommendations, or for feedback as

succeeded on so many fronts, Tabka

to what has worked and what has not,”

looks to the future with a sense of

says Tabka. “It’s interesting because

perspective. du is the solution provider

it’s normally the other way around. The

to a number of large enterprises, each

business or customer-facing depart-

with their own demands and ideas

ments implement new tools and then

for the future. For Tabka, it’s impor-

supply chain comes in at the end of the

tant to remain focused. “There are so

queue and asks the best way to do it.

many tools out there and so many

“ THERE IS A LOT OF VALUE ADD THAT YOU CAN BRING AS A CPO TO THE COMPANY AND TO REALISE THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION, YOU JUST NEED TO BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE OVERALL TRANSFORMATION” A n i s Ta b k a CPO, DU

consultancies or solution providers

thing together? There is a lot of value

that promise you the world. It’s not just

add that you can bring as a CPO to the

about putting these tools live and saying:

company and to realise the digital trans-

“We achieved automation,” says Tabka.

formation, you just need to be an integral

“What you need to focus on is what

part of the overall transformation. Don’t

you’re trying to achieve and marrying

look at it from just one single corner or

this to the strategy of the company.”

as a one-time project. You need to be

“It’s not only about your departments.

part of this overall journey and continue

It’s about the full experience. What are

to push the limits. Otherwise, it won’t be

the Marketing guys trying to achieve?

a successful transformation.”

What are the Technology guys trying to achieve? How do you marry the whole w w w.c postrate gy.com

Placing procurement at the heart of digital transformation WRITTEN BY D a l e B e n to n 54

n a world awash with digital transformation stories that see companies restructur-

ing or even dispensing with old business models to usher in the new era of digitalisation, the notion of understanding and sifting through noise in the marketplace, in order to head down the right path, requires a level of expertise that even some of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading organisations do not possess. This is why they turn to consultancies such as Roland Berger. With more than 2,400 employees working across 35 countries around the world, Roland Berger is a consulting partner of choice because it boasts a deep understanding of diverse cultures and markets. One such industry space known for its ever-changing complexity amid a radical transformation the world over, is procurement. Michael Pleuger, Senior Partner at Roland Berger is an experienced procurement professional, focusing on large scale procurement and supply chain transformation programs.

in the industry as Head of Procurement

Having spent his entire professional

in a German M-DAX listed rail tech-

life working in the business transfor-

nology company, Pleuger soon found

mation space, he has seen first-hand

himself working on a major supply

the shifting nature of procurement and

chain transformation program. Here, he

more importantly, the shifting perspec-

worked closely with a number of differ-

tive of organisations. Getting his start

ent consultants, looking at technology

ROLAND BERGER

European Blue Chips. Later Pleuger joined Vodafone to bring in his experience to help integrate their global procurement activities and to establish a corporate procurement in the telco’s HQ in Newbury, UK and subsequently in the Vodafone Procurement Company in Luxemburg. After an almost four year stint in Vodafone, Pleuger returned to Berlin and to the consulting industry. He continued to serve globally-leading companies to transform their procurement and supply chain functions into a competitive differentiator. In this role he returned to Vodafone as a consultant and it was this time with the company that opened his eyes to a new wave of digital transformation in procurement. “I was asked to look at digitalisation within the procurement company and it was, in my humble opinion, that the company was already fully digital because they were already working with new technologies in sourcing, P2P, invoicing, contract management, implementation and change manage-

supplier collaboration and supplier

ment. His consultants convinced him

performance management,” he says.

to move to the other side and to advise

“With this large existing digital foot-

other clients as a management consult-

print in place, we looked at it differently

ant himself. In this new consulting role,

together with our client and saw that

Pleuger delivered global procurement

through RPA for example, a lot of P2P

transformation programs for large

suites and e-sourcing suites would be w w w.c postrate gy.com

ROLAND BERGER

potentially fully automated and there-

procurement upside down. Pleuger

fore eliminated.”

cites the emergence of 5G technology

Pleuger identified that procure-

and how it’s enabling industry 4.0 and

ment needed to take on a new role in

the Internet of Things a disruptor in the

the future; a move determined by the

telco industry. In the automotive space,

unique positioning of procurement. As

the emergence of autonomous driving

the function with the most interfaces,

is clearly a disruptor. “What we see is

both internally and externally with

that our clients respond to these exter-

the supply base, procurement is the

nal challenges by defining a new corpo-

‘spider in the web’. All the data coming

rate strategy and business model,” he

from all the nodes within the network,

says. “Procurement aligns with these

pass through procurement, present-

new business models and is key to oper-

ing a unique opportunity for procure-

ationalising these by providing business

ment to become the primary provider

insight and foresight. Procurement is

for business insight and foresight. It

buying different content, such as digital

requires procurement to being able to

content but also needs to buy differ-

make meaningful information out of this

ently, e.g. in collaboration with start-ups

avalanche of data. “This is a completely

or emerging eco-systems.”

new currency of procurement, from

As the spider in the web, procure-

savings to business to business intel-

ment has a responsibility like no other

ligence,” explains Pleuger. “Today, as a

business unit. It has to be able to break

senior partner with Roland Berger, my

down the complexity of its function and

role is working with leading procurement

communicate it to the wider organisa-

organisations to help them prepare for

tion in a language that makes sense.

the future of procurement.”

For some, the perspective remains that

To achieve this, Roland Berger uses

procurement is simply writing purchase

a framework, they have branded “the

orders and signing off invoices, but this

procurement endgame”. The procure-

is shifting and new business models

ment endgame describes how certain

are now opening the doorway to new

mega trends, one of the biggest being

capabilities. “In order to fulfill its role,

digital innovation and industry specific

procurement has to have connectivity

disruptors, are turning companies and

to all the nodes in the network. Behind w w w.c postrate gy.com

the digital glue, however, is collabora-

in this new era of procurement. In order

tion,” he says. “That digital glue is an

for organisations to embrace innovation,

intuitive collaborative workflow, one

implement new digital tools and unlock

that brings everybody into this flow

greater value, the people controlling

of analysing the internal demands, the

and accessing this digital glue need

external market and then developing

training to join these journeys. Roland

a strategic response in the shape of a

Berger has recently released a white

better procurement strategy or cate-

paper on 21st century skills in procure-

gory strategy.”

ment, which breaks this down into two

As an example, Pleuger looks at arti-

dimensions; the need for collaboration

ficial intelligence and its role within

and the complexity of the task at hand.

procurement. “If all the IOT devices

“If the complexity and collaboration is

and the industry 4.0 devices and the

low, then this is a task that can be auto-

consumers online around the world

mated and it requires a basic under-

are connected and capturing data and

standing of what the digital tools can

feeding it into the procurement sweet

do,” explains Pleuger. “If the complex-

spot, that’s going to overwhelm the

ity is high, but the collaboration is low,

category managers,” he explains. “So,

something like AI can be used to analyse

we look to feed AI into managing that

that complexity and solve the problem.

data as it comes their way. Then, they

However, if the complexity is high and

can use this AI to prioritise, digest and

the collaboration is high, this is where

summarise all of the sources availa-

we look at human intelligence and our

ble and provide an executive summary

best people. Very often I hear up-skill-

and predictions that can be used to

ing is a shift from lower value tasks to

stay ahead of the game. This is but one

higher value ones and this is correct.

example of the capabilities that the

But I think that, unfortunately, due to

category managers require in order to

it being a hard discussion, we will lose

succeed in procurement today.”

people along the way. Automation

The key component in the middle

for example could reduce the overall

of transformation is the procurement

demand for procurement professionals.

professional and the category managers

It’s too hard a discussion to simply say

that are shifting their way of working

up-skilling organisations need to break

ROLAND BERGER

“ The currency in procurement changes, from savings to business insight and business foresight” — MICHAEL PLEUGER S E N I O R PA R T N E R ROLAND BERGER

down exactly what these digital tools will bring and takeaway.” The challenge Pleuger sees here is one that stems from something he experienced himself; what does digitalisation mean to people? This is a question that Pleuger loves to work with organisations to try and answer. Pleuger, through his career, has learned that digitalisation is different from implementing standard IT software packages, for it opens the door to innovation. “If w w w.c postrate gy.com

digitalisation means what we always

attitude.” He points to a quote that

associate it with, being agile and disrup-

states that all experts are experts in

tive, then this in itself determines that it

what was, no one is an expert in what

cannot be a standard software bought

will be. “If you want to be an expert in

from the shelf,” he says. “If you want to

these innovative technologies and digi-

be super disruptive, you have to invent

talisation then there are three things

something completely new. You have

that must replace experience: vision,

to be bold and adopt a failing forward

leadership and collaboration,” he says.

ROLAND BERGER

three-storey hub comprises 2,500 square metres of workspaces, meeting rooms, technology areas and kitchens. It is a breeding ground for collaboration, brainstorming and innovation between people from companies of all shapes and sizes, from start-ups to corporates. Spielfeld Digital Hub was founded by consultancy firm Roland Berger in conjunction with Visa. “It’s a place where tech firms, start-ups and venture capitalists come together,” explains Pleuger. “They form an ecosystem in which teams of people from different disciplines and different organisations can innovate together and where their innovations have the chance to mature. “This is the new way of working,” says Pleuger “In an environment like our Spielfeld we can find out together with our eco-system partners what it means to collaborate in the very spirit of vision, leadership and collaboration. It will In order to achieve this, an entrepre-

ultimately lead to innovation, as it did

neurial, agile and creative environment

when Pleuger and his team have spear-

is key. Roland Berger’s Spielfeld, located

headed the digitalisation of category

in Berlin, is such an environment. over

management and thus addressed a

recent years, the former mail sorting

white space in the landscape of digi-

office in the central Berlin neighbour-

tal procurement systems and tools. A

hood of Kreuzberg has been trans-

ground-breaking innovation.

formed into ‘Spielfeld Digital Hub’. The

Trying to determine what digitalisation w w w.c postrate gy.com

means to each and every one of us links back to Roland Berger’s concept of procurement endgame, a series of frameworks that prepare organisations for the future, whatever it might look like. The Endgame is built around an organisation’s strategic response to industry trends and industry specific disruptors and how that in turn defines new requirements for procurement. The challenge is, and ultimately always will be, navigating this future in a way that will achieve success. Pleuger points back to the idea of failing forward, being bold and collaborating. “I look at the quote again around no experts in what will be. This means that we don’t need to look at people who have done this for 10 or 20 years. We can look at young, fresh and driven individuals,” he says. “Develop these young and hungry individuals and they can bring a massive impact and change into the way procurement works. This can help create a culture that will truly enable digital transformation for any organisation.”

ROLAND BERGER

“ In order to fulfill its future role, procurement has to have connectivity. Behind the digital glue however, is collaboration” — MICHAEL PLEUGER S E N I O R PA R T N E R ROLAND BERGER

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5 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE CIPS PROCUREMENT SALARY GUIDE WRITTEN BY D a l e B e n to n

Dubbed as the procurement and supply chain benchmark on how the profession is performing, demonstrating the value businesses and organisations place on procurement skills and knowledge, CPO Strategy looks at five key takeaways from the report

READ THE REPORT HERE

INCREASED SALARIES, BONUSES AND BENEFITS With the procurement and supply chain space going through its very own revolution, with businesses the world over recognising its significance as a business enabler and restructuring their business models to follow suit, naturally this will be reflected across the board from a salary perspective. Over the last five years, salaries in procurement have improved and in 2019, the report identifies that there has been an overall growth in salary of 5.3%. The report believes that this represents a mark of the growing confidence in and respect for the profession. Significant pay increases have been recorded within the Public Sector as organisations, particularly within Central Government, look to change and commercialise their working practices by attracting skills from the Private Sector, which command more competitive salaries.

F I V E TA K E A W AY S F R O M T H E C I P S P R O C U R E M E N T S A L A R Y G U I D E

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F I V E TA K E A W AY S F R O M T H E C I P S P R O C U R E M E N T S A L A R Y G U I D E

GENDER PAY GAP IS CLOSING

The gender pay gap has been an on-going discussion for decades and over the last year, more and more organisations have gone to great lengths to create a more equal playing field with regards to salaries. There is a still an imbalance, with 73% of men receiving a pay rise in the last 12 months compared to the 72% of women. The good news however, is that there is a noticeable change from the previous year which saw 71% of men and 64% of women receive a pay rise. While that imbalance still persists at top levels of seniority, with the mid-level showing the greatest of change, the report believes that with greater pay gap reporting in the coming years the industry will see a greater reduction in disparity from the bottom upwards.

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A BUSY INTERIM RECRUITMENT MARKET Set against the backdrop of economic volatility, the report identifies that more and more organisations (particularly in the Public Sector) have turned their attention to interim appointments. One of the leading trends to emerge in this market is to see interim appointments made to take charge or transformation projects. This is reflected by a 5% increase, with 36% of interim respondents currently working on change and transformation projects. Looking a little deeper into the reasons as why organisations are recruiting interims, while change and

transformation projects takes the top spot (36%), category management implementation (14%), end-to-end tender process (14%), strategy and performance (9%) and generalist procurement roles/sickness/maternity cover (9%) are the top five reasons for interim recruitment. The report highlights that, with skills shortages still prevalent for procurement employers, many continue to turn to the skills and flexibility of interims to deliver on projects. Interims can therefore make the most of the buoyant market and demand the best possible rates for their work.

F I V E TA K E A W AY S F R O M T H E C I P S P R O C U R E M E N T S A L A R Y G U I D E

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F I V E TA K E A W AY S F R O M T H E C I P S P R O C U R E M E N T S A L A R Y G U I D E

PROCUREMENT DEMAND VS. PROCUREMENT SKILLS SHORTAGE One of the biggest elements of the ever-evolving procurement landscape is the apparent skills shortage as a result of digitisation. This creates a challenge, train from within or hire externally? The report shows that there has been a 5% increase in the number of employers looking to hire new procurement staff in the next 12 months. This equals 65% of managers responding to the survey. The demand for procurement skills remained high in 2019. 56% of procurement professionals with responsibility for recruitment

stated they struggled to find the right talent in the last 12 months, the same amount as in 2018. Lack of sector skills and experience, candidate salary expectations and budget restraints continue to be cited as the top three challenges for employers, with candidate salary expectations seeing the largest increase in a jump from 40% in 2018 to 50% in 2019. Other notable increases were seen for lack of sector skills and experience and competition from other employers (both up by 9%), and lack of soft skills (up by 8%).

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CHANGING PERCEPTION OF PROCUREMENT We have seen first hand the changing perception of procurement, moving towards a future of being a business enabler and away from that of a transactional department. But how is this reflected within the industry itself? 71% of respondents agreed that procurement is now valued within their organisation, with 68% feeling that perception of procurement has improved over the last 12 months. 70% of respondents within the Private Sector believe that procurement is valued within their organisation, with 73% in the Public Sector

agreeing. The biggest change comes from the Charity/Not For Profit sector; with 72% of respondents agreeing which is a 9% increase over the previous year. In the coming years, learning how to engage with the different agendas of a range of internal stakeholders, including the procurement team Itself, is vital to achieve the best result for all. This involves being able to turn the features of the procurement teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activities into benefits that are relevant for each stakeholder group, from the CFO through to the CMO.

F I V E TA K E A W AY S F R O M T H E C I P S P R O C U R E M E N T S A L A R Y G U I D E

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EVENTS OF 2019/20 W R I T T E N BY Kev i n D av i e s

THE TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY CAN EASILY BE DESCRIBED AS THE MOST MERCURIAL AND TRANSFORMATIVE. NEW IDEAS AND INNOVATIONS ARE FUNDAMENTALLY SHIFTING THE BENCHMARKS OF BUSINESS PERFORMANCE, SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT. THESE TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCES PROVIDE E XPERTS AND INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS WITH A MUCHNEEDED BIRD’S E YE VIE W OF WHAT ’S HAPPENING NOW AND WHAT THEY CAN EXPECT TOMORROW…

18.09.19 DIGITAL PROCUREMENT WORLD Digital Procurement World is the largest community of digital procurement leaders and the only conference that brings together the entire digital procurement ecosystem from enterprise to big tech, startups, VCs/investors, industry analysts, media & press – representing every sector of the industry. “Digital Procurement Transformation is happening now. Don’t be left behind.”

EVENTS

24.09.19 EWORLD PROCUREMENT & SUPPLY Since 2001, eWorld Procurement & Supply has provided a unique insight into the latest innovations and technologies for senior procurement, supply chain and finance executives. eWorld provides a highly time-effective platform to keep up-to-date with the latest developments, market trends and hot topics.

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15.10.19 PROCURECON EU The ProcureCon event series are the only interactive, peer- led platform for senior procurement practitioners. For over 15 years, ProcureCon has helped companies transform their programs through innovative presentations, panel discussions, workshops and intimate networking sessions â&#x20AC;&#x201C; designed to take you beyond cost savings.

EVENTS

30.10.19 600MINUTES SUPPLY CHAIN AND PROCUREMENT 98% of operators view attending 5G World as important to their job role, so come and learn, network and partner with 2,500 telecoms professionals at the only global event defining the future of 5G, where 63% confirmed operator speakers at 5G World are CxO and VP level.

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31.10.19 CIPS UK CONFERENCE

At the 2018 CIPS UK Conference, procurement professionals gained practical solutions to the challenges they are facing and left the conference with the insight they need to make the shift to becoming a strategic, collaborative function that adds value. The 2018 speaker line-up featured the most influential speakers, incorporating Procurement Power List winners. This one-day event was packed full of keynotes, case studies, panel discussions and debates with Q&A. The day split into three streams after lunch:Â fit for purpose tech, strategy through people and resilient supply chains.Â There were CPOs from leading organisations speaking and a large variety of content that really served the profession and addressed our most vital concerns.

EVENTS

10.12.19 PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY MANAGEMENT MASTERCLASS This masterclass looks at both the concepts of procurement and supply management, negotiation techniques, and current and future trends. It includes digital transformation, disaggregation of supplyÂ chains, and circular economy theories. It will improve attendeesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; understanding and expose them to cuttingedge and future thinking.

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THE #1 DIGITAL PROCUREMENT CONFERENCE ON THE PLANET