The Purchaser Issue 16

A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

“Our success will be determined by the passion of the people in our team”, is something that many of our contributors will understand, and something that we at Stroud & Clarke agreed upon with Scott Eisenberg, Head of Global Procurement and Payables at Transpak, when we spoke. After over a decade at the forefront of procurement, Eisenberg discusses what constitutes a best-in-class supply chain operation and how that is achieved by building bridges and mutual respect between suppliers. This issue is packed with similar content, with a huge focus on the ideas of unity, communication, and growing trust with those along the supply chain.

We chat with Joseph Martinez, Former Global Chief Procurement Officer at BNY Mellon about the experience and skills he has cultivated across a lengthy career, and how championing inclusion and diversity in the workplace has enriched his leadership abilities. We hear from Marigold’s Karen Hodson about the power of centralised procurement and discuss digital transformation with Patrick Foelck at Roche. We also have interviews with Jadex and British American Tobacco and dive into the impressive career of our cover star, founder of Verity, Raffaello D’Andrea.

This issue of The Purchaser marks a time of new beginnings. Whilst we say a bittersweet goodbye to Content Director and Editor Matt High, we welcome Editorial Director Becky Northfield and Content Manager Tara Quinn to the team. Our new creative team, Art Director Tom Camp and Graphic Designer Kimberley Stott, has been working hard on rebranding our company, and revitalising our content, which you will be able to see in our upcoming issues. We’re excited for you all to watch us grow.

Enjoy the issue.

EDITORIAL

CONTENT

Stroud & Clarke is a cutting-edge multichannel digital media company that produces exceptional technology, business and lifestyle content via our portfolio of digital magazines, websites and social media platforms.

© Stroud and Clarke Ltd 2023. All rights reserved. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that information is correct upon publishing, Stroud and Clarke Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. All information in this magazine is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy,timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information. This magazine may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

COO CHARLOTTE CLARKE CEO JAMES PEPPER CRO JACK PASCALL

DIRECTOR BECKY NORTHFIELD

MANAGER TARA QUINN

PROJECT MANAGER HENRY ALLTON-JONES

PROJECT MANAGER ALEX NEAGU

GRAPHIC DESIGNER KIMBERLEY STOTT

ART DIRECTOR TOM CAMP

CONTENTS

How agility, contingency plans, and communication make the best supply chains.

On advocating for smarter, centralised procurement.

Tech and innovation in the supply chain.

6. INSIGHT EXEC SUMMARY News, Views and insight.

12. INTERVIEW KAREN HODSON - MARIGOLD

22. PORTFOLIO TECH YOU NEED Innovations for work, leisure and the environmentally conscious.

32. INNOVATOR ZEBOX

34. INTERVIEW SCOTT EISENBERG - TRANKSPAK

50. DISTRUPTOR THE CLIMATE CHOICE Decarbonising corporate supply chains.

MATT SPARKS - JADEX

On tackling the complex procurement landscape.

IVALUA

Scope 3 emissions and environmental responsibility.

JOSEPH MARTINEZ - BNY MELLON

On diverse teams and inclusive work environments.

Achievements in robotics.

96.

Business and pleasure in the beautiful UK city.

PATRICIA MENDOZA - REYNOLDS/ BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO

Building a better tomorrow with people, strategy, and sustainability in mind.

The best events for 2023.

52. INTERVIEW

62. INNOVATION

72. INTERVIEW

86. INTERVIEW

104. CALENDAR EVENTS

84. ENTREPENEUR VERITY

48 HRS BRISTOL

EXEC SUMMARY

A bitesize collection of news, interesting and relevant content, ideas, thoughts and papers from around the industry.

According to Accenture, these are the steps that high-tech companies can take to accelerate their progress in reducing their scope 3 emissions, increase supply chain sustainability, and lower their overall carbon footprint.

• Focus on gaining visibility and mapping suppliers at different tiers.

• Work with the suppliers that contribute the most carbon to reduce their emissions.

• Identify and target the right hot spots to make the largest impact quickly.

• Understand that a supplier’s location greatly impacts an industry’s scope 3 emissions.

HAWAI’I AID

Carriers in Hawai’i have banded together to prioritise the delivery of emergency supplies to Maui after Hurricane Dora helped to fuel wildfires and cause horrific damage to the town of Lāhainā. Freight and Transportation company Young Brothers has been providing emergency vehicles, whilst shipping company Pasha Hawai’i’s emergency response plan focused on shipping rations, food and medical supplies to the island.

WWW.GIVINGTRAX.COM

AI ADVANCEMENTS

According to the latest annual McKinsey Global Survey, there has been a rapid increase in generative AI tools. Of the participants surveyed, one-third confirmed that their organisations use gen AI in one or more of their business functions. Furthermore, 40% of respondents said that their organisations plan to increase their investments in AI due to gen AI’s advancements, in spite of any unknown risks.

WWW.MCKINSEY.COM

PHOTO: VICTOR GRABARCZYK

PHOTO: RODION KUTSAIEV

DIGITISED DISTRIBUTION

IT solutions company, Vinturas, has announced their partnership with Mitsubishi Motors Europe, who have implemented the company’s interoperable network solution for the launch of the new Colt model and ASX. The partnership aims to streamline the company’s logistics, increase transparency, and improve data and information in the supply chain.

Vinturas,

equipment

are not only in control of their entire value chain, data, and information, but they can also save a significant amount of money, due to cost efficiencies and working capital reduction.”

Vinturas is able to digitise the entire distribution process by utilising private blockchain technology. This allows each trading partner within the supply chain to share their company’s data and information securely, creating greater transparency and resulting in significant cost efficiencies.

WWW.VINTURAS.COM

“Due to

original

manufacturers

RONALD KLEIJWEGT, CEO OF VINTURAS

INTUITIVE CONTROL

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) reports that African economies have the means and resources to become major participants in global supply chains, particularly in high-technology sectors.

According to UNCTAD, Africa has minerals and metals that are essential to tech industries, such as lithium, manganese, cobalt and copper, in abundance. With manufacturers looking to diversify their production locations, Africa is in a prime position to be integrated into supply chains, which would likely see the positive side effects of minimum wages increasing and a push for climate action.

SHORTS

• Bain & Company and CDP’s research shows that only 36% of corporate emissions are covered by UK businesses’ decarbonisation targets.

• United Natural Foods, Inc. plans to open a new distribution centre. The facility will utilise automation equipment and repacking technology with the aim of making the packing and loading processes more efficient.

• A paper from GEP finds that only 25% of supply chain leaders are prioritising tackling their scope 3 emissions.

• Oxfam reports that almost 90% of Ghanaian cocoa farmers do not earn a living wage, with many of the 800,000 farmers in the country being forced to survive on just $2 a day.

• GEP’s Unified Procurement software has been selected by Costa Coffee to transform the company’s source-to-contract procurement process.

PHOTO: DAMIAN PATKOWSKI

EXTRACTING THE ESSENCE OF NATURE’S MAGIC

KAREN HODSON ADVOCATING SMARTER PROCUREMENT

Karen Hodson is a believer in the power of centralised procurement. Here she reveals how she is driving it at Marigold, a global martech leader focused on delivering relationship marketing solutions that help brands

and organisations acquire, grow and retain customers.

If recent years have taught the business world anything, it is the vital and strategic role procurement plays within enterprises of all shapes and sizes. How can we

WORDS: TOM WADLOW

ensure every dollar is spent wisely? What technology stack do we truly need? How can each department within a business ensure it adopts the right tools to move away from spreadsheets and adopt smarter workflows? From helping manage the volatility caused by the pandemic to navigating the inflationary and uncertain economic environment which has been exacerbated by geopolitical events, procurement is under a bright and arguably overdue spotlight.

For Karen Hodson, the key to running an effective procurement function capable of success in the current environment lies in operating as a centralised unit that brings all stakeholders and departments together. Hodson is currently Global Procurement & Real Estate Officer at Marigold, a global pioneer in relationship marketing, that provides tailored, industry-specific martech solutions to over 40,000 businesses around the world. Marigold’s solutions cater to bespoke customer requirements dependent on company size, industry, and maturity, giving them the technology and expertise they need to nurture the relationships that grow their business – from customer acquisition to engagement to loyalty.

PHOTO: ANDRES PEREZ

“Before my time at Marigold, I have worked with many tech startups, all of which operate at a mile a minute speed,” says Hodson. “They want to grow fast and, as a result, you have different departments across the business wanting to purchase various tools or solutions without always considering the cost of doing so. The focus is on revenue and customer acquisition, not necessarily on the costs involved to get there. Now, working with a global tech company with deep roots and established processes, some of the challenges become around data visibility and what strategic actions to take.”

For Hodson, centralising procurement is all about breaking down silos by creating a clear process that every team within an organisation can adopt. Needs and expectations can be managed, with each part

“If we can show impact and make people’s lives easier, then achieving buyin and breaking down those siloes is simple”

of the business – from finance and legal to privacy and security – knowing how every stakeholder is involved in the procurement operation.

“If we can show impact and make people’s lives easier, then achieving buy-in and breaking down those siloes is simple,” she continues.

“Even where challenges do arise and there is resistance, demonstrating an ability to save money and extract better value will almost always win people over.”

brand-new business, something that her experience working in tech startups has well prepared her for. During her time at the business, Hodson has worked to centralise procurement and use it as a comprehensive tool to ensure smart spending.

Indeed, in the fast-paced tech sector, even the smallest of incremental spending can add up to significant overheads which eat into profit margins. Today, as was the case at her previous companies, Hodson’s role is about enabling enterprises to grow while also maturing their procurement technology in a cost-effective manner. “I was excited by the challenge and continuous growth happening at Marigold,” she recalls.

Hodson moved to Marigold towards the start of 2017. It was an exciting time to join, the firm was entering a period that would see it undergo multiple acquisitions and mergers over the course of five years. Hodson’s work has largely been focused on implementing processes to flag unnecessary expenses for subsidiaries, treating each newly acquired unit like a

“After speaking with the CFO, who I already knew, it became clear this was the right move for me.”

TELLING STORIES WITH ZYLO

A key companion to Hodson in her journey with Marigold to date has been a platform called Zylo. Apart from human capital, some 90% of the organisation’s spending is directed towards software-as-

“I was excited by the challenge and continuous growth happening at Marigold”

SaaS

Zylo has more than 30 million SaaS licenses and $30 billion in SaaS spend under management.

platform and expert professional services

a-service (SaaS) – it is therefore imperative for Hodson and her procurement team to have visibility within the data to understand who is spending budget, and where. “We hear the saying ‘data is king’ all of the time, and while it is true, I believe data is only as good as the stories it can tell,” Hodson says. “Zylo lets me tell stories because it transforms raw pieces of data into actionable insights and processes.”

Put simply, Zylo enables Marigold to make informed SaaS purchasing decisions easily and with confidence. When the time comes to purchase or renew a subscription, the platform provides Hodson a view of all the SaaS in the business at a glance, including any applications with functionality overlaps. Crucially, it will inform the procurement team

of opportunities to consolidate contracts and reduce costs by identifying redundant applications, duplicate subscriptions, and unused or underused licences.

PROCUREMENT AS A STRATEGIC PARTNER

With a flurry of M&A activity defining Hodson’s tenure at Marigold to date, tools such as Zylo will continue to be influential in enabling her to instil smarter spending processes across the entire organisation. It is an ongoing programme that will take time, a key priority for the next year being to continue building understanding of each division and the departmental needs within them. Only then can an effective consolidation of technology

stacks take place.

“The key word here is smart,” Hodson adds. “All too often we hear that procurement is about cutting the amount of dollars a company spends. While this is important, especially given the events of the past few years, there is much more to procurement than cost saving. It is about being smarter on spend, and making sure there is value emerging out of every dollar. This helps companies to greatly reduce their risk profile and be more sustainable in the longer term.”

And it is through a long-term lens that Hodson wants procurement to be recognised within businesses. Far from being the people in charge of buying goods and services, procurement serves as a strategic long-term partner that brings people and departments together –in doing so, it commands a unique vantage point of how the entire enterprise functions. “Since the pandemic in particular, the environment has changed and we’re seeing a much more different perspective on what procurement can bring to the table,” she concludes.

“We hear the saying ‘data is king’ all of the time, and while it is true, I believe data is only as good as the stories it can tell”

PHOTO: ANNIE SPRATT

Marigold Uses SaaS Management to Streamline Complex M&A

and Drive Savings

Company Profile

• Industry: Marketing Technology

• Founded: 2004

• Headquarters: Nashville, Tennessee

• Employees: 1,473

Establish an Accurate System of Record for SaaS

For a typical organization, SaaS adds up to nearly 300 applications and $50M annually. At Marigold, a leader in relationship marketing, visibility into this dynamic and growing environment was limited. Amidst a flurry of M&A activity — multiple within five years — it needed a single source of truth for all SaaS.

It was essential for Karen Hodson, Global Procurement & Real Estate Officer, to understand what was being purchased, by who and why.

“Zylo allows us to control spending better through connections to our financials — we know all the spend going out the door,” said Hodson.

With this newfound visibility, Hodson was able to identify and act on unused applications. Using data and insights from Zylo, Marigold canceled 166 applications.

Integrate Newly Acquired Company’s SaaS Portfolio into Marigold’s

Since signing on with Zylo in 2020, Marigold has undergone several acquisitions and mergers. And with each, Hodson knew they needed a thoughtful approach to integrating the tech stacks. Without full visibility into the new company’s portfolio, the technology integration process was tedious and time consuming. With Zylo, that’s changed for the better

This sparked more meaningful conversations across the organization and instilled confidence in its consolidation efforts. Fast-tracking the process with Zylo allowed Hodson to focus her time more strategically — on determining the right path forward for the organization as a whole.

“With smart data we can focus on eliminating duplicative services,” said Hodson, “and being more strategic about expanding on other tools."

Reduce Operating Expenses by Partnering with SaaS Negotiation Experts

When she first started working with Zylo, Hodson was a mighty team of one. And while her team has since grown, she still puts a premium on ensuring they are focused on important, strategic work.

To do so, she brings in additional expertise and increase bandwidth with Zylo’s SaaS Negotiator service.

“If you take the cost to bring on Zylo services and try to hire a full-time employee, you’re not likely to find that senior-level skillset,” said Hodson. “That’s where [Managed Services] made sense financially.”

In its first year leveraging Zylo’s SaaS Negotiator services, Marigold saved nearly half a million dollars in negotiated savings. Today, the company has saved more than $775,000.

Key Outcomes

Established full visibility into Marigold’s SaaS portfolio

Eliminated 166 applications not being used Integrated and merged SaaS portfolios of acquired companies, eliminating overlapping apps

Realized more than $775k in negotiated contract savings over two years

In its first year leveraging Zylo’s SaaS Negotiator services, Marigold saved nearly half a million dollars in negotiated savings. Today, the company has saved more than $775,000.

Slash Your Software Spend

Software is your second largest operating expense — make every dollar count. Eliminate waste and make the most of every renewal with SaaS Spend Management.

PORTFOLIO

Innovative and inspired items for work, leisure and sustainable living

ELECTRIC MOKE

If James Bond drives one [the original MOKE appeared in four movies] it’s good enough for us. Although, you now can do an even better job of saving the planet than the British secret agent. Crafted in the UK, the electric MOKE takes just four hours to charge, has a top speed of 80 km/h and reaches 0-55 km/h in just 4.3 seconds. MOKE says it’s designed for the most beautiful places – picture a coastal drive in St Tropez or a cruise around a Caribbean island for starters – making its whisper-quiet, sustainable drivetrain perfect.

APPLE VISION PRO VR

Phone, computer, tablet –whichever you choose, Vision Pro brings it to life. Innovative spatial computing technology blends digital content with the physical world, meaning apps come to life around you, your room transforms into your own personal theatre when watching movies, 3D camera tech lets you ‘enter’ your own photos and videos, and meetings and chats on FaceTime become meetings right there with you. We can’t do the amount of tech packed into its singular, 3D laminated glass frame justice. Needless to say, there’s enough to keep you busy.

SIGHTFUL SPACE TOP

SIGHTFUL SPACETOP

At first read, a portable computer with a 100-inch display might seem like a hard sell. But what if that ‘display’ weighed nothing? Or wasn’t even there most of the time? That’s more like it, right? That’s the USP of Tel Aviv-based startup Sightful’s Spacetop, the world’s first augmented reality laptop.

Slip on a pair of NReal AR glasses and from its unassuming keyboard/touchpad base rises a giant, floating and high-res screen that can display up to 100 inches – more than enough, however many tabs you leave open.

WWW.SIGHTFUL.COM

DYSON ZONE

We’ll get one thing out of the way: people are going to stare at you. But let them stare. And breathe their normal air. You, on the other hand, get to have your head nurtured with high-quality sound and two-stage purified air simultaneously. Dyson’s Zone headphones are the result of seven years of research and work. The visor that covers your nose and mouth contains a purification system that filters out pollutants and pumps purified air out of two streams – an accelerometer measures speed and movement and alters the airflow accordingly.

WWW.DYSON.COM

01 02 03 04 05

RECARO X PORSCHE GAMING CHAIR

There are times in life when you just have to make do. Can’t afford a Porsche 911 GT3, for example? Then this exclusive gaming chair, a collaborative effort between the German brand and race seat stalwart Recaro, is the next best thing. It’s designed by Studio F.A. Porsche using high quality materials and the same colour scheme you’ll find if you keep saving for that Porsche motorsport vehicle. The seat is ergonomically designed to deliver an ‘authentic racing feeling’, has lumber support, a unique 5D armrest and, Porsche being Porsche, is a limited edition design. To just 911 seats.

WWW.PORSCHE-DESIGN.COM

ZEBOX PAVING NEW PATHS, TOGETHER

When innovative startups and disruptors collaborate and co-innovate in tandem with global corporations, the result can transform entire industries, the world even. This is the belief on which ZEBOX was founded in Marseille by Rodolphe Saadé in 2018.

Since then, more than 15 corporate partners, all leaders in their fields, have joined the ZEBOX ecosystem. The organisation is an international accelerator network focused on introducing more technology and innovation into the supply chain industry. It helps connect startups and large companies focused on four key areas of innovation: operational efficiency, assets and decarbonisation, workflow automation, and future of work. In these areas, they collaboratively co-innovate, accelerate growth and scale solutions that will help mitigate current and future global challenges.

ZEBOX has an international network of innovation hubs in France, the Caribbean, West Africa, Singapore, and North America. Together, these have worked with 100 startups to date, raising more than $230m in funding. WWW.ZE-BOX.IO

“The right group of audacious startups, when able to co-innovate with corporate partners, can transform entire industries for the better”

SCOTT EISENBERG PACKING A PROCUREMENT PUNCH

Transpak’s Scott Eisenberg charts key moments in his career, including how he has approached transforming operations at a bespoke packaging solutions producer.

“Three things define a best-in-class supply chain,” Scott Eisenberg tells us. “The first is agility, and the ability to adjust to spikes and lulls in demand without delaying delivery to customers. Second is

WORDS: TOM WADLOW

having a contingency plan in place for critical materials, both from a supplier and geographical perspective – you only have to look at COVID and recent geopolitical events to see how crucial this is. Last is a constant revolving door of communications between yourself and suppliers to discuss planning, risks and disruptions.”

Eisenberg has lived and breathed procurement for almost all his adult life. With a degree in Supply Chain and Logistics Management and Marketing at Portland State University, and an Executive Masters in Business Administration from the University of Oregon, he now serves as Head of Global Procurement & Payables at California-based specialist packaging producer TransPak. His view on what constitutes a best-in-class supply chain operation has been nurtured and informed by over a decade working at the forefront of procurement.

This began at Daimler Trucks, where Eisenberg was initially responsible for the global sourcing of axles, drivelines and transmissions across Mercedes, Freightliner, Western Star and Mitsubishi Fuso vehicles. He was promoted into

a continuous costimprovement consultant role, focused on automation, waste reduction, and digitisation initiatives. In his first year in this position, Eisenberg’s team achieved its threeyear cost target - success that triggered a rapid progression through the company. Towards the end of 2016, he rose to the role of Global Lead for Body Electronics, covering the likes of autonomous driving, cybersecurity and active safety systems.

Eisenberg then switched focus to the medical device industry, building a highly successful procurement team at British firm Smith & Nephew. During the COVID pandemic, in partnership with Oxford University, he spearheaded the creation of a new supply chain to facilitate the production of ventilators, a feat that earned him a global impact award, not least because the operation was up and running within two weeks to help meet surging demand for the product.

“I’ve always thrived on being set challenges and being able to bring my own ideas and strategies to the table – this is what I love about working in procurement,” says Eisenberg, who started his work developing the global procurement function at TransPak in February 2021. “I’ve learned many things along the way, too. The ventilator project taught me that treating suppliers with respect and fairness goes a long way. By doing so, they will go the extra mile when you need them most – this was certainly the case when we were up against the clock to produce an entirely new product for the company.”

“Our success will be determined by the passion of the people in our team”

PROCUREMENT HINGES ON PEOPLE

Another key part of Eisenberg’s procurement philosophy is that success centres on having good people around you. To this end, he has built a global procurement team at TransPak which now has the tools and training to develop and sustain a best-in-class supply chain operation. This has been driven by a leadership strategy that has

empowered individuals and the team to design their own strategy and plan ownership of ideas. creating an enhanced sense of personal pride when success is delivered, as well as increased accountability when things do not work out as planned. The upshot, Eisenberg says, is that his team goes above and beyond to score wins.

Many triumphs have been had in a relatively short period. Key accomplishments include supplier scorecards to measure

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quality, on-time delivery and cost, as well as the consolidation of the company’s supplier base to focus on the most strategically important partners.

“We managed to streamline by more than 50% in the space of a year,” Eisenberg recounts. “This has allowed us to strengthen relationships, facilitated our ability to conduct larger supplier business reviews and supplier audits, and paved the way for activities like cost optimisation workshops that were not consistently feasible with a supply chain double the size. We’re also higher up the priority list with many suppliers now, which is having a huge impact.”

Also central to the transformation has been the ‘make it happen’ mantra that underpins TransPak’s identity as a company. Based in over 40 locations, the company is a global provider of packaging, crating, logistics and design solutions to a broad range of customers operating across semiconductor, data centres and servers, medical, technology, security, defence, energy, consumer goods and electronics, aerospace and automotive industries. TransPak is renowned for providing highly bespoke and specialised packaging solutions, and recent years have seen a period of rapid growth for the firm, with a wave of new customers requiring an expansion of its internal footprint to keep up with demand. Eisenberg pins much

of the procurement team’s success on the company being full of impassioned people with extensive industry experience; people who have been engaged throughout the transformation strategy and provided input to drive continuous improvement.

“We’re not just about metrics and micromanagement. We’re a team that likes to go way beyond targets, and we’re already on track to succeed succeed several of our annual goals by a factor of three for the second year running”

“We’re not just about metrics and micromanagement,” he explains. “We’re a team that likes to go way beyond targets, and we’re already on track to succeed several of our annual goals by a factor of three for the second year running. I like having a unique set of personalities in the team, people who enjoy being given licence to t ake risks and are not scared to provide feedback.”

WORKING SMARTER

This close-knit, collaborative relationship has been crucial to successfully onboarding technology which has itself brought further productivity enhancements to the table. The automation of manual tasks and processes through artificial intelligence

has been particularly fruitful, with Eisenberg quick to stress the importance of taking people with him on the technological journey.

“Early buy-in is so important,” he says. “With our incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) into a lot of functions, a common concern was that technology was replacing people. We had to get our messaging right, and we invested significant time to remove that sense of fear. Rather than replace people, it has freed them up to focus on adding value and being creative problem solvers.”

Eisenberg points to many examples which underline his observations. For instance, accounts payable automation technology draws on AI to learn supplier invoicing formats and automatically matches them to corresponding POs, enters invoice data into the ERP system and delivers reports on discrepancies. By reducing the amount of manual data entry and review activity by 80%, the technology has helped to greatly speed up the payments process and ensure suppliers are paid on time. Another example centres around extracting more value out of materials resource planning (MRP) software to automate recurring materials requirements. Although much of the company’s work involves creating custom solutions and short lead times, Eisenberg and his team have managed to leverage MRP for 70% of its requirements – this has greatly streamlined the procurement function by reducing manual requests and processing.

LOOKING AHEAD

Further efficiency gains will be derived by automation technology in the future. Here, Eisenberg points to leveraging AI for PO confirmations - a solution which would correspond with suppliers on lead time changes and update the TransPak ERP system accordingly.

A broader objective is for the procurement team and supply chain to play a key role in helping TransPak move towards its target to become a carbon neutral enterprise by 2030.

Eisenberg and his team plan to do so in several ways, from exploring sustainable plastic alternatives to expanding its programme of reusable and returnable packaging solutions.

“Our success, once again, will be determined by the passion of the people in our team,” he adds.

“We are ready to collaborate across the business and our supplier network – it’s a big challenge, but one we will thrive off.”

PRECISION ENGINEERED FOR YOU

Eurotec Engineering, Inc. is a leading producer of prototype precision sheet metal fabricating products. Originally established in 1992 in Japan, its facility in San Diego California, USA has operated since 2006 and is positioned as one of the most progressive fastener/hardware providers in the Maquiladora IMMEX.

Its skilled engineers will manage and meet your requirements using state-of-art cutting technology and equipment, such as fiber laser machines that meet any shape of precision sheet metal fabricating products, along with the latest 3D CAD/CAM software.

For ideas, new designs, assistance or revision support – Eurotec does it all.

MAXIMUM FASTENERS

Maximum Fasteners, Inc. has been in business with a 16-year journey under its belt located in the heart of Santa Fe Springs, CA. Through our journey of distributing millions of fasteners, we have become a dedicated provider to diverse sectors such as woodworking, electronics, HVAC, travel trailers, and window manufacturing. As we trace our steps across continents, our influence reaches beyond Santa Fe Springs, expanding internationally to Mexico, USA, Asia, and Europe.

Through our connections, we’ve cultivated a global family of partners, united by innovation and progress. At the core of our operations lies a network of innovative factories stationed in vibrant places like Taiwan, China, India, Vietnam, and Mexico. Here, every fastener carries a piece of our dedication. What sets us apart in the industry is our unique approach to helping start-ups and wellestablished companies.

We offer our clients lot traceability, a seamless barcoding system, and the unique ability to tap into livestock feeds directly from our warehouse and manufacturing plant. But beyond the technology, it’s our team who makes the real difference. Our personal sales staff brings a personalised touch, offering specialised pricing, regular discounts, drop shipments, and a dependable partnership for a thriving future—all supported by our commitment to excellent quality.

At Maximum Fasteners, we’re not just about business; we’re about relationships. From startups to established enterprises, we offer custom services and product strategies that cater to diverse needs. It’s a commitment that goes beyond business transactions, fostering long-lasting connections.

WWW.MAXIMUMFASTENERS.COM

INFO@MAXIMUMFASTENERS.COM

(562) 698-3146

THE CLIMATE CHOICE DECARBONISING THE SUPPLY CHAIN

According to the World Economic Forum, Scope 3 emissions contribute as much as 90% of a company’s carbon footprint. Whats more, says the WEF, more than half of all global emissions come from eight supply chains: food, construction, fashion, fast-moving consumer goods, electronics, automotive, professional services, and freight.

They’re quite the statistics. But to tackle this mammoth challenge, organisations need informed procurement decisions and supplier engagement built on granular climate-centric data and information from across the supply chain. That comes from The Climate Choice, a Berlin-based startup dedicated to decarbonising corporate supply chains through its innovative platform that helps companies understand supplier emissions, get audit-ready data, and make informed decisions to decarbonise.

Says co-founder Yasha Tarani: “We believe the world is at a turning point. Starting in 2024, approximately 49,000 companies will be required to disclose Scope 3 emissions data in compliance with the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. We believe that The Climate Choice is positioned to be the partner of choice to help these companies rise to the moment.”

MATT SPARKS

PEOPLE-FOCUSED

PROCUREMENT

Jadex’s Matt Sparks on a busy first few months in the job, a period defined by getting to know the people and processes within the group’s four operating companies.

Procurement teams across the globe are tackling an extraordinarily complex and volatile landscape. Economic and supply chain disruptions caused by the global pandemic,

WORDS: TOM WADLOW

geopolitical events putting pressure on the energy and commodity markets, and inflation impacting costs and margins have provided the perfect storm of challenges.

Against this backdrop, the role of procurement specialists has never been more important. For businesses to remain competitive on cost and speed of delivery, they rely on optimised supply chains that keep overheads as low as possible without compromising on quality and reliability –a great achievement given today’s operational environment.

“Procurement teams have always had to be flexible to respond to different economic situations, and the past

two to three years have been some of the most challenging I have seen.,” says Matt Sparks, Vice President of Strategic Sourcing at US manufacturing firm Jadex. “It shows the importance of building supplier relations that are grounded in credibility and trust. For me, this is about creating a two-way stream of value for both parties that goes beyond costs. If managed well, procurement can provide many competitive advantages to a business, which can make a dramatic difference in times like these.”

PEOPLE AND PROCUREMENT

Sparks joined Jadex, headquartered in South Carolina, at the start of 2023. Jadex is a material-science thought leader and manufacturer, driven to provide essential product solutions that help support the health of consumers and the environment.

Jadex has four operating companies: Alltrista, LifeMade, Shakespeare, and Artazn. Alltrista specialises in innovative, high-volume, precision manufacturing for the medical, consumer packaging, and high-end industrial markets. LifeMade is a market leader of temperature-control packaging and disposable tabletop products across the consumer, commercial and healthcare

industries. Shakespeare manufactures advanced polymers, lawn and garden products, and speciality antennas. Artazn is the largest zinc strip manufacturer in North America.

Since joining Jadex, Sparks has prioritised acquiring a better understanding of the company’s procurement setup and processes. Given the broad and

“Procurement is about trust and intuition”

diverse nature of Jadex’s four businesses, building bridges with each procurement team has been essential. This has required careful, considered, and sustained communication with colleagues across each of Jadex’s four businesses, says Sparks, with one of the first major objectives being to instil best practices he has been exposed to during his career.

“With four businesses under the Jadex umbrella, it has been critical to understand the nuances of each of them. I have been in the process of making frequent site visits to get to know the procurement teams, their people and how their operations fit within the wider scale of the organisation,” he says.

“Additionally, we now have weekly meetings where all procurement teams are represented. This has already proven its worth as we have been able to uncover ideas and suggest improvements based on shared challenges.”

A key feature of Sparks’ approach to procurement leadership is the emphasis he places on the people around him. While technological advancements in the field have been transformative and continue to define procurement strategies and investments, the true value that can be extracted

from digital tools is dependent on the individuals using them. “Procurement is about trust and intuition,” he adds. “Ultimately, it is a relationship-driven process that relies on trusted partnerships between people in different businesses. At the same time, people in procurement need to know how to leverage the data and technology available to them to solve what can be complex problems and challenges.”

Sparks is a problem-solver by nature, although his route into procurement was far from plotted out in advance. “I stumbled into the profession,” he recalls. “Right out of college, I needed money, and the only job I could find was as a temporary factory / warehouse worker. Eventually, I moved into an office role conducting basic purchasing functions. This exposed me to the world of procurement where I have stayed ever since.”

This was more than 25 years ago. Fast-forward to the present day, and Sparks still holds the same passion and drive to succeed in procurement as he did after first discovering it was the profession for him. “If you had to ask me why, I think it’s because the world is always changing,” he continues. “We have just been through an extraordinary few years, but that by no means has been the only volatile period that procurement teams have had to negotiate

“With four businesses under the Jadex umbrella, it has been critical to understand the nuances of each of them”

during the past three decades. There is always something new to tackle. Every day we need to use our problem-solving skills and creativity to provide solutions.”

TOWARDS A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Increasingly, those solutions are being geared towards helping businesses fulfil long-term strategic ambitions that centre around ESG and sustainability. Jadex, a sizeable manufacturer of various products that relies on an extensive supply chain and materials sourcing network, very much fits into this category.

Indeed, the company operates out of eighteen facilities in the continental US, Puerto Rico, and the UK, and is making moves to reduce its operational carbon footprint.

“Procurement teams have always had flexibility to respond to different economic situations, but the past two or three years have certainly presented a whole mix of challenges”

For example, last year it signed a strategic offtake agreement with the developer of a ground-mounted solar project for its LifeMade® manufacturing facility in Maine. Through the solar project’s creation of utility bill credits, Jadex will see a significant reduction in its annual electricity spend and benefit from clean, renewable solar energy.

For Sparks and the group’s procurement teams, embedding sustainable practices across the value chain is an important ongoing objective that feeds into the company’s wider ESG ambitions. “Ultimately, we want to make sure that we’re doing the right thing,” he adds. “That means generating awareness within Jadex of our impact on the environment and communities around us. A large part of that is being able to track and trace where our materials come from. Being compliant with regulations is certainly an important priority, but we want to go beyond that and set an example to follow.”

PROCUREMENT’S PLACE

JARROD MCADOO DISCUSSES SCOPE 3 EMISSIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY AND HOW PROCUREMENT LEADERS CAN LEAD CHANGE IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN.

Finding the balance between sustainability and business has never been more important. With the new generation of consumers and investors looking to work alongside companies who are conscious of their impact on the environment, businesses can no longer focus on only their scope 1 and scope 2 emissions. Here Jarrod McAdoo, Director of Product at Ivalua, discusses scope 3 emissions and sustainability in detail, and how procurement leaders can use their skill

set and connection to suppliers to kick-start environmental change.

The Purchaser: Let’s start with a brief intro into your role and responsibilities at Ivalua and how they are linked to some of those topics we’ll discuss around emissions in the supply chain, scope 3, and helping companies improve their sustainability.

Jarrod McAdoo: I am the Director of Product Marketing here at Ivalua, so part of my job is

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dealing with our supplier management solution, our spend analytics solution and our newest solution, the Environmental Impact Center. Beyond creating material to market our products and help our sales team, my job is really about working with our customers, and our prospects in the market to gather information and requirements that we see they need now, and requirements we see coming down the pike that we need to anticipate. Part of my job is to get out there and ask the analysts, the prospects, and the customers where they are going in this space and what they are hearing.

TP: When getting out in the market and speaking to customers, what are some of those key trends or key concerns that you’re hearing from the procurement and supply chain space?

JM: There is a huge need to manage your sustainability and your carbon footprint. Legislation is coming down in areas like the European Union and, at some point, the United States. What we are seeing is the consumers, the newer generation, are driving a push to want to work for, deal with, and spend money with companies that have a focus on the environment and sustainability in general. We’re

seeing a lot of that push beyond the legislation from consumers and the investing community. A lot of individual investors don’t want to do oil and gas anymore. They want to do more green technologies and make sure they’re environmentally responsible. There’s a business push we’re seeing from organisations in general for sustainability and you really can’t ignore your scope 3.

You can say you’re focusing on your scope 1 and scope 2 and that’s incredibly important. I don’t want to minimise that. However, anybody who’s watching and learning what’s going on understands that to ignore your scope 3 means you’re ignoring 70 - 75% of your emissions.

TP: How rapidly has that increase in legislation and customer expectations changed over the years in procurement and supply chain? Is that quite a quick evolution? How has that changed the role of the function within business?

JM: It is something that has been rapid, especially over the last 18 to 24 months. I’ve spoken to several prospects and customers whose CEO has made a 2050 commitment or an SBTi target commitment with really no idea how they’re going to get there. Leaders are setting targets saying, “We’re going to be carbon-neutral by this date”, but I talk to the individuals they appoint for making it happen and they have no idea where they are headed. That’s changed dramatically.

Like anything nowadays, when you can get an iPhone every year, everything’s just more rapidly coming to procurement and it has really changed a lot for those in the industry. It has changed their jobs and made it harder. It never seems to get easier for us procurement people. It has been a rapid change and it’ll continue that way because these legislations have compliance dates. Not to mention people are making commitments, and there are going to be consumers and investors who are going to hold companies to that.

TP: Scope 3 is obviously down the supply chain and across that whole network. But why is procurement, in a broad sense, well-placed within the organisation to lead on sustainability and emissions targets?

JM: Procurement has that skill set and knows how to deal with people at a scale that is unheard of. If you’re a company and measuring your scope 1 or scope 2 emissions, you might say it’s hard because there are 24 different plants around the world to manage. In procurement, you may have 50,000 suppliers to segment and deal with, so procurement understands that workload. In procurement, they have that legitimacy, but they’ve also managed to understand how you work with people. What are the levers? What are the complexities of dealing with the supplier? Many companies are not necessarily equipt to deal with this.

Procurement people are as much of an advocate for the supplier as they are for their own businesses. You need to understand that you can’t just demand something from a supplier. You’re not the only customer of that supplier and they’re going to get 200 of these requests and still need to deliver our material.

I’ve now started to talk with our customers and a number of prospects where I usually only talk to people in procurement. I’ve started to talk to the category carbon managers or procurement carbon managers who actually have a role now in procurement that’s just dedicated to managing scope 3 emissions and other environmental impacts. They’re not separated from the group as you might see with an ESG manager or a diversity manager: they’re embedded in the company because they know how crucial it is to get this information.

TP: Broadly speaking, how do you approach tackling scope 3 emissions across that network of thousands of suppliers? What are the main challenges?

JM: There are many challenges, but I think there are three main ones. The first thing you want to do, when you’re looking at this number of suppliers, is understand how you prioritise them and determine which of those suppliers you’re going to tackle first.

The second thing to understand is that all suppliers will be different like

all companies are different. Some suppliers are going to say they have been tracking emissions for four years, whilst other companies are going to say they have no idea what any of this means. Dealing with these businesses becomes a process.

We’ve worked in the US over the last 50 years to develop diverse minority-owned businesses. They’re small, so we’ve reduced the number of overhead items to get them business. To turn around and say, we can’t do business with them unless they start recording scope 3 emissions is unfair. They’re just not going to have that as a skill set. You have got to be able to educate your suppliers and bring them along.

Third, you could start building models of the type of items you purchase from suppliers. Then you should be able to share those models with the supplier, so they

PHOTO CREDIT: Marek Piwnicki

THE PURCHASER MAGAZINE

can start giving feedback. You start helping them down the line until, eventually, they get to the point where they don’t need your model anymore because they have done all the work. We need to be transparent with our expectations as a society and these companies need to be transparent in saying that they don’t have all the answers right now, but are showing that they are working towards finding them. The worst thing you can do is not report, because immediately there’s going to be somebody in the wing to say you’re greenwashing. But, if you demonstrate transparency, you can show everybody you’re tackling this hurdle and making progress. You just have to say that it’s a process, you’re being transparent, you’re tackling it, and you have a model in place. You start having constructive conversations around it, especially with your investors in your consuming community.

TP: Talking about data, how challenging is this lack of reliable data and how do you overcome that complexity of building the data to make more accurate reporting?

JM: It is best to recognise that no one data source is perfect, so using multiple data sources is always important. You’re going to have some very good indices, they’re going to be very good regionally because they’re going to understand how it’s done. Then, you’re going to have other indices in the US versus AMEA versus Asia, who are going to be more plugged into how things are done

there. If you can start mixing those together, you start honing in on the precision of your total model. If you pick one data source to cover the world and it doesn’t consider process differences or geographical differences, you won’t be wrong and it’ll be directionally correct, but the scope of precision, the plus and minus, will be greater.

TP: Data is constantly evolving and changing. Is it fair to say that it is a balancing act between reporting as accurately as you can while always honing and improving?

JM: I think it is fair to say. For example, one of the biggest things everybody loves to use as a source of CO2 emissions is cement. The process of creating cement and building things has big carbon footprints. I’ve been involved with projects where I’ve seen unique ways that engineers and architects have rapidly reduced the amount of cement used. We’re starting to see the market respond to those changes because it drives down costs and the carbon footprint. As someone who is consuming data from these sources, I want to make sure that they are keeping an eye on this. I think the best ones do. When you’re constantly reevaluating your data sources, I think that’s a good challenge for those providers as well.

TP: The relationship with your network, your ecosystem of partners and suppliers, is essential. How do you work collaboratively to collate that data from them? Is that procurement’s job to manage?

JM: I think the first thing you want to understand when you go to a supplier, as a procurement professional, is that you’re going to be one of hundreds of people asking for this data. If we’re not smart in understanding what we’re doing here and how we approach the suppliers, then it becomes an issue and you’re not being collaborative. It becomes contentious.

It is essential to figure out if they have a policy if they collect data, and what they already have before you ask for it. For example, if they are reporting data to the CDP, then you can use the data they have already reported, so they’re not doing any additional work. This type of understanding is critical. For those other suppliers with a possible level of immaturity, you can start having that dialogue to say, “You have nothing right now but I’m going to work on this model based on these indices.” It educates them and allows them to give feedback.

For those suppliers, I build a model, and I track their emissions. I give the supplier the opportunity to come in and say, “I’ve refined your model” or, “I have now got my accurate emissions.” They can report it and I track both of those, but I still run the model and what they gave me which can start showing the difference

between the two. That does a couple of different things. It allows me to work with that supplier on feedback and it also tells me if my model is off. Then, I can go back and fine-tune it. Starting those relationships with suppliers is understanding that it’s something we need to do together, not something I’m going to do for them. It’ll go a long way and I think procurement is in a really good position to understand that.

TP: Could you talk a little about your solution? Perhaps about the development and how those market opinions influenced that development. Do you have any examples of how it’s benefiting companies that you’re working with?

JM: Our Environmental Impact Center (EIC) has been an evolution. Our typical roadmap is primarily driven by our customers, so existing customers provide us with feedback on their business challenges. We also hear a lot from analysts. When I deal with the analysts, I ask, “What are you hearing? What are you seeing in the market?

What are customers asking for?” They give us feedback and then we talk to a lot of prospects. Whether we’re at a trade show or just talking to them as part of an engagement or responding to RFIs, we gather that information.

We kicked off by identifying the need in the market. When we went

to actually develop EIC, we gathered a group of some of our most interested, most complex customers, and we built a user group. We had several different workshops to meet with our R&D team and our marketing team to say, “What are your use cases? What are your challenges? Where do you need to focus to start driving in on how we develop the solution?” Then, what we really tried to do is design a product that addressed the problem but also focused on what our strengths were.

When I first came out with this, and I talked to a lot of people, they always asked if I was going to record their scope 1 and scope 2. However, I’m not a carbon accounting software. I’m a procurement software, so I’m all about establishing collaborative relationships with suppliers. I’m going to help with scope 3 because it’s what I do best, and there are a lot of other great solutions out there that focus just on scope 1 and scope 2. We try to double down on what we do well and leverage those items.

The main questions are always, can I help? Can I be that one software that a customer can implement that can grow through that process? I need feedback. I need to innovate with them until, eventually, I have that really pristine primary data that I can roll in there. Can I do that for my customers? Can I do that for each

individual supplier so I can accommodate all those use cases? That’s how we build it. We’ve created it so that you can build a model if your supplier doesn’t understand. The added benefit of procurement being involved is that we can use all this data to inform sourcing processes and your procurement processes.

TP: Would you say that this will help drive further green initiatives and contribute more broadly to sustainability initiatives within business and procurement?

JM: I definitely would. For example, I can pull in all this information on the supplier, what their program is and what their emissions are, beyond the calculation engines for just emissions. I can measure other environmental impacts like water usage and waste. The solution has these other capabilities beyond just emissions. I can generate a sustainability risk score or an environmental risk score saying this company has a weak program, or that they don’t really track their emissions, so they’re at a higher environmental risk.

“

To ignore your scope 3 means you’re ignoring 70-75% of your emissions. ”

PHOTO CREDIT: Tobias Tullius

We can gather those in a customisable score for our customers and then that can be factored into a use case when you’re picking suppliers. As a procurement person, I can now present a CEO and CPO with a big category. I have to source and provide them with the lowest bid offer, the lowest risk offer, the greenest offer, and everywhere in between because even though we all want to be more sustainable, we still have to make business decisions.

We’re empowering these organisations to realise that, in some cases, they can’t go with the low-cost option because they need to have something more sustainable, but in other cases, where going low-cost is essential, it means they have to take steps elsewhere to offset. It starts informing all these decisions that the leadership can take.

TP: When it comes to the context around greenwashing, how damaging is that for businesses and are there any ways you can mitigate that damage?

JM: It can be incredibly damaging to businesses. The one thing that we know about these investors and consumers is that they’re incredibly intelligent, so they’re very challenging and wouldn’t mind cancelling you if you’re a bad company and you don’t do well

by your community and your environment. At the same time, they are understanding as long as there is a level of transparency. You really can’t expect a supply base in Vietnam to have the same level of understanding and maturity that we would expect to see of somebody in the Netherlands, but we’re bringing them along, we’re taking these actions, and we’re moving down this process. They understand that.

You also get to have discussions addressing the fact that sustainability can’t be the monster that kills off all the other good programs, such as diversity. You can’t decimate a local economy because they’re not high on the mature curve yet. You still have a responsibility to the communities you live in, so having this transparency and these discussions to let them know where they’re going is important. Some of the most damning articles we see on some of the most admired organisations materialise simply because they don’t know where they are headed. You could have a company out there that is very focused on driving down their scope 1 and scope 2 emissions, but because

they don’t speak on scope 3, somebody is ready to bash them on the head for ignoring threequarters of their carbon footprint. The activist community is very smart and can really help, as long as companies keep transparent about the actions they are taking.

TP: It is clearly complex to navigate and it seems like an ongoing scope of work. What are those fundamental steps to take now to begin this journey and what should that strategy look like?

JM: Speaking from my experience, the first thing you want to do during this process is to start taking a look at your suppliers and start looking

Jarrod McAdoo

Jarrod McAdoo brings over 26 years of procurement experience to Ivalua as a product expert for Analytics & Insights, Supplier Management, Spend Analysis, and Environmental Impact Center Solutions. Jarrod

at that segmentation. Where are the most critical suppliers? Who are the most material? Start doing work there. If you go in with a plan, identifying the materiality of suppliers, identifying their impacts and the following steps you’re going to take, you’ll start gaining that momentum with employees, with suppliers and with the public trust. My advice is that we could keep having conversations about the precision of factors until the cows come home, but at some point, you just have to start. It’s a long journey, it’s an evolution, we’ll probably change 100 times between now and the end, but we just have to accept that. You have to get started somewhere.

has worked across multiple industries, including higher education, public sector, retail, manufacturing, and engineered products. Prior to his time at Ivalua, Jarrod held various roles in category and supplier management—including strategic sourcing and procurement team management where he led teams to implement shared service procurement models and Sourceto-Pay systems. Jarrod holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Duquesne University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Carnegie Mellon University.

PHOTO CREDIT: Tomas Williams

PURCHASER MAGAZINE

JOSEPH MARTINEZ

THE CULTURE OF TRANSPARENCY

Former CPO of BNY Joseph Martinez speaks about his lengthy career, and what every leader should have to be a champion amongst their team: diversity.

With a rich tapestry of insights, experiences, and skills, former Global Chief Procurement Officer for Bank of New York Mellon

Joseph Martinez is someone you want to talk to if you need advice in leadership.

WORDS: BECKY NORTHFIELD

His impressive career in procurement has spanned 25 years and having spent over a decade living and working internationally, Martinez has driven significant transformations in many procurement organisations. He has transformed supply chains from tactical to strategic functions, delivering value across enterprises while improving risk profiles, cost to income ratios, and ensuring sustainability and enhancing overall supply chain agility.

Working in culturally diverse regions has seemed to enrich Martinez’s procurement and leadership capabilities in many ways. “I believe that a leader with international experience is a bit more culturally sensitive and adaptable to challenges that arise in the determinant supply chains,” he says.

This wealth of experience has led him to create more inclusive work

environments, enabling team members to work together across diverse backgrounds, different teams and geographies, “I believe we ended up collaborating much more effectively because of what I’ve woven across multiple geographies – teams that look at each other as a team as opposed to individual markets.”

Martinez believes negotiating and building relationships with suppliers from different cultures requires understanding of business etiquette, negotiation styles, and communication preferences. For instance, he says with Japanese business culture, it is critical to build trust.

And working with some Latin American cultures, they emphasised more on personal relationships than in other regions. “Having these experiences has really helped me to thrive in a global organisation where cultural sensitivity and adaptability are

PHOTO CREDIT: REDD

keen attributes for leading a global team.”

Martinez has been running entire departments through SIG certification, which he says builds consistency and understanding: “Allowing your sourcing professionals in various sub towers to go through this creates consistent understanding of the industry vernacular and its concepts.

“Enabling your team members to utilise this training gives them an investment they can take with them when they leave the organisation, providing opportunity for individuals to move between functions and ultimately to improve their career opportunities.”

Martinez believes leadership of teams, especially in the context of procurement, is multifaceted.

“It’s not just about running an organisation smoothly or helping digitise it. It’s not just about achieving cost savings or ensuring you’re having the approval level of risk management in your program. It’s about guiding a diverse team in a rapidly changing environment, and it’s fostering a culture of continuous improvement with ethical decision-making, and I can’t emphasise that ethical component enough.

“To me, leadership is a balancing act – the strategic vision with the ground realities of having to deliver an outcome. Driving value while

ensuring you’re leading a team, that you know how you’re able to collaborate, you’re agile, and you’re fostering a culture that’s going to help you to achieve your objectives.” Martinez says the ideal culture in an organisation is where people are expected to help brainstorm, and how they can improve the overall organisation. “You need to foster a diverse and inclusive environment. I absolutely believe that professional development, i.e., investing in training, certification, skills development, are crucial if you’re going to be successful as a leader.”

Martinez says leadership is one of the most crucial elements.

“We must be the champions for transformation, we must set and drive a vision, and inspire our teams to ensure we have alignment to these broader organisational goals,” he adds. He believes you must be willing to have the backs of team members and stakeholders,

“We’ve been able to evolve into more of a recognised strategic function that delivers value beyond cost savings.”

while balancing the needs for re-engineering and performance metrics.

“I quote this guy all the time, Edward Deming, and he said, ‘That which is valued is measured, and that which is measured gets done.’

“And that’s why I’m such a fiend for measuring and monitoring whatever we’re doing in a transformation,” Martinez says.

RICH TAPESTRY

By working in multiple regions, it has significantly enhanced his leadership and procurement capabilities. “It provided me with a rich tapestry of insights, experiences, and skills that have been quite valuable in driving and delivering value across the interconnected global supply chain and activities I’ve had the privilege to lead.”

And experiencing crises in his career has helped him to be more innovative in times of trouble. His experience of working in Japan was vital when it came to his actions in the outbreak of Covid-19. “In 2011, there was an earthquake and tsunami in Japan. We had to shelter and place about 1,500 employees and help relocate our trading floor from Tokyo for a period, working with regulators, IT, and stakeholders, to make sure

we were compliant, whilst taking care of our people.

“In 2020 with the pandemic, my experience enabled me to think about disaster planning and execution. I worked more effectively with third party suppliers to ensure we were regulatory compliant, so we could shift from working in an office to work from home, not just for our employees, but also our

PHOTO CREDIT: ERIK EASTMAN

supply base. You must do that by working with legal, with risk and other parts of the organisation.”

PROCUREMENT EVOLUTION

Procurement has most definitely evolved. When Martinez began his career, he says it was seen as a back-office function that was solely focused on cost – on the lowest price. “It now plays a more strategic role across the industry. We’ve been able to evolve into more of a recognised strategic function that delivers value beyond cost savings,” he adds.

This includes third party risk management, supporting innovation, and helping deliver sustainability goals, “which is crucial and enhances the overall business agility. I believe we have a positive impact on the earningsper-share for companies we serve.

“Also, advancements in technology have allowed us to streamline and effectively manage operations more significantly. You’re starting to see procurement using AI driven analytics to streamline and enhance visibility across the supply chain and facilitate more informed decision making. I like to call it speed to insight.”

Martinez says that in CLM tools today, you can manage the contract lifecycle and monitor compliance using AI and ML – inside that, there are now low-code and no-code workflow tools that enable you to allow end users to interact with you, eliminating paperwork and having to log into multiple systems.

Martinez also believes that in today’s environment teams need access to supplier intelligence platforms that help supply chain and procurement professionals monitor, evaluate and discover

suppliers to help build an unbreakable supplier network if they are to be successful.

“In the old days, focus was on price, quantity, surety of supply,” he says. “Today we think about things like supply chain resilience. So, we factor in geopolitical risks, global pandemics, climate change etc. There’s more of a push for us to have a more diversified and flexible supply network, which is helping us rethink the art of the possible.”

The end of globalisation is driving the industry to regionalisation. In previous years, there was focus on cost efficiencies – “we’ve now transitioned over to more of a value-centred environment, emphasising ethical sourcing, sustainability and social responsibility,” Martinez says. “Obviously, cost is important, and we think through how things like supplier diversity impacts not just our communities, but also the bottom line of our companies.

“The days of vendor management, where historical relationships were transactional and focused on price negotiation, are gone. Third Party Risk Management and Supplier relationship management are the new functions, where we emphasise building long-term strategic relations with them.”

IN-DEPTH UNDERSTANDING

When Martinez first started, people ‘fell’ into procurement. “Now you can get a university degree in supply chain management, all the way up to a PhD. We have a broader skillset that encompasses analytics, relationship management and strategy development, true consulting, and getting an in-depth understanding of risk,” he says.

Some key drivers are digital tools, so stakeholder expectations have changed significantly. “Before it was ‘get me what I want and don’t worry about anything else. I just need it when I need it’. Companies are now expecting us to be leaders in sustainability and ethical sourcing, making sure that we look at local market impacts and how we deal with that.”

To do this, leaders must look at economic shifts and geopolitical tensions – “while it’s increasing in complexity, it’s also giving us a better perspective as professionals

“There’s more of a push for us to have a more diversified and flexible supply network, which is helping us rethink the art of the possible.”

in procurement as to what models we need to put in place, and what regions we need to invest in,” Martinez says.

“We must make those decisions now; we have moved from the order taker, to being true leaders in helping drive it.”

Martinez admits his passion for procurement transformation, and it is necessary to ensure the function not only remains relevant by adding value, but transcends to be more strategic. He says any successful transformation is going to require a holistic approach to considering technology, the people, the process, and ultimately the leadership. Given the strategic importance of procurement in business, it requires transformations to be executed seamlessly. “This will enhance our competitiveness and resilience of our supply chains,” he adds.

“Procurement transformations are about adapting to change and stakeholder management and understanding changes for an internal and external environment. Leveraging these opportunities ensure we, as a function, are continuously delivering optimal value to our stakeholders and partners.”

As procurement professionals, Martinez says you need to harness the value of technologies like blockchain and advanced analytics. “And if we don’t do that, we’re going to miss out on the benefits it will impact our shareholders and ultimately relegate our organisations to irrelevance,” he adds.

“Let’s not forget about why we’re doing this,” Martinez quips. “It’s our stakeholder expectations, and I can tell you this, having worked in banks for many years, stakeholders are really demanding.

PHOTO CREDIT: MIKA BAUMEISTER

“They want to have an Amazon-like experience because what they can get in their personal life, they keep saying, why can’t I get that in my corporate life? They want to use tools that help them through their processes,” he says.

A successful procurement transformation must have a clear vision and strategy, and strong leadership. “This needs to be tied very concisely to the business strategy of your enterprise,” says Martinez. “If you are not tying your sourcing strategies to your business strategies, you’re going to create a disconnect.”

He says you must know how to reduce or remove redundancies, “how to eliminate what I call exported controls, and streamlining your workflows to ensure everything you’re doing is in alignment with the broader strategies. Otherwise, you’re going to fail.”

He says exported controls are important – a different organisation or department within a company doesn’t have a way to implement one of their controls and they push it into the supply chain. That becomes a roadblock in the end-to-end process.

“I’m a fiend for getting rid of that stuff,” Martinez laughs. He also believes you must have a continuous improvement mindset. “Continuous improvement and

agility must be in the DNA of your culture. You need to put the parameters in place, so your team members know that it’s okay to go in and say, ‘Look, this isn’t working, Joseph, why do we do this?’”

So, with all that in mind, why does the financial industry appeal to Martinez so much? “It offers dynamic and challenging environments. It requires a more strategic and holistic approach to procurement and risk management than perhaps some other industries,” he says.

He keeps himself updated with the latest trends and industry developments, exploring new opportunities for innovation “with the lens towards helping to improve our earnings per share.

“At the end of the day, if whatever you’re doing can’t be pulled through your financials and you can’t tangibly demonstrate that you’re positively impacting your cost income ratio and ultimately the earnings per share of your firm, you’re wasting your time,” he reckons.

VALUE IN CREATION

According to Martinez, financial services is an industry where procurement is not just transactional, but a primary contributor to value creation and has an absolute impact on

earnings per share. “That’s why I absolutely love it,” he says.

Having accomplished many change programmes in his career, Martinez is especially proud of a recent time that he was able to implement a contract lifecycle management tool, automating the internal lifecycle of the organisation’s contracting process. “And it really bore fruit,” he says.

“Even before we fully implemented the solution, we used the AI component and were able to identify millions of dollars of opportunity in what we were conducting. We looked at two global suppliers, audited them, and it led to the recovery of millions of dollars prior to even the full implementation of the tool.”

Martinez has also taken a nonintegrated country and markets and transformed them into global sourcing organisations, aligned by category management, by sourcing expertise. “I’ve done this multiple times in my career, both as the CPO and when I was a report to the CPO. I did this in Asia Pacific when I worked for Deutsche Bank,” he says.

When he arrived at Deutsche Bank, “there were 17 countries doing whatever they wanted.”

Impressively, “within eight months we had them working as an integrated team at a regional level,

and then we integrated them into the global area. And to this day, that still works very effectively for them,” he says.

MANAGING RISKS

Martinez is a stickler for risk management. “Over the last couple of years, the increase in supply chain resilience was at the forefront. Disruptions of vulnerabilities that extended across global supply chains, not just within financial services but within all industries.

“It got people thinking about how their procurement needed to be leveraged for strategic improvement, and how that tied into what they’re doing from a risk perspective,” he says.

This meant prioritising the building of resilient supply chains, emphasising local regional sourcing or diversifying the supply base, and “we needed

“The days of vendor management, where historical relationships were transactional and focused on price negotiation, are gone.”

to manage supplier relationships and the risk associated with that.”

When risk management guidance OCC 213-29 came out 10 years ago, it moved financial services procurement professionals to the forefront of identifying and mitigating risks across the supply chain.

Martinez says these types of regulations are making procurement leaders ponder on how they manage strategic relationships, how this impacts the risk appetite of their organisation. And you must balance cost mitigation with risk complexity. “Depending on what part of the world you live in, ethical and sustainable sourcing have become pressures, not just for financial organisations, because visibility, analytics and speed of insight are really coming into their own,” he says.

“Inflationary pressures and uncertainties we’re seeing in the marketplace means companies are increasing their cost and efficiency, and we must identify how we become more effective as a supply chain.”

Martinez says that over the last 10 years, risk management has become a crucial aspect of the procurement lifecycle, and all organisations need to understand and navigate it to remain competitive. “Effective

governance in procurement is not just about rules and oversight or being the procurement police,” he adds. “It’s about creating a culture of responsibility, transparency and continuous improvement. Procurement organisations are under extreme scrutiny, not just from stakeholders, but from regulatory bodies.

“Strong procurement governance has become an essential component of corporate governance in the subset of risk management.”

He adds that by putting a framework in place, so you have alignment with organisational objectives and regulatory requirements, you’re able to put your activities in a process that is repeatable, measurable and consistent.

SOUND TRAIL

Martinez created and led the Enterprise Sourcing Advisory Council (ESAC), which provides consistency for procurement decisions across the organisation. “Representatives from the CFOs, the COOs, the CIOs, the lines of business, etcetera, can come in and have influence in terms of how initiatives are going across the life cycle. It’s providing transparency in terms of high value and high risk,” he says.

If there are changes in procedures or roles and responsibilities, Martinez says this is a forum that can be used to clearly identify and communicate changes. “It’s an oversight mechanism to establish the right decisions and make sure they’re made at the appropriate level with the correct level of scrutiny and governance, and policies and procedures are being reviewed.

“It gives us a sound audit trail which helps us get feedback from stakeholders so that we use it as a continuous improvement loop,” he adds.

The ESAC is used to increase visibility. “There’s scrutiny from our stakeholders and the organisation, in terms of the decisions that are being made that are going to impact our cost and our risks associated with the supply chain,” he says. “It’s something every organisation should consider.”

PRIDE IN BNY

Having recently retired from Bank of New York Mellon, Martinez has an amusing story to tell. “When the founder, Alexander Hamilton (he’s the gentleman on the American $10 bill) left the organisation, he was walking out the door, looked over his shoulder and shouted, ‘Don’t change anything until I get back.’ And in the supply chain, they didn’t, until I got there.”

Among many accomplishments at BNY, Martinez established an offshore procurement centre of excellence in Poland, which did not exist before he arrived, and enhanced the centre of excellence for procurement in India. He also established a reporting analytics team to provide information required for visibility to data and processes. “One of the things I’m proud of is that we negotiated

PHOTO CREDIT: RYAN QUINTAL

one of the banking platforms, and we did it in one tenth of the time it normally takes and got it successfully implemented.

“It was setting the vision that we needed to change, that the status quo was not something that could exist,” he says.

And what about the future?

“As procurement evolves, it will become more strategic, and the focus is going to be on value creation rather than cost reduction,” Martinez reckons. Procurement will align with the business objectives and priorities

more seamlessly, leveraging data and analytics to optimise decision making in performance. He also sees procurement playing a role in managing risk and compliance more effectively, and “procurement practitioners are going to become third party risk managers, and third-party risk managers are going to migrate and become procurement professionals.

“I also believe procurement will be seen as a place where talent comes from, not where deadwood goes. I think it’s changing for the better.”

RAFFAELLO VERITY

We’ll cut to the chase: this article simply doesn’t give us enough room to list the achievements and innovations of Raffaello D’Andrea. But, if he can do all he’s done, we owe it to ourselves to give it a go.

In May 2022 Raffaello, along with collaborators Mick Moutz and Peter Wurman, was inducted into the US National Inventors Hall of Fame for creating the Kiva system - a mobile robotic material handling and order fulfilment solution that dramatically advances warehouse order fulfilment for e-commerce. KIva has since been acquired by Amazon and rebranded as Amazon Robotics. Raffaello is also a co-founder of the systems engineering programme at Cornell University, the faculty adviser and system architect of the four-time world champion Cornell robot soccer team, is the founder of the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control at

ETH Zurich, is an IEEE Fellow named on more than 40 US patents, and is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2001 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

In 2014, he founded Verity, which creates cutting-edge robotics and autonomous indoor drone systems that enable greater operational efficiencies in large warehouses, cut labour and equipment costs, and reduce waste and CO2 emissions. Oh, and his team set the world record for the highest number of autonomous indoor drones, 160, coordinated by a single computer in 2019 in collaboration with British Telecom.

D’ANDREA

“We should be more concerned about fulfilling our dreams as children. What was it we wanted to do as children? We wanted to fly like birds. Well, why aren’t we doing that?”

PATRICIA MENDOZA

BUILD A BETTER TOMORROW

With strategy and people in mind, Patricia Mendoza, VP of Procurement within the Reynolds American group of companies (Reynolds), is on a mission to build A Better Tomorrow TM

Twenty years ago, young talent Patricia Mendoza joined as a global graduate at British American Tobacco Group (BAT) in Mexico. Beginning her journey in human resources, she has

WORDS: BECKY NORTHFIELD

weaved her way through different roles around the company, eventually becoming Vice President of procurement for Reynolds (a subsidiary of BAT Group in the US). A fantastic achievement.

Reynolds’ mission is to ‘build a better tomorrow’ by reducing the health impact of its business. It is leading the transformation of the tobacco industry, offering products to address the evolving preferences of adult tobacco and nicotine consumers.

As for Mendoza’s role, procurement must translate

what the business needs: “our biggest challenge is how do we start in industries and markets in which we were not involved before”, like heatnot-burn products (THP).

When Mendoza joined the company, BAT was very tobacco-focused. “We’re now operating in non-combustibles. Procurement has played a key role in setting the supply chain, selecting the right players that support the sustainability of our business from a commercial perspective in terms of the product we’re bringing into market. But also, in terms of other

PHOTO CREDIT: JAVIER ALLEGUE

big initiatives that are crucial for the sustainability of the business,” including people development and building new capabilities in the procurement team to lead a functional business transformation.

“We’re able to support the business from very early stages in terms of ideation, product development, and even supplier development, which could include basically even developing new partners in completely new areas and industries that we didn’t have before,” she adds. So what makes an effective

procurement leader? “Business acumen,” Mendoza quips.

“My mantra is procurement is here to enable business to succeed and, in our case, to enable the transformation we’re going through in our company. Being close to the business, to stakeholders, be able to understand what’s the bigger picture so we’re able to successfully translate into what are the requirements from a procurement perspective.

“We want to be 100% packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025.”

“And I think this became even more important in the aftermath of COVID to be able to anticipate and to understand what’s going on in the macroeconomic environment, to shape strategy accordingly and steer teams based on what’s happening,” she says. “Whenever it’s a crisis, communication is key.”

FUNDAMENTAL COMMUNICATION

When COVID first hit, the team ensured they were closely connected with suppliers, sharing

information on occurrences in different markets.

“Having this communication internally was fundamental, so we could understand our situation from a business perspective, linking it to a supplier perspective, ensuring we connected our supply chains and shared risk, but also had action plans to be able to tackle the situation,” Mendoza says.

Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) is also vital for a procurement

leader. “This is one of the key improvements I have seen over the last years, not only for procurement but for all businesses,” Mendoza says. “How do we embed ESG into our processes across everything we do in procurement from supplier selection, supplier relationship management, and even from our team perspective?”

She goes on to explain that procurement is heavily involved in ESG objectives in three key areas:

- Strategic sourcing to support key business projects to deliver the business ESG commitments –whether it’s for reducing carbon emissions or water consumption, there are sourcing projects in which Mendoza’s team is heavily involved

- Collaboration with suppliers to bring innovative solutions to ESG challenges/commitments (i.e., new materials, services, etc)

- Collaboration with suppliers to drive ESG commitments from their end (scope 3 emissions reduction is key) as well as to exchange best practices in the ESG arena.

Mendoza and her team follow four objectives. “One, it’s climate change – from a procurement perspective, we have a target to have 50% CO2e (sub 2) emissions reduction by 2030

and to be Net Zero by 2050across our value chain –comprising of Scope 1, 2, & 3 GHG emissions.”

Mendoza highlights the WaterHubSM implementation at the Reynolds Operations Center (ROC) in Tobaccoville, NC, in collaboration with NextEra Energy Resources, LLC. The WaterHub is projected to reclaim more than 60 million gallons of water each year, equivalent to the annual water supply of approximately 550 average U.S. households, further reducing Reynolds’ environmental footprint. Construction of the WaterHub project will begin in autumn 2023.

The second, Mendoza says, is biodiversity “net-zero deforestation by 2025 of managed natural forests in our tobacco, paper, and pulp supply chains.

“The third is the circular economy. We want to be 100% packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025,” she says.

“Our biggest challenge is how do we start operating in industries and markets in which we were not involved before.”

GOOD PRACTICE

With Reynolds being acquired by BAT in 2017, one of Mendoza’s initial objectives was to understand good practices already in place, the unique aspects of the US market, and how to make sure her team would have representation within global procurement when defining that strategy.

She adds that “for any business our size, change management is key. And it encompasses not only having timely, clear communication but also building the new capabilities, which means a lot of training and support to the team to be able to navigate

the transformation.

“And keeping people motivated during the change. When you start, there’s always some level of uncertainty for the teams, so you must ensure they’re engaged and understand.”

Another key factor for the procurement team is regulation, as the tobacco industry is highly regulated in the US. “We must comply with the FDA requirements,

PHOTO CREDIT: MIHA REKAR

“Whenever it’s a crisis, communication is key.”

As the water sector faces increasing challenges, NextEra Energy Resources, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE) brings forth the WaterHub. With roots in a century-long legacy and stewardship of more than $159 billion in assets, we prioritize environmental sustainability and economic resilience.

The WaterHub is not just about water reclamation; it's a vision of future-proofing communities. Through the effective removal of solids, conservation of local water resources, and enhancement of infrastructure lifespan, the WaterHub is the epitome of sustainability. Our customized solutions, backed by unparalleled financing and construction expertise, promise water supply resiliency.

At NextEra Energy Resources, we're delivering a future where water management is economically resilient, environmentally responsible, and perfectly tailored for the needs of our customers.

Economically resilient, environmentally responsible and perfectly tailored.

which means very careful planning of any process changes, like when we’re changing material suppliers, or our supply chain, or our manufacturing process for nicotine products. Many changes require submissions to FDA – that takes time. The earlier we are involved in the process from a procurement

And from the perspective of procurement, you need to focus efforts where necessary when it comes to establishing collaborative relationships with suppliers. Mendoza says that “like any other business, we have limited resources. So, we approach supplier relationship management through segmentation.” The team discusses supply innovation capabilities and other criteria to be able to segment suppliers and identify which ones are critical for the business.”

And based on that, “we define a strategy of how we’re going to be addressing the relationship with each of our suppliers.

Procurement plays a role in

“The earlier we are involved in the process from a procurement perspective, the better.” perspective, the better.”

leading the supplier relationship management program, but ultimately, it’s a collaborative effort,” she adds.

BALANCE AND RELIABILITY

And for the future, post-COVID time, what are the core objectives for the short-and-long-term?

Mendoza is looking for ways to automate what Reynolds is doing from a transactional processes’ perspective, and data quality from a procurement perspective. “That’s one of the challenges we still have,” she says.

“From a cost perspective, I will say we still need to make sure we keep

managing the cost base. The balance is ensuring we have a reliable supply chain.” She adds that cost, supply chain reliability and security of the supply chain remain a short-and-long-term focus.

The last is supporting BAT in the journey and introducing a new supplier base, building foundations of working in new industries, with new suppliers, and “creating capabilities as fast as we can to enable the transformation. This means thinking about completely new commercial models with new suppliers,” Mendoza says.

WWW.REYNOLDSAMERICAN.COM

B R I S T O L EAT SLEEP WORK PLAY

There’s no denying that Bristol is a beacon of innovation and technology. This vibrant city is swiftly rising to become one of the UK’s prominent tech hubs, merging the modern ethos with a traditional sense of charm. It’s a city where opportunity meets comfort, where business meets pleasure, and where, amidst the hustle, you find a warm, inviting community waiting to welcome you.

Words Joseph Toma

Bristol isn’t just an incredible place to work, it’s a fabulous place to live and a city of real balance – a place where you can drive your career forward in a thriving tech scene while enjoying a fulfilling lifestyle. It’s a city that welcomes you with open arms, whether you’re looking to set up a business, find a new home, satisfy your gastronomic desires, or immerse yourself in leisure and culture. Bristol isn’t just a city – it’s a lifestyle.

ENGINE SHED

BUSINESS

Dive right into the bustling business scene of Bristol, where a thriving tech industry holds court. It’s easy to understand why tech giants, startups and ambitious entrepreneurs are attracted to this city. With a flourishing ecosystem of cutting-edge research institutions and a wealth of tech talent emerging from the universities, it’s an ideal incubator for digital innovation. A great place to immerse yourself in this scene is Engine Shed, an innovation hub where businesses, entrepreneurs, academics, and corporates can run projects and collaborate.

But it’s not just tech that thrives here. Bristol also boasts a diverse economy with robust sectors in aerospace, defence, media, financial services, and more. The city’s infrastructure is designed to facilitate smooth business operations, fostering a friendly environment for both local and international corporations.

HOTEL DU VIN

BRISTOL CITY

HOTEL DU VIN STAY

Beyond the business, Bristol caters to every type of resident with an impressive array of places to stay. Hotel du Vin is a terrific option if you’re seeking a great place. From upscale city-centre apartments with breathtaking harbourside views to charming, historic homes nestled in tranquil, leafy neighbourhoods, there’s a fit for everyone. Despite being a bustling city, Bristol is celebrated for its green spaces – you’re never too far from a park or a walking trail. Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa, a Five Star country house just outside the city, is perfect if this is your thing. As for connectivity, the city is well linked by an efficient transport system and is a stone’s throw away from major cities like London, making it a convenient base for travel and business.

LUCKNAM PARK HOTEL & SPA

JOSEPH TOMA CEO, Jugo

Joseph is the CEO of Jugo, an immersive events and meetings platform. At Jugo, Joseph is transforming the way businesses engage with their teams, accelerating their progress with Metaverse technology. Before joining Jugo, Joseph was a founding member of a technology startup, and founder of a venture fund dedicated to scaling data, AI, automation, edge, and cybersecurity.

/ DRINK

No city is complete without a bustling culinary scene, and Bristol doesn’t disappoint. The city is renowned for its vibrant food and drink culture, serving up everything from artisan coffees and locally brewed ciders to internationally inspired cuisine. The food landscape is diverse and adventurous, influenced by a mix of cultures and a strong emphasis on locally-sourced produce. Foodies will relish exploring the numerous pop-up food markets, trendy cafes, and gourmet restaurants such as Paco Tapas.

For after-work relaxation or celebrating a business milestone, there’s an array of wine bars, traditional pubs, and chic cocktail spots to choose from. Marmo, an owner-run restaurant and wine bar with a Michelin Bib Gourmand in the heart of the city has a great wine list full of European producers who farm their vineyards organically or biodynamically; its menu is also packed with seasonal and locally sourced ingredients.

PACO TAPAS

CLIFTON SUSPENSION BRIDGE

HARBOURSIDE

MARMO

EAT

LEISURE

For all its business prowess, Bristol doesn’t skip a beat when it comes to leisure and culture. The city’s rich history is evident in its numerous museums, galleries, and iconic landmarks like the Clifton Suspension Bridge. For music and theatre enthusiasts, the city’s many live venues regularly host a variety of performances. Outdoor enthusiasts

can enjoy cycling, sailing, or simply strolling along the picturesque Harbourside. And don’t forget the many festivals that add colour and vitality to the city throughout the year.

PHOTO CREDIT: MARTYNA BOBER

PHOTO CREDIT: MIKEY HARRIS

Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE

26/09/23 - 27/09/23

London, UK

Supply Chain Digital takes a look at the leading procurement.

CSCMP EDGE

01/10/23 - 04/10/23

Florida, USA

An annual supply chain conference hosted by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP).

ProcureCon Indirect West

10/10/23 - 12/10/23

Las Vegas, USA

A conference focusing on procurement strategies and solutions for indirect spending.

LogiMAT Intelligent Warehouse

25/10/23 - 27/10/23

Bangkok, Thailand

A leading trade exhibition of innovative warehouse systems and future warehouse management.

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