Archive for 'Moves'

Moves: Unilever’s supply chain focus

Posted on 02. Jul, 2009 by .

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Unilever
Pier Luigi Sigismondi has joined Unilever as its chief supply chain officer, joining from Nestlé where he was vice president of corporate industrial performance. Sigismondi joined the top management team in June this year. “I am extremely pleased that Pier Luigi is joining our top team,” said Unilever’s CEO Paul Polman. “He will bring considerable experience to our business and will play a major role in transforming our supply chain into a customer-focused operation. His appointment underlines the importance of the supply chain function to our business. Sigismondi is a former consultant at both Booz Allen & Hamilton and AT Kearney.

BP
Gavin Herman, until recently an executive director for European procurement at investment bank Morgan Stanley, has been appointed head of European procurement at oil giant BP. Herman, who is a previous contributor to Procurement Leaders, joined BP earlier this year. While at Morgan Stanley, Herman was responsible for establishing a global shared services centre in order to improve efficiencies, increase the adoption of best practice and compliance and to reduce costs. “As a concept, a shared services function within a procurement organisation works well,” he said at the time. “Activities which previously distracted buyers from buying can be handled by subject-matter experts and lower-cost resources” 

Rewe Group
The discount retail arm of German retailer Rewe Group has appointed Alfred Glander as buying director. Glander will join Penny on 1 October and will assume a position on the management board with responsibility for purchasing and category management. He will report directly to the head of the Penny chain, Armin Rehberg. “We are pleased that with Alfred Glander [we have gained] a proven expert and strengthened the leadership team of Penny,” said Rehberg. “He will positively develop our markets at home and abroad and is an important addition [to the team].”

Alibaba
A former senior vice president of Wal-Mart, who was also managing director of its global procurement operation, has joined Alibaba as a non-executive director. The appointment of Andrew Tsuei by Alibaba, the Chinese-based e-commerce and e-auction specialist, will allow it to tap into the 20 years of experience Tseui has built up in retail and the sourcing industry.

He joined Wal-Mart in 2001 where he built the global procurement division from the ground up until it was operating from 27 offices in 70 countries around the world. “Andrew is a leading figure in the global retail and sourcing industry and we are delighted that he’s joining our team,” said Jack Ma, group chief executive of Alibaba. “His broad experience and knowledge will help Alibaba.com and Taobao.com to better serve millions of Chinese and international customers and to play an ever-more important role in the world of global trade.”

News International
James Martin, the senior director of global sourcing at News International, left the company on 1 May following a reorganisation of procurement at the media giant. Martin, who was based at the organisation’s headquarters in New York, was responsible for the company’s supply chain sustainability drive as well as general procurement and supply chain issues. 

American Express
Derek Faulkner, the vice president of global procurement  for Europe, Middle East and Africa at American Express, has now left the financial services giant. He has yet to join another company. 

Barclays Commercial Bank
Barclays Commercial Bank has appointed Graeme Allinson as its head of manufacturing, transport and logistics. Allinson will be responsible for coordinating the delivery of corporate banking to UK manufacturing, transport and logistics companies in a newly-created position that will allow Allinson to focus on cross-over opportunities between the previously separate industry teams, according to the UK-based investment bank.

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Moves: Richardson lands BA role

Posted on 20. Apr, 2009 by .

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British Airways
British Airways’ Tim Richardson has been promoted to the airline’s top sourcing role as head of procurement, reporting to CFO Keith Williams. Richardson, who was general manager of procurement operations at BA, succeeds Paul Alexander who leaves to join BP’s indirect procurement team. “There is no shortage of interest from the executive team,” said Richardson. “They are looking to save money because revenues are under pressure.” The situation, which Richardson described as “challenging” led to a recent profit warning (2008/09 results are expected to return a £150m loss).

Royal Mail
The Royal Mail has appointed Kathleen Harmeston as its new chief procurement officer, following a period of upheaval which saw the departures of two heads of procurement in a year. Harmeston replaces Richard Boyce, who left in 2008 following just six months in the role and joins from Atos Origin where she was a partner. Royal Mail is part way through a three-year procurement transformation exercise.

US Steel Corporation
Timothy Lynch has been appointed general manager, procurement at the United States Steel Corporation, succeeding Leslie Broglie who retires. He will be responsible for procurement activities at all US Steel facilities and will report to Michael Hatcher, vice president of procurement, raw materials and real estate. “During his short time with US Steel, Lynch has successfully managed key responsibilities and projects,” said John Goodish, executive vice president and COO. “We are confident he will employ the same focus and commitment he has exhibited throughout his career in his new role within our company.”

Carillion
Steve Parr, until recently the director of supply chain at UK house builder Taylor Wimpey, resigned from his role earlier this year. He has taken up a similar role at Carillion, where he is now supply chain director. Carillion is one of Europe’s largest construction companies, employing around 50,000 people and with revenues of about £5bn.Global oilfield services company Baker Hughes has appointed Arthur Soucy as vice president supply chain. “He brings over 27 years of experience in virtually every supply chain role from procurement to manufacturing,” said Martin Craighead, senior VP and chief operating officer. “We expect to benefit from his insight and experience as we execute our strategic plans to advance our capabilities in supply chain management to become a world-class leader.”

Travis Perkins
Travis Perkins, the UK builders’ merchants, which owns the brands Wickes and Tool Station, has promoted its group supply chain director Robin Proctor to the company’s executive committee in recognition of the contribution he has made to the company. Proctor joined the company in September 2006 and since then has completely restructured the supply chain division.

“His appointment to the executive committee recognises the increasing importance of supply chain to the company and Robin’s ongoing contribution to the group’s development,” a company statement said. “Our supply chain projects delivered £34m of cash savings in 2008 from stock reductions, while at the same time improving product availability.”

To read an interview with Robin Proctor, click here

Seco Tools
Swedish engineering group Seco Tools has promoted Nils Edlund, its senior vice president of logistics, to senior vice president of supply chain and a member of the group executive management. The new role includes production and logistics and is Edlund’s second promotion in six months after he joined the company in October last year from FLIR System’s thermography division. Edlund replaces Lars Svensson, who leaves the company.

Baker Hughes
Global oilfield services company Baker Hughes has appointed Arthur Soucy as vice president supply chain. “He brings over 27 years of experience in virtually every supply chain role from procurement to manufacturing,” said Martin Craighead, senior VP and chief operating officer. “We expect to benefit from his insight and experience as we execute our strategic plans to advance our capabilities in supply chain management to become a world-class leader.”

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Moves: Walker makes tracks for SBB

Posted on 16. Feb, 2009 by .

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SBB
John Walker, senior vice president and head of supply chain and procurement at ABB, a Swiss manufacturer of power and automation technologies, has been named as CPO of SBB, the Swiss Federal Railways.

Walker will have full responsibility for sourcing, procurement and supplier development and will lead the “make versus buy” team. “The role is exciting insofar as the position has never existed before – therefore I’ve been asked to (also) participate in the Swiss federal parliamentary subcommittee for infrastructure,” said Walker. He is expected to start in April, ABB is currently looking for a replacement.

Marks & Spencer
Roger Davies has been appointed as the new head of group non-merchandise procurement at Marks & Spencer, replacing Bob Traghiem who left the UK retailer last summer. The appointment of Davies brings to a close a long search for Tragheim’s successor and comes amid some of the most difficult times in M&S’ recent history. Davies will report to the head of corporate finance and joins from British Airways.

Chrysler
Troubled US car giant Chrysler has appointed Scott Garberding as its senior vice president and chief procurement officer, replacing John Campi who left the company due to health reasons. Garberding will report directly to Chrysler president, Tom LaSorda and returns to the procurement fold following a short spell as vice president, global alliance operations. LaSorda said he was confident in Garberding’s ability to tackle the mountain of challenges facing the company. “I am grateful for John’s commitment and his bold actions in the relatively short time he’s been with us,” he said in a statement. “He has truly made an impact on Chrysler. I have every confidence that Scott will do the same at this critical time.”

Hilton International
Mark Selawry, until recently the senior vice president of productivity and sourcing at Hilton International, has left the hotel group following a restructuring of its procurement and supply chain organisation. The restructuring process ?saw Hilton International and Hilton Group merge their teams ?into a single shared service centre. Selawry is a previous interviewee of this magazine and a participant in our latest roundtable.

BAA
The former chief procurement officer of Group4 Securicor, Damon Jones, has joined BAA plc as interim head of commercial, working on the sale of Gatwick Airport project. Jones joined BAA late last year following a six-year spell at G4S. Gatwick, the UK’s second-largest airport, was put up for sale in September 2008 following ?a UK Competition Commission inquiry.

Phillips-Van Heusen
Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation, the multinational apparel company which owns the Calvin Klein brand, among others, has appointed Ellen Constantinides as chief operating officer of its newly created global supply chain organisation. Constantinides, who was previously the president and chief operating officer of the company’s dress shirt group, will report to the vice chairman of the company’s wholesale division, Ken Duane. “The creation of the global supply chain organisation will improve all aspects of our supply chain management, thereby increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of our operations and potentially reducing costs and improving profitability,” said Duane.

Entech Solar
US alternative energy company Entech Solar has named Sean Rooney as its chief operating officer. Rooney joined Entech Solar in February 2008 as the vice president of its engineering, procurement and construction division where he excelled by addressing significant supply chain problems. The company is employing six sigma techniques to help improve its processes.

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Moves: Joost the man for KPN

Posted on 16. Dec, 2008 by .

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KPN
Willem van Oppen, CPO of Dutch telecoms giant, KPN, is leaving in January 2009 to be replaced by Joost Peerdeman. Van Oppen became CPO of KPN in 2001, part-way through a transformation of the company’s procurement operations. He joined KPN after stints at Philips and a long career at DSM International (see profile of DSM International CPO Ton Trommelen, page 24) and will leave to establish his own consultancy business. Peerdeman is currently procurement manager, networks, at KPN.

American Express
Derek Faulkner, vice president of global procurement for Europe, Middle East and Africa at American Express, will leave the company on 1 February. His replacement has not yet been announced.

Hershey
US confectionary-giant Hershey has appointed Terence O’Day as its new head of global operations as part of a wider revamp of the company’s supply chain. “[O’Day] will lead our continuing efforts to improve the competitiveness of our operations and supply chain,” said David West, Hershey’s president and CEO.

Gruppo Monte dei Paschi di Sienna
Luca Guzzabocca has joined the world’s oldest bank, Italy’s Gruppo Monte dei Paschi di Sienna, as procurement and logistics director. Guzzabocca, joins the bank, which was established in 1472, from GlaxoSmithKline where he was procurement director for non-inventory materials and e-procurement in Europe. He will bring a great deal of expertise in sustainability to the bank.

Digita
The sourcing director of Finnish media and telecoms company, Digita, Marianne Hynninen, has been appointed as vice president of the company’s MobileTV business unit. Hynninen is replaced as sourcing director by Olli Turkkila.

Carlson Wagonlit Travel
Business travel management company Carlson Wagonlit Travel has appointed Mario Lopez-Belio as vice president and CPO. Prior to joining CWT, Lopez-Belio worked in senior sourcing positions for Carlson, the company’s majority shareholder, as well as FedEx Office and PepsiCo Restaurant International. He will report to CWT’s CFO, Marc Karako, who said that he will play a key role in helping CWT “optimise its procurement strategy”.

Siemens
Barbara Kux, until recently the CPO of Philips, has become the first female member of Siemens’ senior management team in the German company’s 160-year history. Kux, whose departure from Philips was exclusively revealed by Procurement Leaders, will head up Siemens’ new supply chain management organisation and will be responsible for its global procurement budget of €42bn.

Royal Mail
Ninian Wilson, the operations director and former CPO of Royal Mail, has left the company. Wilson will be replaced by Norman Smith. Wilson’s departure follows the departure of his replacement at CPO, Richard Boyce, who left the company after less than six months in the role in September.

HL Display
Norwegian company HL Display has promoted Xavier Volpato, its supply chain director, to a broader management position encompassing production. Volpato has a knowledge of factory start-up processes and lean production from his time at Michelin and Valeo, according to CEO Gérard Dubuy.

CPS Color
Harri Kamppa, until recently the vice president, supply chain North Europe at Yara, has been appointed global supply chain director of CPS Color, a Finnish, private equity-owned provider of advanced tinting systems.

InBev
Tom de Kegel has left Inbev as director of global procurement to become CFO and co-founder of Comfortuna. He is replaced by Paula Martinez.

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Moves: De Vries doubles Dutch role

Posted on 22. Oct, 2008 by .

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Royal Philips
Barbara Kux, the 19th most powerful woman in global business according to Fortune magazine, left her position as chief procurement officer of the Dutch electronics and consumer goods giant in September, as exclusively reported by Procurement Leaders.com. Kux left the company and returned to her native Switzerland, following five years at the company.

She will be replaced by Maarten de Vries, Philip’s current chief information officer, who will take over both roles. De Vries, a former CFO, joined the company in 1986 and has been CIO since 2007.

Bristol-Myers Squibb
Pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb has appointed Quentin Roach as its new chief procurement officer, a newly created position for the group. He joins BMS from international brewing company Bausch & Lomb, where he led the company’s global customer strategy steering committee.

Roach will be responsible for supplier relationship management, company-wide sourcing strategies and the procurement of all materials and services for the company.

Estée Lauder
Estée Lauder has appointed Gregory Polcer as executive vice president of its global supply chain. Polcer, who leaves his job as senior vice president of supply chain at Unilever, will oversee Estée Lauder’s end-to-end supply chain including procurement, manufacturing, quality assurance and logistics. He will report to Estée Lauder’s president and chief operating officer Fabrizio Fredo. Polcer succeeds Malcolm Bond, who retires.

Ford
US automotive giant Ford has appointed Jeffrey Wellman as executive director of purchasing for Asia Pacific and Africa. Wellman, who is the former head of procurement for non-production commodities and services globally at Ford, will now oversee purchasing and supply management across the company’s operations in the region. He will report to John Parker, executive vice president, Asia Pacific and Africa.

Royal Mail
The group procurement director of Royal Mail, Richard Boyce, is leaving the company to run the family business. Boyce, who was the company’s former head of procurement operations, took over the role in April this year and succeeded Ninian Wilson, who was promoted to operations director. Royal Mail is currently searching for a replacement to Boyce.

Ann Taylor Stores
Paula Zusi was named executive vice president and chief supply chain officer of US-based women’s fashion retailer Ann Taylor Stores. Zusi replaces Anthony Romano, who resigned in July.

Zusi joins from Liz Claiborne, where she was corporate vice president of global sourcing and manufacturing. Thomson manager of procurement at French video technology company Thomson, Lynn Kelly, is retiring from the company. Kelly was previously the general manager of supply chain operations, having joined in 1998. She will be succeeded by Pierre Fund, who will be based in Hong Kong.

Pacific Gas and Electricity
Pacific Gas and Electricity appointed Desmond Bell as senior VP of shared services and chief procurement officer. Bell is responsible for supply chain, logistics, supplier diversity and corporate real estate.

Hitachi GST
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies has appointed David Beaver as senior VP of worldwide supply chain management and chief procurement officer. Beaver was formerly at both Seagate and Maxtor.

Medis Technologies
Fuel cell technology company, Medis Technologies has appointed former Lucent VP and CPO Jose Mejia as its president and CEO.

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