Publisher’s Note: This report is now available in the Ardent Partners library at a substantial discount. Click here to learn more.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be an industry analyst focused on procurement and supply management. And, of course, I am telling the truth :-).

Seriously, think about it for a minute. What did you want to be when you were 8 or 12 or 20?

If you are reading this article, it is highly likely that you are involved in sourcing, procurement, accounts payable, and/or supply management. While I think it’s a fascinating area, I stumbled into it. My guess is that most of you also stumbled into this world too. I think that also true for a majority of professionals and their careers, not just those of us in procurement.

My latest report looks at the key qualifications, experience and characteristics needed to ascend to the role of Chief Procurement Officer. It is based upon numerous interviews and ongoing discussions with Chief Procurement Officers, other procurement executives, and several executive recruiters focused on procurement and supply chain, as well as our direct experience and analysis. We’ll discuss the report and the topic of “how you become a CPO” this week. Here’s how the report starts:

“People always ask if I wanted to be an astronaut when I was a little kid. But, you have to remember when I was a farm boy growing up in the 1930s, there was no such thing as an astronaut.”

~ Story Musgrave, NASA Astronaut for 30+ years

Astronaut, athlete, movie star, princess, or president….. whatever their childhood hopes and dreams may have been, it is safe to assume that today’s Chief Procurement Officers did not grow up dreaming that one day they would hold a C-level title as the leader of a procurement organization. In point of fact, the role of Chief Procurement Officer is a relatively new executive position; but that has not stopped it from quickly gaining in stature and impact.”

I think it will be an interesting report for those of you who are CPOs and for those that aspire to become one. As part of this report’s analysis, I reviewed the career paths of more than thirty CPOs across a range of industries. I also include “example” job description, responsibilities, qualifications, and characteristics that are based upon a series of actual CPO job requisitions that were filled over the past twelve months. Since I advise CPOs, companies, and recruiters on career and placement strategies, ultimately helping place CPOs into new positions, this has been a report that I have wanted to write for some time to share more broadly the current trends in hiring CPOs.

To get the full report, click Becoming a Chief Procurement Officer (registration required).

Postscript: When I was 3, I wanted to be a trash man. Riding around on trucks, throwing stuff around – it looked like fun.

Tagged in: Ardent Partners Research, Chief Procurement Officer, CPO, CPO Shop Talk, CPOs on the Rise