Lots of movement this month so, this edition of CPO News offers more, but shorter stories.
Yahoo CPO Joins BuyerQuest
Earlier this month, Ron Carcamo, industry veteran and longtime Chief Procurement Officer of Yahoo, joined BuyerQuest as its new President. BuyerQuest (a sponsor of this site) is solution provider focused on improving eProcurement for global businesses by delivering a consumer-like experience that extends the value of most major eProcurement systems. Supporters of this site and Procurement groups that are struggling with eProcurement user adoption and supplier enablement issues should investigate their offering (and support our sponsor).
In the PR announcing his new position, Ron is quoted as saying “I’m thrilled to join the BuyerQuest leadership team. BuyerQuest is a company with a unique value proposition, a huge mission, and a boundless future. Simply put: BuyerQuest will change how global organizations drive eProcurement success.”
Readers of the site will remember Ron as a (1) a Top 10 CPO in 2010, (2) a regular contributor to Ardent’s research and to CPO Rising, (3) a progressive CPO on the Rise, and (4) a “friend of the site.”
Ron’s progression to the presidency of BuyerQuest continues the trend of CPOs rising to roles of greater responsibility. As I said in that same PR, “CPOs continue to rise into positions of greater responsibility and authority. With his proven experience driving change and transforming large procurement organizations, Ron now has the opportunity to leverage his real world experience to make a significant impact at BuyerQuest and drive success across its customer base.”
Philips Appoints New CPO
Earlier this month, Fredrick Spalcke joined Philips as Executive Vice President and Chief Purchasing Officer. Fredrick will be responsible for leading Philips’ Global Group Purchasing department and and implementing its procurement excellence strategy. Fredrick will focus on improving strategic processes such as Category Management and Supplier Relationship Management in order to reduce costs while maintaining a level of quality that adheres to Philips’ “General Business Principles.” Fredrick was most recently the Chief Procurement Officer at Huawei Technologies in China and had a long career in procurement at Siemens before that.
Chrysler Names New Head of Procurement
Two weeks ago, Chrysler Group named Scott Kunselman as its new Senior Vice President, Purchasing and Supplier Quality. Scott was previously Senior Vice President, Engineering at Chrysler. He joined the company in 1985 in Product Engineering as part of the Chrysler Institute of Engineering Program and has held a series of engineering and powertrain positions of increasing responsibility. Scott replaces Dan Knott, who recently announced his intention to take a medical retirement. Knott had been in his position since 2009.
Diageo Appoints new CPO
Diageo plc announced the appointment of Thibaut Eissautier to the role of Chief Procurement Officer effective August 1st 2012. Thibaut joins the business from Europe’s biggest private label business McBride plc, where he has been CPO and also led the company’s R&D function. Thibaut has also worked in procurement for Scotts Miracle Gro and P&G. Interestingly, Thibaut will report to Diageo’s President Global Supply & Procurement, David Gosnell.
Sun Chemical’s CPO Named “Man of the Year”
Earlier this month, Sun Chemical announced that its Chief Procurement Officer, Edward R. Pruitt, had been named “Man of the Year” by the Metro New York Printing Ink Association. The award is given annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the business they work for and the ink industry as a whole. Edward was quoted as saying, ““I’m equally surprised and honored to have been recognized with the ‘Man of the Year’ award. I try to be a good purchasing leader and hope I can make a difference.”
Unilever CPO Makes Headlines
Congratulations to Marc Engel, Chief Procurement Officer at Unilever for making world business headlines yesterday for his effort in leading a “sustainable palm oil” campaign at his company. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Unilever PLC is negotiating to build a $100 million palm-oil processing plant in Indonesia, an attempt to accelerate its commitment to sourcing the oil in ways that don’t destroy the environment.” Unilever is the world’s largest consumer of palm oil and this sustainability initiative has placed Marc front and center in its coverage.
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