In January, 2010, I made a series of predictions for the decade ahead in the second article ever published on this site. The first prediction was:
- Many of today’s leading CPOs will move into roles that command greater responsibility and control. During the tough times, a great number of CPOs went above and beyond the call of duty to drive value when it was needed most. The leadership and managerial skills found in many of today’s CPOs leave little doubt that this prediction comes true (01/06/10).
The story below is an example of this prediction coming to life. It is also an excerpt from Ardent Partners’ latest report, “CPO Rising: Keeping Score,” which is now available at the following sponsor links here, here, here, or here (registration required).
Career Spotlight: From CPO to EVP & Global Head of Business Services
When Scott Singer decided to move from Connecticut to Brisbane in early 2008 and become Rio Tinto’s Head of Procurement (“Chief Procurement Officer”), he was already a renowned procurement leader who had spent many years leading the Best-in-Class procurement operation at United Technologies. Scott was looking for an adventure and the opportunity to lead Rio Tinto Procurement (“RTP”), the 1,000+ person organization that coordinates all strategic sourcing, buying, inbound logistics, and warehousing for the global mining company fit the bill.
First up for Singer was the challenge of combining the RTP team with their counterparts in the newly acquired Alcan organization while also delivering significant synergies. With an integrated team and a streamlined set of processes in place, Singer set about to automate, simplify, and transform the entire RTP operation by attaining a consistent, high-quality view of all spend and by aligning processes to leading technology solutions.
Four years into his adventure, Scott made another move, this time to Singapore, to assume the role of Rio Tinto’s EVP and Head of Global Business Services (GBS) with responsibility for the Procurement, IT and Shared Services functions within the Business Support & Operations portfolio at Rio Tinto. In his new position, Singer is leveraging his experience in procurement to drive transformational and cultural change and further integrate the three functions within Global Business Services so it can deliver consistent, effective and pragmatic support to the parent company. Scott is also the interim CIO and the senior-most company official in Singapore today. “We have numerous initiatives that will allow me to directly leverage the skills I developed during my career in procurement.” said Singer. “For example, the ability to drive innovation in the market is reliant upon third parties; the skills that procurement professionals develop in vendor management are extraordinarily valuable in that regard. Additionally, anyone who spends time working in procurement develops a total cost of ownership mindset that helps avoid short-sightedness and keep a focus on driving value through internal and external relationships.”
Ardent Partners’ latest report, “CPO Rising: Keeping Score,” is now available at the following sponsor links here, here, here, or here (registration required).
