Sprint Hires Verizon Regional President as New Chief Procurement Officer
Late last year, the Kansas City Star reported that telecommunications provider, Sprint, has announced plans to hire Mariano Legaz as its newest Chief Procurement Officer (CPO). As of September, Legaz was employed with rival Verizon as its regional president, and according to the Kansas City Star, Legaz must wait until his non-compete clause expires with Verizon before he can formally join Sprint. Legaz spent 15 years with Verizon, beginning as an operations manager and continuing up the chain in various planning and analytic roles, to more recent roles as VP of sourcing and supply chain. Legaz received degrees from Universidad Católica de Córdoba and his Executive MBA from Southern Methodist University – Cox School of Business. Pending the expiration of Legaz’ non-compete clause, Sprint has hired an interim CPO, Ramon Colomina, who is also serving as vice president of supply chain management.
Brussels Airlines Appoints Sourcing and Procurement Manager as VP of Global Cargo
In other late 2015 news, Aviation Tribune reported that Brussels Airlines has named Alban François as its newest VP of Global Cargo, effective January 1. In his new role, Francois will build upon a cargo strategy he has developed in previous roles and work with stakehodlers throughout the airline to implement it. Francois previously served as Brussels Airlines’ Strategic Sourcing and Procurement Manager for more than two years. Prior to his time at Brussels Airlines, Francois served with the Beglian Air Force supporting C-130 and NH90 flight operations. He earned a Master of Science in Telecommunications Engineering from the Royal Military Academy.
Apple Promotes former CPO to COO
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple’s CPO, Jeff Williams, received an early Christmas present: a promotion to COO. In doing so, Williams becomes Apple’s first COO since current CEO Tim Cook left the role in 2011. As the Wall Street Journal notes, Williams is known as “Tim Cook’s Tim Cook,” and is known to have overseen the development of the Apple Watch. Williams joined Apple in 1998 as head of worldwide procurement, then became VP of operations in 2004 before ascending to the role of CPO in 2010. Prior to his tenure at Apple, Williams worked at IBM for more than 13 years. He received his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University and an MBA from Duke University.
South African Airways puts Interim CPO on Leave
In early December, Bloomberg News reported that South African Airways has placed their Interim CPO, Masimba Dahwa, on “special” leave amid continuing performance woes and management shakeups at the airlines. It is unclear why Dahwa was placed on leave – calls and emails placed to him and airlines representatives did not yield any background. However, an audit conducted by Ernst & Young’s Forensic Technology and Discovery Services team on South African Airways’ contracts revealed that 60% of their contract with 48 suppliers were “improperly negotiated, poorly contracted or weakly managed”. It is not clear if the audit or its findings are linked to Dahwa’s leave.
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