Welcome to a not-quite-so-New Year’s edition of CPO News, part of our ongoing series covering the recent announcements, hirings, and notable mentions of Chief Procurement Officers and other procurement leaders. Contact us with your news story here.

Coty Appoints Chief Procurement Officer – Stéphane Delbos

Coty has promoted Stéphane Delbos to chief procurement officer (CPO), effective February 1, 2021.

Delbos, who joined Coty in 2010, has been promoted from his current role as senior vice president (SVP) for transformation, indirect and procurement operations, where he has played a role in driving forward Coty’s broader transformation agenda. Delbos will join Coty’s senior leadership team and report to Gordon von Bretten, chief transformation officer.

Delbos is a senior procurement professional with over 18 years’ experience in the beauty and pharmaceutical industries. Prior to joining Coty, he held several local and global procurement positions at Pfizer and Ipsen.

Von Bretten commented, “Stéphane’s diverse experience and proven track record over 10 years at Coty make him a great addition to Coty’s senior leadership team. He has a deep understanding of how this company works and has been integral to progressing our financial transformation and successfully navigating the challenges of Covid-19. I look forward to continue working with him closely as we transform Coty into a true beauty powerhouse that’s stronger, more focused and set up for long-term profitable growth.”

In his new role, Delbos will be responsible for implementing Coty’s multi-year procurement strategy, which includes achieving a significant cost reduction target by FY23, reducing complexity and strengthening Coty’s new product pipeline with leading innovation from external suppliers. This forms an important element of Coty’s transformation program, announced in 2020.

The program is targeting a net reduction in costs of $600 million by the end of FY2023 and delivering more cost-effective and integrated operations. Coty reported strong progress towards these cost reduction targets during its Q1 earnings: delivering $80 million savings in the first quarter against a target of over $200 million by end of FY2021.

Hill & Smith Hires BP Chief Procurement Officer Leigh-Ann Russell

Hill & Smith Holdings PLC – Solihull, England-based maker of road safety barriers, pipe supports and street lighting columns – Appoints Leigh-Ann Russell as a non-executive director with effect from April 1. Russell is currently chief procurement officer for BP PLC, which she joined in 2006, and is responsible for safety, compliance and efficiency of its global supply chain. Prior to this, she served as BP’s head of procurement and supply chain management and vice president of Asia Pacific, new ventures and global wells performance.

“Leigh-Ann has strong operational experience, considerable knowledge of international markets and a clear understanding of the net zero carbon emissions agenda. Her appointment is part of the succession planning undertaken by the nomination committee over the last 18 months to recruit non-executive directors with the necessary skills, experience and diversity required to support the group’s future development,” says Chair Alan Giddins.

Kroger Names Former CPO To its Board of Directors

The Kroger Co.’s board of directors has elected Kevin Brown as a new member and announced the retirement of longtime director Bobby Shackouls.

Cincinnati-based Kroger said Wednesday that Brown will serve on the board until the annual shareholders meeting in June, at which time they will stand for election by stockholders.

With the additions of Brown and another and the departure of Shackouls, Kroger’s board will have 11 members, including Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen. Brown currently serves as executive vice president of global operations and chief supply chain officer at Round Rock, Texas-based Dell Technologies, where leads an organization of about 7,700 employees in 23 countries and a procurement budget of $67 billion.

He spent 20 years in leadership positions at Dell, including as chief procurement officer, a role in which he established himself as an authority on sustainable business practices, according to Kroger.

LENSAR Expands Board of Directors with the Appointment of Former CPO

LENSAR, Inc. (Nasdaq:LNSR) (“LENSAR” or “the Company”), a global medical technology company focused on femtosecond laser surgical solutions for the treatment of cataracts, today announced the expansion of its Board of Directors to seven members with the appointment Elizabeth G. O’Farrell, effective February 1, 2021. In addition to serving on the Company’s Board of Directors, Ms. O’Farrell will chair the Company’s Audit Committee.

Ms. O’Farrell previously served 24 years with Eli Lilly and Company, most recently as chief procurement officer and head of global shared services from 2012 until her retirement in 2017. At Eli Lilly, she served in various executive management finance positions, including senior vice president, policy, and finance; senior vice president, finance; chief financial officer, Lilly USA, LLC; and chief financial officer, Eli Lilly Canada Inc. Before joining Eli Lilly, Ms. O’Farrell was an accountant at Boise Cascade Office Products, Whipple & Company and an auditor at Price Waterhouse, LLP. Currently, she serves on the board of directors of Geron Corporation and Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc. and was previously the chairperson of PDL BioPharma, Inc. Ms. O’Farrell holds a B.S. and an M.B.A. from Indiana University.

“I have had the opportunity to see firsthand the evolution of LENSAR and its disruptive technology over the last several years. This is a truly exciting time for the Company, and I have been impressed by the team’s progress, particularly in light of the macro-level challenges related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” said Elizabeth O’Farrell. “I believe that this technology has tremendous potential in the cataract surgery market and look forward to contributing to the Company’s future accomplishments.”

IRS deploys bots to streamline procurement processes

When the National Defense Authorization Act required the IRS procurement office to insert telecommunications security language into all its contracts, staff used a bot to accomplish in three days what would have taken a year.

“As we looked at the number of contracts that had that criteria, it was 1,466 active contracts,” IRS Chief Procurement Officer Shanna Webbers said. “It would have taken us almost up to a year to modify all of those contracts.”

Called the DATA Act Bot, the tool focuses on improving transparency and accuracy of data in the Federal Procurement Data System and on improving compliance with its namesake, the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014….. (read more here)

AB-InBev’s Investment in plant protein accelerates

…Anheuser-Busch InBev, Leuven, Belgium, is supplying “spent grains” left over from brewing to EverGrain, which is turning the grains into protein-rich and fiber-rich barley ingredients…“AB InBev is proud to support such a remarkable, purpose-driven venture with a mission to create incredible ingredients to nourish the world through the transformative power of circularity,” said Tony Milikin, chief sustainability and procurement officer for AB InBev. “EverGrain marks an important milestone in our ultimate goal of building a better world as we look to the next 100 years and beyond.” (read more here)

New Orleans Announces Restructuring of Supplier Diversity Program 

Mayor LaToya Cantrell today joined other City officials and community leaders to announce a restructuring of the procurement process to improve supplier diversity when it comes to awarding and tracking City contracts to local businesses. The restructuring includes moving the Office of Supplier Diversity under the Finance Department, led by Chief Financial Officer Norman White. This allows Supplier Diversity and Procurement, also under Finance, to have earlier involvement in the procurement process. This will allow all involved to assess the performance of both Primes and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) in prior contracting, which in turn will lead to a more effective process with improved accountability.

“Ensuring that both the Office of Supplier Diversity and the Office of Procurement are under Finance will lead to a more effective and efficient process that will provide more opportunities for our women- and Black-owned businesses who previously have felt left out of the contracting process. We are making City Hall a more equitable place to do business and resolving one of the key issues we learned from our transition report when I came into office,” said Mayor Cantrell…

“We are enhancing research tools so that we can really know where waivers and single source contracts may signal that we need to spur on the creation of new businesses,” said Camille Hazeur, Director of the Office of Supplier Diversity. “We will continue to work to support BuildNOLA and partnering with the Chambers, the Urban League, and with our own City economic and community programs designed to prepare for a larger, skilled workforce.” (read more here)

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