On January 4, 2010, Ardent Partners launched CPO Rising as a new resource to procurement leaders around the world. The site tagline then (and now) was (and is) straight and to the point – “The Site for Chief Procurement Officers and Supply Management Leaders.”

Over the years, the firm, this site, and our community have grown exponentially. And, as we’ve grown, we’ve expanded our discussion, sometimes going beyond the topics that are core to the CPO and their procurement leadership teams. In 2022, we’re changing that and heading back to our roots with a renewed focus on the topics that matter to CPOs. There will be fewer articles, but if you are a CPO or aspire to the role, CPO Rising will remain your destination of choice as we cover the themes that matter in procurement in 2022.

Hand in hand with this announcement is the launch of a new series – “Procurement Experts on CPO Rising” that will aligns perfectly with this announcement.

Today’s article features an excerpt from my 2021 episode of the Procurement Rising Podcast – Jim Polak – CPO Rising Hall of Famer (click to listen to the full interview). Note that this excerpt has been edited for readability.

Leading a Procurement Organization

Andrew Bartolini: So, Jim, for the audience, paint a fuller picture, tell us a little bit about your career at PPG and in procurement.

Jim Polak: Sure, Andrew, it’s hard to believe it’s been almost 50 years now since I came out of University of Illinois with an MBA part of that I had gone to Purdue University and got an Electrical Engineering Technology degree. So, when I started at PPG, I started in the class manufacturing plant as an engineer. From there, I moved into a role in IT and management science, then on to market research. From there, I became a zone Customer Service Manager, then back into manufacturing as a department head responsible for production planning, quality control and purchasing. After that, I was a role as sales manager, then on to Director of Marketing and New Product Development. From there, I went back to manufacturing as a plant manager, then I became Director of Production and Distribution and finally, Director of General Purchasing, which covered most of North America and as it turned out, $1.3 billion in spend. When I began in that role, I had about 120 people in eight regional centers and 11 managers. When I left that role, I think we had around 53 people, 4 managers, and we were centralized around commodity purchasing, instead of just having these regional centers all doing the same thing across PPG.

AB: I often think that one of the best ways to truly understand a business is to work in procurement, because it touches all aspects of the business. You actually did that before you ended up in procurement. When you look at the specific experience that you had at PPG were there certain roles that you found were extremely valuable in your role then as the leader of the procurement organization?

Jim Polak: Well, I don’t know if there were any, per se, that were more valuable than another. But the benefit became, in my case that as I wanted to change the businesses that had their own little regional purchasing centers to more of a commodity centered focus within PPG. Having been in all these different functional roles, I knew exactly what the different groups were facing. I knew what they wanted to accomplish and it helped me understand where I wanted to take the corporate procurement organization while still supporting what they were trying to do from their functional/organizational standpoint.

AB: Right. So, as the leader of the procurement team and trying to determine where you want to take the organization, do you have recommendations to any of our listeners on how you stay focused as the leader of a procurement organization? How do you keep your eye on the ball and make sure that you’re executing against what’s most important?

JP: Well, you really can’t escape the short-term goals, the meetings, people development, counseling, and accomplishments along those lines that are in place when you start. Those are things that are there from a day-to-day standpoint. But I think you need to determine the fundamental changes that can be made to your organizational structure, to your functional automation, and to your goal orientation, then create a vision of long-term transformation for your function. Then, it’s up to you to try to sell both inside your own organization and externally within the broader PPG organization, where you want to take them, take the procurement function and, of course, why.

To hear the full conversation, click here – Procurement Rising Podcast – Jim Polak – CPO Rising Hall of Famer.

MORE CPO TOPICS

Procurement Experts on CPO Rising – Transitioning Into a New CPO Role

Procurement Experts on CPO Rising (Mergers, Acquisitions AND CPOs)

Procurement Experts on CPO Rising (Deploying Technology During a Pandemic)

Procurement Experts on CPO Rising – The Procurement Diagnostic

Procurement Experts on CPO Rising (A Modern Approach to Source-to-Pay)

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