Welcome to Procurement News, part of our ongoing aggregate news series covering recent supply management headlines and trends pertinent to Chief Procurement Officers and other procurement leaders! Contact us with your news story here.
Procurement Executive News
Jeff Woods Joins US LBM as SVP of Supply Chain
ATLANTA — US LBM, a leading distributor of specialty building materials in the United States, announced that Jeff Wood has joined the company as senior vice president of supply chain, leading the company’s building materials sourcing and procurement strategy and supply chain operations.
The company stated that Wood joins US LBM from Wesco International, a global provider of electrical, communications and utility distribution and supply chain services, where he had served as the company’s senior vice president of operations since 2021.
According to Don Riley, executive vice president and COO for US LBM, “Jeff brings to US LBM a record of success in leading supply chain strategy and operations, and we’re excited to welcome him to our team,” he said.
“Jeff’s extensive knowledge and experience will help US LBM further maximize our competitive advantage of creating strong partnerships while developing and implementing best-in-class processes to deliver superior value for our customers and suppliers.”
Wood has held multiple leadership roles in operations, supply chain and distribution, including executive-level roles with Allegion and Schneider Electric after beginning his career with General Electric.
Read the full announcement here.
Balfour Beatty Promotes Evan Sutherland to CPO
LONDON — Balfour Beatty announced notable changes to its digital, procurement, and supply chain senior leadership team — which includes the appointment of Evan Sutherland to chief procurement officer.
The appointments will support Balfour Beatty’s long-term focus on technology and innovation as a strategic imperative for the construction and infrastructure industry and will see the company drive further improvements in safety, productivity, and digitally assured capability.
The company stated that Sutherland joined Balfour Beatty in 2015 as UK procurement director. In addition to his existing responsibilities leading the UK Procurement and Supply Chain function, Sutherland will now head up all group-wide procurement and supply chain initiatives, promoting and adopting best practice to drive measurable value across the business.
The Sutherland and other appointments are testament to the dynamic career paths available at Balfour Beatty, as well as the development opportunities the company is invested in realizing for its colleagues.
In sharing his thoughts, Sutherland: “Balfour Beatty has a significant footprint across our chosen geographies with thousands of valued supply chain partners working alongside us to deliver critical national infrastructure and projects at the heart of local communities.
“Operating responsibly and with integrity is how we do business, ensuring that we have the systems and processes in place to uphold the highest ethical standards as we raise the bar for our industry,” he added.
Read the full announcement here.
Mika Toivonen Takes the Reins as CPO for YIT
HELSINKI — YIT has appointed Mika Toivonen (civil engineer) to chief procurement officer. Toivonen has worked at YIT since 1991 and most recently served as vice president, procurement of YIT’s Housing segment.
According to Heikki Vuorenmaa, president and CEO of YIT Corporation, “We have developed YIT’s procurement as part of the company’s transformation program and strengthened the significance of procurement in improving the company’s competitiveness,” he said.
“Mika’s role in progressing the changes has been significant and I am very glad that we continue to work closely. The importance of procurement in the construction sector is even more important as we strive to make our operations more efficient, strengthen our partnerships, and promote sustainability in a changing operating environment,” Vuorenmaa added.
Toivonen shared that it has been great to be involved in developing the competitiveness of the company’s procurement process. “We are committed to responsible sourcing, and I believe that we have a lot of potential in the construction industry to improve productivity and at the same time, reduce environmental impacts, both through material choices and improving energy efficiency,” he said.
Read the full announcement here.
PUMA Appoints Indy Sen as SVP PUMA Sourcing Group
HERZOGENAURACH, Germany — Sports company PUMA appointed Indrajeet (Indy) Sen as senior vice president PUMA Group Sourcing, taking over the operational responsibilities of the chief sourcing officer role. PUMA’s Chief Sourcing Officer Anne-Laure Descours has decided not to extend her board contract and will support the company as an external advisor in the field of sustainability.
The company stated that in his new position, Indy will oversee the global sourcing and development of footwear, apparel, and accessories, as well as operations and sustainability, reporting directly to PUMA chief product officer Maria Valdes. He has been with PUMA since 2016, most recently working as vice president of sourcing and development footwear. Before joining PUMA, he worked as global quality manager for German footwear retailer Deichmann.
According to Arne Freundt, CEO of PUMA, “Indy has been instrumental to our success in Footwear. He has excelled in various key roles such as adeptly managing the challenges of the COVID pandemic, diversifying our supply chain, and driving exceptional operational efficiency. Indy’s forward-thinking approach, people-first mindset, and relentless dedication of continuously challenging the status quo make him the ideal leader to spearhead our next phase of growth,” said Freundt.
“I would like to thank Anne-Laure for her outstanding contributions she has made to PUMA’s business over the past years, especially when it comes to successfully establishing and executing PUMA’s sustainability strategy, which earned PUMA international recognition and awards in this space. I look forward to continuing to work with her as our external advisor in the field of sustainability.”
Read the full announcement here.
Supply Chain Veteran Skip Tappan Adds COO to Résumé
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — Mama’s Creations, Inc., a leading national marketer and manufacturer of fresh deli prepared foods, announced the appointment of end-to-end supply chain and operations leader Moore (Skip) Tappan to the role of chief operating officer, further enhancing the company’s senior leadership team with the skillsets necessary to build the processes and a sustainable culture of success in operations.
The company stated that prior to joining Mama’s Creations, Tappan was CSSO at Gordon Food Service, the largest privately owned food distributor in North America, where he implemented end-to-end supply chain strategies for all business units, planning for the “Supply Chain of the Future.” Previously he was vice president, supply chain Northeast (NE) Division of Walmart, leading the division of the U.S. Walmart Supply Chain Regional Distribution Center network, annually shipping over $30 billion in merchandise to over 1,000 stores, spanning more than 100,000 SKUs.
According to Adam L. Michaels, chairman and CEO of Mama’s Creations, “We are privileged to welcome Skip to our senior leadership team, positioning us to better develop our employees and deliver on our vision of becoming the leading ‘one-stop-shop’ solution for high quality fresh, clean, and easy to prepare foods. Skip will help us drive further consistency in our operations across our existing businesses and prepare us, proactively, for future acquisitions and integrations.
“He brings strong strategic and executional business planning skills and a proven ability to deliver significant efficiency and effectiveness improvements in broad based operating results, from costs to quality to service, and will be focus on supply chain optimization, business planning, cash flow and cost optimization, asset utilization and organizational capability development.
“With Skip’s guidance and key CapEx projects fully installed and in operation today, our operational and people transformation is now largely complete. I look forward to working closely with Skip as we now enter the next phase of our profitable, highly targeted growth strategy,” Michaels concluded.
Read the full announcement here.
Supply Management News
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