2006 Pros to Know

Harrison continues: "For example, Procter & Gamble is building new capabilities into our supply network to create joint value for our customers, consumers and our company. And we're working to ensure our supply network meets the needs of the rapid growth in developing markets and those "new" consumers."

Rob Hemsley Director, European Purchasing, The H.J. Heinz Co. Hemsley has transformed Purchasing at Heinz Europe by pushing for benchmarking, the development/implementation of new technologies and procurement strategies, and the up-skill of the procurement team. The result: Heinz achieved over $75 million in savings, better products and company-wide recognition of the value of procurement.

Looking toward the future, Hemsley says the market has a long way to go in terms of optimization and self-serve tools for both buyers and suppliers. His vision for the next wave of innovation is to allow suppliers to offer more creative, flexible and innovative options when competing for business with Heinz.

Helmsley says that unleashing supplier creativity and innovation into the bidding process will create entirely new options for Heinz. Heinz will exploit this trend to build competitive advantage out of its supply base. One outcome will be the ability for Heinz's procurement team to support top-line company growth. For example, he explains, the procurement organization will be able to work with the marketing organization around new product offerings in new markets, which will accelerate profitable growth and capture market share.

This fundamentally new vision will transform the procurement function to become a strategic partner at the executive level for companies, rather than just a center for driving cost reduction, according to Helmsley. And not one to wait for this to become a reality, today Hemsley is pioneering this opportunity to move beyond current e-sourcing techniques (e.g., the reverse auction) to more advanced e-sourcing approaches, which is well ahead of the industry.

Recognized as an authority on e-Sourcing, Hemsley has spoken at conferences on Spend Management and Supplier Relationship Management topics, including at the Conference Board's Purchasing Conference and at the Emptoris Empower User Conference on the topic of advanced e-sourcing strategies. Finally, J. Jimenez, the CEO of Heinz Europe, recently noted: "Of all our senior managers in Europe, Rob is seen as one of the high flyers — his relentless drive of our e-Sourcing program has emphasized the importance of the purchasing profession to the business more than ever before."

Kathryn Hinton Director, Strategic Sourcing, Sprint Nextel After the merger of Sprint and Nextel, Hinton tackled the challenge of bringing together the two sourcing organizations, establishing new policies and creating a new organizational model. She also launched a methodology to manage sourcing initiatives in support of the company's $18 billion+ synergy objectives.

Hinton expects changes to the supply and demand chain of the future to be fourfold: to continue to develop partnerships with key suppliers by understanding how linked the businesses are and how important these relationships are to everyone's success; to increase the visibility and importance of supply chain management (SCM) in the executive offices of non-manufacturing firms by increasing an understanding of SCM's ability to deliver results to the bottom line; to continue to improve and leverage technologies for SCM analysis and efficiency, including enhancing B2B opportunities with deeper integration; and to ensure Small Business/Diverse Business suppliers are mentored and provided opportunities throughout the supply chain.

Robert Kane Director, Supply Chain Management, General Dynamics C4 Systems Kane has driven the transformation of General Dynamics' Sourcing by automating and improving sourcing activity and increasing throughput. He is also implementing spend management practices to ensure identified savings become realized savings. General Dynamics cites Kane's efforts as having helped sourcing professionals share more knowledge and drive more savings to the bottom line.