PROCUREMENT CATEGORY MANAGER, WINCANTON, 32
“A well-known and respected face within Wincanton” who “punches well above his weight, consistently over-delivers on everything he’s tasked with and whose motivation and energy is unstinting” is how group procurement director Jane Scadding describes David Widdows.
His diverse procurement career began at Ford after being offered an internship while studying for an economics degree at the University of Warwick. He then took an opportunity to immerse himself in Chinese culture on a voluntary scheme teaching English for four months in 1998.
Widdows then took a place on the GE graduate financial management programme, completing rotations in purchasing, sales, manufacturing, service and finance. From 2001 to August 2003 he was lead buyer for indirect commodities at white goods manufacturer Merloni UK. He then moved to Jaguar/Land Rover as automotive production buyer, followed by a category manager position at facilities management firm Faceo, before joining Wincanton.
As category manager at Wincanton, covering facilities management, he has, among other things, formed and led a new pan-European team of seven to deliver a 25 per cent bottom-line benefit.
