PROCUREMENT OPERATIONS, GROUP DIRECTOR, REVLON, 31
Buying plastics for cars and ingredients for cosmetics may seem disparate, but both have been equally crucial to the development of Deborah O’Neil’s career in purchasing.
As a commodity buyer at Ford in Essex she was responsible for about $60 million (£36 million) of future sourcing and $90 million (£54 million) of current business. In 2002, she achieved $6.4 million (£3.8 million) of cost savings.
O’Neil then worked her way up to become European purchasing manager at Revlon in London before moving to the US to take up a role as a strategic commodity manager. She also worked as the firm’s director for strategic sourcing initiatives before taking up her current role, in which she reports to the company’s CPO.
Her remit involves managing spends of $55 million (£34 million) on merchandising and $30 million (£18.3 million) on maintenance, repair and overhaul, as well as providing support to $240 million (£147 million) of direct and around $400 million (£244 million) of indirect spend. She also has responsibility for procurement systems, global policies and procedures, and improvements to the supply chain.
