☛ Watch video interviews featuring the winners of the CIPS SM Awards 2011 on our YouTube channel
15 September
2011 | Rebecca Ellinor
Both
winners in the individual categories of this year’s CIPS Supply Management
Awards faced tough challenges on joining their organisations.
Sarah
Ellis, procurement director at BAA – who was last night named ‘CIPS
procurement and supply chain management professional of the year’ joined the
airport authority at a time when it suffered a series of disruptions ranging from ash clouds to
industrial action by British Airways staff, followed by a winter of heavy
snowfall.
She inherited an inward-facing team that lacked diversity
and a function that was tactical and perceived as administrative. Ellis turned
that situation around to build a team more aligned with the business, capable
of influencing decision-makers, while continuing to improve on costs.
She said: “Procurement and
creativity are natural bedfellows. If procurement is to continue to be relevant
it must push boundaries and this requires thinking differently.”
Judges described Ellis as having a track record of “first class
performance and a legacy of delivering best practice”.
Also on the shortlist was Andrew
Croston from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Chris
Odam from NATS.
In the ‘CIPS
young procurement and supply chain management professional of the year’
category, Lisa Callow from drinks manufacturer Global Brands
was victorious. She joined the company as sourcing manager in 2010 following a
restructure that recognised the need to increase attention on
procurement practices.
She focused on five main areas: understanding the current
procurement set-up; conducting a spend and contract review; building
relationships with key internal and external stakeholders; setting up
procurement systems, processes and tools; and conducting benchmarking,
tendering and renegotiation activities to produce cost savings and reduce risk.
Managing director Mark James said: “Her work has no doubt
led to us achieving great results in the reduction of spend in the production
area despite the tough economic climate in 2010.”
Also on
the shortlist was Alison McEwan from Wincanton, Chris
Morgan from BAA Heathrow Airport and Lydia Wolfe from BAE Systems.
☛ Full write-ups of the individual and group winners will
appear in the October edition of Supply
Management
