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13 September 2012 | Adam Leach
Gerry Walsh, procurement director at LOCOG, and Chris Morgan, contracting officer at BAA Airports, have been named as the professionals of the year at the 2012 CIPS Supply Management Awards.
Having come out of retirement to take the role of procurement director at the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), and working “harder than ever” to put in place the equipment and services required to give the world’s top athletes the chance to go for gold, last night it was Walsh’s turn to stand on top of the winner’s podium as the CIPS Procurement and Supply Chain Management Professional of the Year.
Walsh, a past CIPS president, garnered praise for driving a sustainable approach to procurement and giving strong support to SMEs with 70 per cent of suppliers classified as such. Leading a procurement team of 30, with buyers stationed within functions, he transformed the way procurement was done at the organisation and delivered around £114 million in savings - beating a target of £75 million.
LOCOG chairman Lord Coe commented in the entry: “The team established a model for procurement that has never previously been done by an organising committee. By proactively liaising with teams across LOCOG, it revolutionised the way procurement operates.”
According to the judges: “He has developed and led a world-class procurement function that has achieved outstanding results to deliver the games that will be remembered for, among other things, being the most sustainable ever.”
In the CIPS Young Procurement and Supply Chain Management Professional of the Year category, Chris Morgan from BAA Airports beat strong competition to take the prize. Responsible for more than £1 billion in spend for the construction of the new terminal two at Heathrow, he has already delivered over £10 million in savings after settling disputes over baggage contracts. An area where he has succeeded is to develop the working relationship between BAA and its suppliers, in particular through his work chairing the ‘Intelligent Client Leaders Action Group’.
His boss Steven Morgan (no relation), executive director for capital programmes at BAA, highlighted “superstar” Chris as a future CIPS president and suggested his high level of competence at a young age gives more experienced buyers something to look out for. “We greybeards need to watch this guy, if for no other reason than to get out of the way,” he said.
Judges said: “Chris’s knowledge, experience and impact was impressive. We look forward to watching his career and seeing him become the next CPO of a leading organisation.”
Francisca Nyamukapa from Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe was highly commended in this category.
The gala evening was held in association with headline sponsor BravoSolution.
