This October, the Future of Sourcing Awards will celebrate individuals newer to the industry whose thought leadership and expertise have shown promise that is likely to have a lasting impact on the industry. Below, read about Rising Star Finalist Morgan Gandee. Morgan is the Vice President of Global Indirect Procurement and manages a team of Global Category Managers responsible for $300 million in spend.
Rising Star Interview: Morgan Gandee
At Goodyear, my first engineering manager was promoted into the Global Purchasing organization. Within a short period of time he gave me the opportunity to join his team as a buyer where I became hooked on procurement, negotiations and sourcing and I have never left the profession.
I intend to transform procurement to be seen as a trusted business partner that provides value through creative solutions that enable the right suppliers provide the right goods and services at the right price and time. Through this journey I will influence the next generation of procurement leaders to eliminate waste and focus on continuous improvement.
I have had the privilege of working for and with multiple mentors throughout my career. Specifically, Juan Molina, Tom Henderson, John Schiavone, Jean Dockman, Frank Corris, and Brue AmEnde have shaped my perspectives and uniquely demonstrated how procurement can be a trusted business partner that delivers real business value while always maintaining the highest levels of integrity.
I wish more people realized that procurement and sourcing professionals are not focused on price alone, but we are focused on providing the best business value which involves many factors outside of price. In addition, I wish more people understood the importance of quality spend data to enable effective upstream sourcing. Quality data is key to making good decisions.
The adoption of artificial intelligence and mobile technology to eliminate non-value added processes and enable better and faster business decisions.
Focus on being an active listener and understanding, as opposed to being understood by others. Many times you will not have the right answers, but effective listening and asking questions to better understand your business partners will foster positive workplace relationships that will lead to better results.
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