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Building Value Through Vision: Rahmah Aal-Ali on Procurement, Governance, and Sustainable Development

Rahmah Aal-Ali’s career is rooted in Dubai’s commitment to nurturing talent and advancing excellence across the public sector. From her early foundation in procurement at Dubai Municipality to her role today as Director of Procurement & Contracts at Dubai World Central Corporation (Dubai South), she has shaped her leadership around innovation, integrity, and long-term value creation. Overseeing procurement for one of the UAE’s largest and most strategically significant master planned developments, she plays a pivotal role in aligning commercial decisions with national priorities, economic diversification, and sustainable growth. In this interview, Rahmah reflects on the role procurement plays in enabling Dubai South’s vision, the strategic importance of supplier ecosystems, and the evolving capabilities required to lead procurement in a future defined by digital transformation, AI adoption, and ESG stewardship, while aligning with international standards.

Click below to access the digital version:

Career Journey: Can you share your career journey and what led you to your current role at Dubai South? What personal and professional experiences have most influenced your approach to procurement and contracts leadership?

My career has been shaped by the vision and support of the Government of Dubai, particularly its commitment to empowering youth and driving excellence across public sectors. I began my professional journey at Dubai Municipality as a Purchase Officer, where I learned first-hand how strategic procurement and structured excellence programmes can elevate public services, enhanced customer satification, and enable real transformation.
Academically, I have always been curious and multidisciplinary. I studied business management, entrepreneurship and finance, while also exploring fields such as art, horticulture, IT coding, and ethics. These diverse experiences gave me a holistic understanding of how different business functions connect, and how innovation, culture, and people shape outcomes just as much as processes and systems do.

Today, as Director of Procurement & Contracts at Dubai South, I draw on this blend of public sector experience and multidisciplinary learning. My leadership approach is rooted in innovation, integrity, collaboration, and strategic purpose, ensuring that procurement is not just a transactional function, but a strategic enabler supporting Dubai’s broader economic and development vision.

Strategic Role of Procurement & Contracts: Within Dubai South’s scope of operations and master-planned development, how does procurement and contracts function support the organisation’s strategic objectives and infrastructure ambitions?

At Dubai South, procurement and contracts are central to delivering our long-term development vision. The master-planned city spans over 145 square kilometres and integrates logistics, aviation, residential, commercial, and free zone landscapes into a unified economic ecosystem. To sustain this level of scale, procurement must go beyond simply sourcing goods and services, it should deliver added value and play a strategic role in driving growth.

Our function acts as the bridge between Dubai South’s strategic ambitions and their operational execution. We ensure that every procurement and contracting decision reinforces the organisation’s goals to attract global investment, drive sustainability, accelerate infrastructure development, and support Dubai’s broader economic diversification agenda.

Through disciplined governance, transparent processes, and value-driven sourcing, we elevate procurement from a transactional role to a strategic partner. This approach ensures that the pace of development is balanced with efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and long term value creation, ultimately contributing to a resilient and future ready urban ecosystem.

Digitalisation & Process Efficiency: What digital initiatives or systems has your team introduced to streamline procurement and contract management processes, and what measurable impact have these delivered?

Digital transformation has been a core focus throughout my leadership journey, beginning in Dubai Municipality and continuing into Dubai South. We have re-engineered procurement and contracts processes to move away from manual workflows and toward integrated, data-driven operations.

This includes the introduction of digital tendering platforms, automated contract lifecycle management systems, and analytics dashboards that provide real-time visibility into spend, performance, and timelines. These tools have enabled faster decision-making, reduced cycle times, increased savings through more structured negotiations, and strengthened governance and compliance.

However, digitalisation is not only about adopting technology, it is about transforming culture. By equipping teams with real-time data and automated insights, procurement has shifted from an administrative function to a strategic partner influencing planning, investment, and value creation across all Dubai South sectors.

Supplier & Partner Ecosystem: With Dubai South operating across logistics, aviation, real estate and free zone development, how do you select and manage suppliers and contract partners to balance cost, risk, innovation and long term value?

At Dubai South, our supplier and partner ecosystem reflects the ambition and diversity of Dubai’s economic landscape. We work with partners who share our commitment to innovation, sustainability and long-term development across logistics, aviation, real estate and the free zone.

A key priority has been supporting Dubai SME members. We have introduced tailored privileges and streamlined registration processes to help local enterprises establish and grow their presence within Dubai South. This includes enhanced participation opportunities and proactive outreach to ensure they can compete on equal footing.

We focus on building relationships rather than transactional engagements. Supplier selection is guided by a balanced scorecard that evaluates not only cost and risk, but also innovation capability, governance standards, service performance and potential for strategic collaboration. Ethical alignment and the ability to contribute to our long-term vision are equally important.

We maintain ongoing performance management through regular review sessions, capability building workshops and open feedback channels. This reinforces transparency and continuous improvement, ensuring our partners evolve alongside us.
By nurturing trusted, long-term relationships, we are able to foster a supplier community that grows with us, where global investors, local businesses and Dubai South advance together as part of a sustainable and future-focused ecosystem.

Governance, Compliance & Ethical Sourcing: Given the scale and profile of Dubai South’s projects, what frameworks do you have in place to ensure procurement integrity, contract compliance and ethical sourcing across your network?

Integrity and transparency are the foundation of how procurement and contracts are managed at Dubai South. We have established a governance framework aligned with Dubai Government directives and international best practices, ensuring accountability, fairness, and ethical sourcing across every transaction.

Our processes are embedded within digital systems that enforce compliance through automated workflows, audit trails, and clear approval controls. This reduces manual intervention, strengthens procedural discipline, and ensures decisions are based on objective evaluation rather than subjective influence.

We maintain strict supplier due-diligence standards, covering financial stability, legal compliance, sustainability practices, and ethical conduct. Contract management is reinforced through continuous monitoring, structured performance reviews, and clear accountability mechanisms.

For me, governance is not a limitation, it is an enabler of trust. It safeguards public value, ensures transparent use of resources, and strengthens Dubai South’s reputation as a credible, responsible, and forward-looking business environment. This commitment to integrity is central to sustaining long-term partnerships and supporting Dubai’s broader economic vision.

Localisation & Workforce Development: How is Dubai South’s procurement and contracts function aligning with UAE localisation policies and supporting supplier development within the region?

Localisation in procurement is not simply a policy requirement, it is a vehicle for national economic empowerment. At Dubai South, we actively prioritise partnerships with UAE-based suppliers and locally owned businesses to reinforce the national value chain and increase domestic capability.

We place particular emphasis on supporting Emirati-owned SMEs, providing them with streamlined registration pathways, fair competitive opportunities, and access to large-scale development projects across logistics, aviation, and real estate. This not only encourages their growth but also strengthens their long-term sustainability within the market.

Our approach ensures that procurement decisions contribute to the UAE’s strategic goals of economic diversification, innovation, and self-reliance. By cultivating local capabilities and enabling suppliers to scale, we are building a stronger, more resilient ecosystem, one that reflects the vision and ambition of the nation.

Risk & Resilience in Contracts: Large-scale infrastructure and free zone developments come with supply-chain and contract risks. How do you identify and mitigate these risks early, and build resilience into your contracting strategies?

Risk management within Dubai South’s procurement and contracts function begins at the contractual design stage. We ensure that all agreements are structured with clear and comprehensive risk clauses, defining responsibilities, performance expectations, liabilities, and contingency measures for both parties. This provides a strong foundation for accountability and transparency.

We complement this with a structured, organisation-wide risk registry, maintained and updated collaboratively with each business unit. This allows us to continuously identify, evaluate, and monitor risks throughout the full contract lifecycle rather than responding only when issues arise.

Our approach prioritises preventive resilience over reactive problem-solving. By embedding strong governance, ensuring clarity in deliverables and service expectations, and working closely with risk management and operational teams, we create contracts that are not only compliant, but also adaptable, robust, and aligned with our long-term city development objectives.

Sustainability & ESG in Procurement: How is your team integrating sustainability and ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) criteria into procurement and contracts, especially in a development-focused organisation like Dubai South?

Sustainability has always been a guiding mindset within our procurement and contracts function, even as Dubai South works toward formalising its broader ESG framework as part of our upcoming strategic agenda. We are actively encouraging suppliers to adopt more sustainable practices, from the use of eco-efficient materials to improving energy consumption and reducing environmental impact across their operations.

Our next phase is to embed ESG principles directly into our procurement policies and supplier evaluation processes. This means sustainability and social responsibility will soon be reflected in tendering criteria, contract terms, and performance assessments, not as optional considerations, but as core value drivers.

By aligning procurement with Dubai’s sustainability vision, we are shifting the role of our function from cost optimisation alone to one that also creates environmental and social impact, supports responsible business growth, and reinforces Dubai South’s role as a future-focused, sustainable development hub.

Team Leadership & Future Skills: In managing a high-performing procurement and contracts team, what leadership qualities and capabilities do you prioritise, and how do you develop the next generation of talent in this field?

I believe leadership is not about authority, but about influence, empathy, and empowerment. My focus is on fostering a culture where people feel trusted, respected, and inspired to take ownership. When individuals understand the purpose behind their work and see how it contributes to the organisation’s wider mission, they move from simply executing tasks to leading with intention.

I encourage my team to think strategically, seeing procurement as a driver of transformation and public value, rather than a transactional function. We prioritise open dialogue, shared learning, and recognition of effort and achievements. This builds a sense of pride and responsibility, not obligation.

To develop the next generation of talent, I provide space for experimentation, encourage continuous learning, and ensure each team member is supported in expanding their capabilities. When people feel empowered and valued, they don’t just perform, they excel.

Future Trends & Advice for Professionals: As the landscape of procurement and contracts continues to evolve across infrastructure and urban development, what trends do you believe will shape the next five-ten years, and what advice would you offer to aspiring professionals in this domain?

The future of procurement will be shaped by digital intelligence, sustainability, and strategic foresight. Artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, and automation will transform how we plan, source, and manage contracts, improving speed, transparency, and risk control. However, while technology will accelerate processes, the real differentiator will continue to be human leadership: the ability to combine data with judgment, and technology with purpose.

My advice to future professionals is to stay curious, agile, and values-driven. Procurement is no longer a transactional function, it is a catalyst for organisational transformation and public value creation. Learn the language of business, technology, and strategy, and stay grounded in ethics and integrity. The leaders of tomorrow will be those who can connect innovation with accountability and confidently earn their place at the decision-making table.

 

It’s Not the Technology. It’s How We Work Together.

This article reflects the perspective of Alex Barron, CEO of Ledger Series Media, shaped by ongoing conversations with global procurement, technology and leadership teams.

Where It Started

For most of my career, I’ve been obsessed with one thing.

People.

Not in a generic sense, but in a practical, instinctive way. Understanding how people think, how they learn, how they perform, and how they come together as a team.

That didn’t just come from work.

Understanding people and their actions has always been part of me. Even going back to studying sociology, I’ve always been drawn to looking beyond what someone does and instead trying to understand why they do it.

Not reacting to behaviour, but analysing it.

Looking past the surface and asking what’s really driving it.

That way of thinking has followed me through everything I’ve done.

That started early for me in Training & Development.

One of the first things you realise in that environment is that people don’t all learn the same way. Some need to see it, some need to do it, some need structure, some need space. And when you try to treat everyone the same, you get inconsistent results.

Not because people don’t want to perform, but because they haven’t been enabled in the right way.

Most people want to do well. Very few people come into work trying to fail or disrupt things. When performance isn’t there, it’s rarely a willingness problem.

It’s a clarity problem.
It’s a leadership problem.

I’ve heard the phrase many times in business, “round peg in a square hole”.

In my experience, that’s often an easy label.

More often than not, the person isn’t the problem. They just haven’t been shown clearly what good looks like, or supported in a way that allows them to get there.

From People to Teams

As I moved further into operations, that thinking evolved.

It became less about individuals and more about groups. Bringing together people with different personalities, different ages, different nationalities, and different ways of working.

The goal was always the same.

Create cohesion.
Get people moving in the same direction.
Deliver results.

For a long time, I believed something quite simple.

If people get on, things work.
If teams communicate, things improve.
If everyone pulls in the same direction, the business moves forward.

The Reality Check

Recently, I’ve realised it’s not that simple.

Through my own experience, and through speaking with hundreds of CPOs, CIOs and senior leaders on a regular basis, I’ve started to see a much deeper layer to this.

Because the issue isn’t just people.
It’s how organisations are structured.

Every function in a business is operating with its own reality.

Finance are thinking about cost and risk.
Technology are thinking about implementation, integration and stability.
Procurement are thinking about value, suppliers and delivery.
Operations are thinking about execution and disruption.
Leadership are thinking about outcomes and accountability.

None of them are wrong.

In fact, they’re all right.

But they’re right from their own perspective.

That’s something I’ve always tried to do at an individual level, understand the reason behind behaviour rather than react to it. What I’m seeing now is that the exact same principle applies at a departmental and organisational level.

And that’s where the friction begins.

From the outside, it looks like resistance.

Finance blocking.
Tech slowing things down.
Procurement pushing too hard.

But when you look closer, it’s not resistance for the sake of it.

It’s responsibility.
It’s pressure.
It’s risk.

Why “Why” Matters

This is where something I read years ago from Simon Sinek came back to me.

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

At the time, I saw that as a leadership concept.

Now I see it inside organisations.

If people don’t understand the why, they default back to protecting their own function.

They protect their budget.
They protect their systems.
They protect their responsibilities.

And that’s when silos form.

Where It Works

Some organisations understand this well.

Take Google as an example.

A big part of their success has been clarity of mission. People understand what they are working towards and why it matters.

That clarity doesn’t remove complexity.

But it creates alignment.

And when alignment exists, departments don’t just operate in isolation. They operate towards a shared outcome.

Now Add AI Into the Equation

I saw a post recently that summed it up perfectly.

AI investment is accelerating, but value is much harder to scale when teams are still operating in silos.

And that’s exactly it.

Because the technology isn’t the hard part anymore.

The hard part is getting organisations to actually work together in a way that allows that technology to deliver value.

Even in my own business, I’m knee deep in the move towards agentic AI and building it into how we operate.

And that’s in a small, founder-led environment where decisions can move quickly, systems are easier to change, and there is one clear direction.

Even then, it’s challenging.

Because it’s not just about plugging in new technology. It’s about changing how people think, how teams operate, and how decisions get made.

You’re not just introducing AI.

You’re asking organisations to rethink how they work.

To move faster.
To collaborate more.
To trust different processes.

And unless the underlying concerns of each function are understood, AI doesn’t unlock value.

AI doesn’t unlock value. It creates friction.

The Realisation

This is where it all clicked for me.

Everything I’ve done, understanding people, developing individuals, building teams, and driving cohesion, sits right on top of one of the biggest challenges businesses are facing today.

Not just getting people to perform.
But getting entire organisations to work together effectively.

Why This Study Matters

This is exactly why the work being done by the Lean Agile Procurement Alliance and World Commerce & Contracting matters.

But for me, this isn’t just something I’ve read about.

It clicked properly when I was in conversation with the team.

What stood out straight away was how aligned we were in thinking, even though we’ve come from completely different backgrounds.

They live and breathe procurement, contracting and transformation at scale.

I come from a background of understanding people, operations and how to bring teams together.

Yet we were describing the exact same problem, just from different angles.

That was the moment it landed.

We weren’t talking theory. We were describing the same reality.

Because what they are seeing across global organisations, I’ve experienced on the ground at a human level.

The same friction.
The same misalignment.
The same breakdown between teams.

Just at different scales.

That’s what makes this study important.

This isn’t another survey.

This global study is exploring how organisations are breaking down silos across procurement, legal, finance, supply chain and leadership to scale AI-driven value in practice.

It’s about uncovering:

Where things actually break.
Where alignment fails.
Where concerns sit.
Where transformation slows down.

Because once you understand that properly, you can start to fix it properly.

My Why

For me, this has been an important moment.

I’ve always been passionate about people.

Helping individuals perform.
Helping teams come together.
Creating better environments to work in.

What I’ve realised is that this doesn’t just sit at a team level.

It sits at an organisational level.

And in a way, that’s where my “why” has been the whole time.

Giving Back Starts Now

I used to think giving back was something you do later.

Once you’ve built enough.
Once you’ve made it.

But I can now see that it doesn’t have to wait.

You don’t need to wait.

If you can help people work better, feel heard, and operate in better environments, that is giving back.

To Sum It Up

This isn’t just about procurement.
It’s not just about technology.

It’s about people.
It’s about purpose.
And it’s about building organisations that actually work.

If you’re part of this space, your perspective genuinely matters.

👉 Take part in the study here: Have your say

👉 and book a conversation with me: Lets talk

Novelis

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Driving Sustainable Value at Scale: Global Sourcing Leadership at Novelis

With over two decades of procurement experience across oil and gas, automotive, and advanced manufacturing, Véronique Fraisse-Hergott, Global Sourcing Manager at Novelis, brings both technical expertise and strategic commercial insight to a complex global remit.

Managing approximately $100 million in spend across 22 plants worldwide, she leads sourcing for Casthouse & Water Treatment within Novelis’ Global Sourcing & Cost Analytics function. Her role sits at the intersection of operational reliability, supplier innovation, and sustainability performance.

As one of the world’s largest recyclers of aluminium and a global leader in flat-rolled products, Novelis operates in an environment where supply chain resilience, decarbonisation, and resource efficiency are not optional, they are strategic imperatives. Under Vision 3×30, procurement is playing an increasingly central role in delivering circularity, reducing emissions, and driving measurable value creation.

In this conversation, Véronique shares insights into managing complex global categories, building innovation-led supplier partnerships, leveraging digital transformation, and positioning procurement as a catalyst for long-term, sustainable growth.

Click below to access the digital version:

Professional Journey: You’ve spent over 20 years in procurement across multiple industries, from oil and gas to automotive and now aluminium. Can you share your career journey and what led you to your current role as Global Sourcing Manager for Casthouse & Water Treatment at Novelis?

I hold a degree in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, complemented by a Master’s in Industrial Purchasing from Bordeaux Business School (now Kedge Business School). From the outset of my career, I was drawn to procurement because it allows me to combine technical expertise with strong commercial acumen.

I began in the oil and gas sector with TECHNIP, serving as a project buyer on petrochemical projects. I then transitioned to the automotive industry, working for leading first-tier suppliers such as FAURECIA (car interiors) and JTEKT (steering systems). In 2009, I pursued an MBA at HEC Montreal, motivated by my desire to study in North America and deepen my expertise in finance and marketing. This experience broadened my business perspective and exposed me to diverse, team-based learning environments. International exposure has always been an important part of my professional growth.

Shortly after returning to France, I joined Novelis Group in Switzerland as Regional Sourcing Lead. Novelis is a global leader in aluminium flat-rolled products for the can, automotive, aerospace, and specialty markets, and the world’s largest recycler of aluminium. In this role, I managed multiple categories, including alloys (non-ferrous metals), chemicals, and energy, across the European region.

Following a company-wide procurement reorganisation in 2021, I joined the global sourcing team to manage specialty coatings, including coil and powder coatings. A year later, I was given the opportunity to lead global sourcing for Casthouse & Water Treatment. Today, I oversee this global spend with two direct reports based in the United States.

Our team sits within Global Sourcing & Cost Analytics, with responsibilities spanning sourcing, analytics, governance, and cost benchmarking. In addition to Casthouse, we manage other global categories such as can coatings, pre-treatment, rolling oils, and chemicals.

From Local to Global Procurement: You previously managed procurement at a regional level before stepping into a global sourcing role. What have been the biggest changes or learning curves in transitioning from local category management to leading a truly global procurement function?

Transitioning from regional to global procurement brought several new challenges and valuable learning opportunities. The level of complexity increased significantly, particularly in achieving accurate spend visibility across regions and plants operating on different ERP systems.

I had to quickly develop a deeper understanding of additional plant operations while building a broader network of global stakeholders. Maintaining strong relationships with local procurement teams became even more critical to ensure alignment, collaboration, and effective execution.

Navigating cultural diversity and coordinating across multiple time zones also became part of daily operations, requiring greater adaptability, structured communication, and clear governance to keep priorities aligned across the organisation.

Sustainability – Water for Climate: Novelis’ Water for Climate programme has been described as a key sustainability investment for the business. Can you tell us more about this initiative and how procurement contributes to achieving the target of reducing water intensity by 10% by 2026?

Novelis aspires to be the world’s leading provider of low-carbon, sustainable aluminium solutions, driving progress for our business, industry, and society towards the benefits of a circular economy. Delivering this ambitious sustainability agenda requires us to achieve more with fewer resources, which is why we rely on strong partnerships with like-minded organisations that share our vision and can help us implement our strategies effectively.

We are committed to reducing water intensity in our operations by 10% by FY26 from an FY20 baseline. To date, we have achieved an 8% reduction since FY20, with our European operations leading the way with an 11% decrease between FY20 and FY25. This focus is particularly important as water scarcity becomes an increasing challenge in many regions where we operate, closely aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

For several years, Novelis has partnered globally with Nalco Water to optimise water solutions within our casting cooling processes. Leveraging Nalco’s expertise has enabled greater consistency, operational reliability, and progress towards our environmental commitments. To formalise this collaboration, Novelis signed a Corporate Partnership Agreement with Nalco, driving both sustainability impact and measurable value creation. Within the first year, we achieved significant progress and realised tangible savings. The partnership has since expanded into key growth projects in North America, ensuring expertise is integrated from the outset.

In parallel, my team has focused on wastewater treatment strategies, particularly at our Oswego, NY facility. Through a comprehensive benchmarking exercise across Novelis sites and industry peers, we defined a gold standard for cost-efficient operations and emissions reduction. This work supports informed, sustainable decision-making that aligns environmental responsibility with operational excellence.

Strategic Sourcing and Value Creation: You manage a global spend of around $100 million across 22 plants and multiple categories. How do you approach developing sourcing strategies that balance cost, supply security, innovation, and sustainability across such a diverse portfolio?

The Casthouse category I manage globally is highly diverse and fragmented, so we divided the $100M spend into four sub-categories to manage procurement more effectively:

Furnace refractory repairs include refractory materials as well as labour and services for demolition, installation, and dry-out. Suppliers range from global and regional refractory producers to local contractors. The aluminium industry consumes less than 10% of global refractory production, compared to iron and steel, and aluminium presents specific challenges in terms of refractory resistance and lifetime.

Salt and Alumina are commodity-driven products, dependent on global markets such as potash and alumina feedstock. Casthouse Consumables cover a wide range of products used throughout the molten metal process. Finally, Water Treatment includes solutions for cooling water and wastewater management.

Each sub-category has a distinct risk profile and supplier base, requiring tailored strategies rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

For commoditised products like Salt and Alumina, we leverage global tenders and parametric should-cost models to create competitive pressure and outperform market benchmarks.

For Furnace Refractory Repairs, where failure can result in significant production downtime, reliability is prioritised over cost. We partner with trusted suppliers such as TAB Refractory (the refractory division of PYROTEK Group). Originally UK-based, their expansion across Europe and the United States now allows them to support our plants globally. Each region develops a five-year roadmap of minor and major repairs, and we proactively manage tendering schedules to allow sufficient time for contracting and project preparation. Cross-collaboration with plant refractory and reliability leaders is essential for sharing best practices, lessons learned, and material testing results. To support this, we have regional Furnace Improvement Refractory Expert teams, including procurement, with a structured cadence of communication and annual workshops.

For Water Treatment, we focus on sustainability and innovation, partnering with Nalco to reduce water intensity and enhance environmental performance.

For Consumables, we standardise specifications where possible and consolidate volumes to optimise cost and quality. Diversification and reducing dependency on single sources are key levers for both cost reduction and supply security.

Collaboration remains central to our strategy. We develop structured engagement models with our most strategic global partners, ensuring alignment across multiple regions. This approach enables us to balance cost efficiency, supply security, innovation, and sustainability across a complex global portfolio.

For example, Vesuvius is a global leader in molten metal flow engineering and technology, strategically positioned to support all our regions. Aluminium is a focus area for Vesuvius, allowing them to provide refractory solutions alongside a broad range of consumables. Together, we have aligned growth strategies centred on the development and qualification of cost-effective and innovative solutions.

Supplier Collaboration and Innovation: You’ve mentioned working closely with suppliers to implement innovative solutions such as High Emissivity refractory and Water Quality Intelligence. How do you foster supplier partnerships that go beyond cost savings to deliver real innovation and environmental value?

At Novelis, our commitment to innovation and sustainability is anchored in our “Vision 3×30”. The three objectives within Vision 3×30 are bold and ambitious, and achieving them requires every region, plant, function, and employee to work in a coordinated way:

  • Highly Circular: Achieve 75% recycled content by pushing the boundaries of material reuse.
  • Low Carbon: Become the lowest-emissions provider of flat-rolled aluminium products.
  • Industry Frontrunner: Drive profitability to fuel continued first-mover investment.

Procurement plays a critical role in delivering this vision. Beyond cost savings, we focus on building strategic partnerships that unlock innovation and environmental value. For example, during my tenure managing Energy procurement for Novelis Europe, greening our energy supply and reducing energy intensity were already strategic priorities. I co-developed an Energy Management Programme with our Energy Leader and Schneider Electric. This initiative revitalised energy efficiency efforts through site diagnostics and intensive workshops across five plants, identifying over 100 projects that significantly reduced energy intensity and supported our sustainability targets.

In my current role, we continue to foster supplier collaboration to develop breakthrough solutions. A key initiative is the “Furnace of the Future”, aimed at reducing gas consumption and emissions at our recycling and remelt centres, which currently consume multiple terawatt hours annually. Working with Wahl Refractory, we are evaluating high-emissivity refractory technology (EMaxx roof) in North American facilities to improve thermal efficiency. In parallel, we are leveraging digital innovation through Water Quality Intelligence, a Nalco cloud-based solution that provides real-time monitoring to enhance process control and environmental performance.

These examples demonstrate how we engage suppliers as innovation partners, aligning their expertise with our sustainability goals to deliver measurable environmental impact and long-term value.

Risk Management in Global Procurement: Given Novelis’ global footprint and exposure to multiple markets, how do you identify and mitigate supplier and commodity risks across regions to ensure business continuity and supply security?

At Novelis, we take a proactive approach to risk management in close collaboration with our Supplier Quality and Relationship Management (SQRM) team. Each year, we conduct a comprehensive assessment of our supplier base and evaluate Novelis’ exposure to operational, financial, and geopolitical risks. Based on the level of risk identified, we implement tailored mitigation measures, which may include:

  • Developing and qualifying additional suppliers
  • Establishing Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) programmes
  • Increasing safety stock levels at Novelis and/or supplier sites
  • Conducting regular supplier audits, particularly for high-risk suppliers or following quality and delivery issues

Despite these measures, not all risks can be fully mitigated. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated this clearly, as we faced unprecedented material shortages and supply chain disruptions.
In my previous role managing procurement for Magnesium and Manganese, commodities primarily sourced from China, Spring 2021 was particularly challenging. The Suez Canal blockage, cargo shortages, and port congestion severely disrupted global supply chains. Many traders held minimal inventory, and one magnesium supplier defaulted on their contract due to sharp domestic price increases in China, where producers chose to prioritise spot market sales.

Fortunately, our long-standing partnerships with European suppliers such as Foundry Ecocer proved critical. They were able to supply magnesium and manganese tablets at very short notice, ensuring continuity for Novelis.

This experience reinforced the importance of strong supplier relationships, local presence, and agility in crisis situations. While we monitor supply chain disruption indices to anticipate potential risks, accurately predicting the magnitude of global events remains challenging. Ultimately, resilient partnerships with reliable, customer-focused suppliers are essential to maintaining long-term supply security.

Digitalisation and Data: What role does digital transformation play in your procurement operations – particularly in areas like supplier analytics, performance tracking, and sustainability reporting?

Digital transformation plays a critical role in strengthening procurement efficiency and enabling more informed decision-making at Novelis. One of our main challenges has been consolidating accurate and meaningful data across multiple ERP systems. To address this, we initially developed a digital analytics platform, creating a data lake that integrates various ERP systems and is accessible through Power BI dashboards and KPIs. This platform has since evolved into Global Procurement Spend Intelligence (GPSI), offering enhanced functionality, faster loading times, and improved visualisation for quicker, more actionable insights.

Data quality, however, remains a key focus area. Challenges such as incorrect item categorisation, excessive use of free-text purchase orders, and language inconsistencies still exist. Our cost analytics team is actively leveraging AI to improve data accuracy and standardisation. In parallel, we are implementing a Spend Control Tower to enable more proactive, data-driven decision-making and advanced analytics across plants, vendors, and categories.

On the sourcing side, we have transitioned most global tenders to Coupa CSO eSourcing, delivering significant efficiency gains, faster analysis, improved scenario modelling, and stronger savings outcomes. Beyond operational tools, we are exploring AI applications that elevate procurement decision-making beyond personal productivity gains towards more strategic insights.

Finally, in contract management, we recently deployed Icertis, an enterprise platform with embedded AI capabilities. This solution helps summarise contracts, identify high-risk clauses, and suggest improved wording, significantly strengthening compliance and risk management.

Team Leadership and Development: You lead a global team with members based in different regions. What’s your approach to building a high-performing, collaborative procurement team that shares common goals while navigating cultural and operational differences?

I lead the global Casthouse procurement team, with members based in the United States, both at our Atlanta headquarters and working remotely. With myself located in Switzerland, managing distance and time zone constraints is part of our daily reality. However, we turn this challenge into a strength by establishing clear communication routines and leveraging collaboration tools such as Teams, email, and chat to remain connected and aligned.

I engage with my team several times a week, and we hold biweekly team meetings to ensure full alignment on priorities, actions, and strategic direction. These sessions are essential for discussing complex supplier issues, preparing negotiations, addressing claims, and aligning on stakeholder communications to move projects forward.

The core strength of our team is trust. I rely fully on my team, and they know they can count on my support. This mutual confidence creates a safe, high-performing environment where we focus on delivering what is best for Novelis and consistently meeting, and often surpassing, our targets.

Novelis’ culture plays a key role in how we operate. Principles such as “Say Anything” and “Be Open” are not just values, they are lived behaviours. We actively share ideas, give and seek feedback, recognise each other’s contributions, and celebrate achievements. This openness, combined with strong cross-team collaboration and supplier engagement, is essential to driving year-on-year innovation and savings.

Our targets are ambitious, and managing them across a global footprint requires a true growth mindset. While we are not yet where we aspire to be, we have the capabilities, the resources, and, most importantly, the mindset within the team to get there. I am confident in our collective ability to reach the next level.

Future Outlook for Procurement at Novelis: Looking ahead, what are your key priorities for advancing global sourcing at Novelis and what role do you see procurement playing in driving long-term growth and sustainable transformation across the business?

Looking ahead, procurement at Novelis will continue evolving from a primarily transactional function into a strategic business partner driving growth and sustainability. Several priorities will shape this transformation:

Technology and Automation: Increased automation and AI will streamline operational tasks and improve the management of tail spend. This will enable procurement teams to focus on higher-value activities such as supplier development, strategic negotiations, and innovation initiatives.

Shared Services and Efficiency: Routine and administrative tasks will increasingly be supported by shared service centres, improving cost efficiency and allowing procurement to concentrate on strategic priorities.

Data and Predictive Analytics: Strengthening a robust data foundation remains critical. Advanced analytics and predictive models will help us navigate market volatility, anticipate risks, and make more informed, proactive decisions.

Talent and Skills Development: Procurement professionals must develop broader business acumen, with a deeper understanding of finance, operations, and sustainability challenges. This shift requires continuous upskilling and attracting talent from diverse backgrounds to bring fresh perspectives and capabilities.

AI as an Enabler, Not a Threat: While AI will enhance efficiency and insight, it will not replace procurement. Success will depend on motivated teams who leverage technology effectively to deliver strategic value and remain closely aligned with business priorities.
Ultimately, procurement’s role will be to drive sustainable transformation, ensuring Novelis remains resilient, competitive, and aligned with our Vision 3×30 ambitions. By combining technology, talent, and strong supplier partnerships, procurement will act as a catalyst for long-term growth.

Ecosystem Partners

Companies supporting and shaping this feature’s wider story.


Wahl Refractory Solutions

 

Wahl Refractory Solutions, a FOSBEL company, delivers advanced refractory solutions that improve efficiency, performance, and sustainability in high-temperature industrial environments. Supporting critical operations across sectors such as aluminium production, Wahl helps partners optimise thermal performance, reduce energy consumption, and strengthen operational reliability through engineered solutions tailored to demanding production settings.

As highlighted in this feature, Wahl Refractory Solutions supports organisations in improving efficiency across high-temperature production environments.

Visit Wahl Refractory Solutions: https://www.wahlref.com


Foundry Ecocer

Foundry Ecocer is a leading European provider of solutions for the non-ferrous foundry industry, with a strong focus on aluminium and copper alloys. Founded in 2000, the company delivers specialised materials and auxiliaries designed to improve metallurgical performance, process efficiency, and production continuity. Foundry Ecocer supports industrial partners with tailored solutions that enhance quality across demanding manufacturing environments.

As highlighted in this feature, Foundry Ecocer supports organisations in improving performance and efficiency across non-ferrous foundry operations.

Visit Foundry Ecocer: https://www.foundry-ecocer.com

Brainfarma

Brainfarma Logo

Engineering Resilience: How Humberto Guimarães Is Positioning Procurement as a Strategic Growth Engine at Brainfarma

In a highly regulated and globally interconnected pharmaceutical market, procurement is no longer a transactional function. It is a structural pillar of quality, resilience, and competitive advantage.

At Brainfarma, part of the Hypera Pharma Group, Humberto Guimarães has positioned Procurement at the centre of business performance. With more than 15 years of cross-industry sourcing experience and leadership through 23 mergers and acquisitions, he combines governance discipline with strategic foresight. From establishing a procurement office in China to embedding digital transparency through structured platforms, his approach reflects a broader evolution in how procurement supports innovation, protects patient safety, and enables sustainable growth.

In this in-depth conversation, Humberto shares how Brainfarma’s procurement function balances compliance with agility, builds long-term strategic partnerships, and strengthens Brazil’s access to high-quality pharmaceutical products in an increasingly volatile global environment.

Click below to access the digital version:

Professional Journey: Could you walk us through your career path and highlight key experiences that led to your current role as Head of Procurement at Brainfarma?

I have over 15 years of experience in strategic sourcing across pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, home and personal care, and food. Throughout that journey, I have managed critical categories including APIs, excipients, packaging, engineering projects, indirect spend, and marketing services.

What shaped me most was transformation. I led procurement teams through more than 23 mergers and acquisitions, capturing synergies, consolidating supplier bases, and harmonising processes while maintaining operational continuity. In those environments, procurement cannot disrupt the business. It must stabilise, integrate, and optimise simultaneously.

Digital transformation has also been central to my leadership. I oversaw the implementation of platforms such as Coupa and Ariba, embedding governance discipline, auditability, and performance visibility into daily operations. Those initiatives were not about installing systems. They were about changing behaviour and elevating procurement’s credibility within the organisation.

Today, one of my most strategic initiatives is establishing a procurement office in China. With China and India representing the world’s most critical API hubs, a permanent regional presence strengthens supply security, negotiation agility, and market intelligence. My focus is building a globally integrated procurement organisation that combines strategic foresight with operational discipline.

Procurement’s Strategic Role: How does Procurement support Brainfarma’s mission of delivering high-quality, safe, innovative products while growing sustainably?

At Brainfarma, Procurement is not an operational support area. It is a strategic control point for quality, continuity, and competitiveness. In a highly regulated pharmaceutical environment, every sourcing decision has a direct impact on patient safety, regulatory integrity, and commercial performance.

Quality discipline sits at the centre of our approach. We enforce strict supplier qualification standards aligned with ANVISA and GMP requirements, supported by structured audits and cross-functional governance with Quality and Regulatory teams. Procurement safeguards product integrity before a material ever reaches the production line.

Resilience is equally fundamental. Brazil remains structurally dependent on imported APIs, particularly from China and India. We mitigate that exposure through multi-sourcing strategies, supplier diversification, and structured risk segmentation across critical categories. The establishment of our procurement office in China represents a structural enhancement of this model, strengthening our agility and leverage at the source of global supply.

Beyond continuity, Procurement also enables innovation and sustainable growth. We engage suppliers early in development cycles, support value engineering initiatives, and embed ESG standards into sourcing frameworks. Growth must be resilient, compliant, and responsible. Procurement ensures that it is.

Innovation in Supply Chain: Brainfarma emphasises innovation in R&D. How do you integrate innovative approaches into procurement processes?

Innovation at Brainfarma does not begin and end in the laboratory. Procurement plays a decisive role in translating scientific ambition into scalable, compliant execution.

We structure our sourcing architecture to balance speed with resilience. Dual and multi-sourcing strategies across APIs and excipients reduce dependency risk while allowing R&D the flexibility to accelerate reformulations or adapt to regulatory changes. Our qualification processes are rigorous, but designed to support agility rather than restrict it.

Brainfarma’s state-of-the-art R&D capability in Brazil is strengthened by global partnerships with CMOs and CDMOs that provide specialised technologies and advanced development platforms. Procurement structures these collaborations with clear intellectual property protection, regulatory safeguards, and long-term commercial clarity, ensuring innovation transitions smoothly into production.

We also prioritise early supplier involvement. By aligning technical specifications, documentation, and manufacturing readiness during development phases, we remove bottlenecks before they appear. Innovation succeeds when governance, visibility, and operational alignment operate together.

Partnerships & Collaborations: How does Procurement strengthen Brainfarma’s portfolio and market presence?

Procurement is directly aligned with how Brainfarma competes in the market. Partnerships are structured according to strategic positioning rather than transactional convenience.

In high-growth or differentiated therapeutic areas, we pursue exclusive licensing and co-development agreements that enable early market entry. Procurement ensures supply security, regulatory clarity, and scalable commercial frameworks from the outset.

In competitive markets, we focus on differentiation through formulation enhancement, delivery innovation, or cost optimisation enabled by global sourcing partnerships. These collaborations strengthen brand positioning without compromising compliance.

Where exclusivity is possible, we negotiate preferential or exclusive access to niche molecules and unique combinations, creating defensible portfolio assets. In commoditised segments, disciplined global sourcing ensures cost competitiveness and reliability. Procurement shapes portfolio strength by aligning sourcing strategy with commercial ambition.

Supplier Relationship & Quality Assurance: What strategies do you employ to foster strong supplier relationships while maintaining strict standards?

In pharmaceuticals, relationships are sustained through discipline and transparency. Trust is reinforced through verification.

We conduct regular on-site engagement across key sourcing regions, particularly in Asia, to observe production practices and quality systems directly. Physical presence strengthens alignment and enables early identification of risk.

Structured audits aligned with ANVISA and GMP requirements verify documentation discipline, traceability, and operational integrity. Corrective actions are formalised and monitored to ensure continuous improvement rather than episodic compliance.

Recent supplier engagement in India, including multiple site visits and direct collaboration with CDMO partners, reinforced the importance of cultural understanding, local presence, and relationship depth in building resilient and forward-looking partnerships.

In packaging, collaboration with specialised partners strengthens traceability systems and anti-counterfeiting safeguards, directly protecting patient safety and brand integrity. Strong relationships are built on accountability, not assumption.

Risk Management & Compliance: How does Procurement proactively identify and mitigate risk?

Risk management is embedded within procurement architecture, not applied reactively.

Supplier onboarding operates through defined qualification gates covering GMP readiness, technical capability, documentation discipline, and ethical compliance. Adherence to our Code of Conduct and Anti-Corruption Policy is contractually enforced and auditable.

The implementation of Coupa strengthened governance across the Source-to-Pay cycle, embedding approval logic, policy enforcement, and full audit trails into daily operations. This ensures decisions are structured, traceable, and repeatable.

Ongoing monitoring assesses supplier financial stability, geopolitical exposure, and operational performance. Digital alerts allow proactive intervention before disruption impacts production.

This layered model protects regulatory standing, operational continuity, and patient safety simultaneously.

Technology as a Strategic Enabler: With digital platforms such as Coupa forming part of your procurement infrastructure, how do you leverage technology to drive transparency, collaboration, and performance improvement?

Technology becomes strategic when it enhances judgement and alignment, not simply when it automates transactions.

When we implemented Coupa, the objective was not only to digitise processes or strengthen controls. It was to create a transparent backbone across the Source-to-Pay cycle that connects Procurement, Finance, Quality, and Operations through shared data and structured workflows.

Governance and auditability are essential in a regulated pharmaceutical environment, but the true advantage lies in visibility. Real-time spend analytics, supplier performance tracking, and structured approval hierarchies enable data-driven dialogue rather than assumption-based negotiation.

This transparency strengthens collaboration. Conversations shift from isolated price discussions to broader evaluation of total cost, service reliability, and risk exposure. Technology therefore becomes a catalyst for discipline, alignment, and sustained performance improvement across the ecosystem.

From Transactional to Strategic Partnerships: How do you ensure relationships evolve into long-term value creation?

Strategic partnerships are built through structure, not sentiment.

The foundation begins with clarity of expectations. We define measurable outcomes around resilience, compliance excellence, operational efficiency, and innovation contribution. A relationship becomes strategic when both sides are aligned on delivering against those objectives.

Digital transformation has enabled this evolution by standardising workflows and increasing performance visibility. As integration deepens, cybersecurity governance also becomes critical, with partners supporting structured IT governance and protecting ecosystem integrity within an increasingly connected environment. When governance is clear and data is transparent, dialogue matures. Suppliers are evaluated on their contribution to resilience, innovation, and long-term competitiveness rather than short-term price variance.

Co-Innovation and Measurable Value Creation: How does Brainfarma work with partners to co-create tangible outcomes?

Co-innovation is structured value creation with measurable impact.

In packaging, collaboration with partners extends beyond supply fulfilment. Early engagement in development phases strengthens traceability, compliance precision, and production efficiency while reducing operational risk. On the API side, partnerships are grounded in technical dialogue and capacity alignment. Through multi-sourcing strategies, structured forecasting, and long-term planning, we mitigate volatility while maintaining cost competitiveness and supply continuity.

Early supplier involvement accelerates regulatory documentation, specification alignment, and sourcing readiness, shortening development cycles and reducing bottlenecks. Disciplined governance frameworks ensure that value creation is continuous rather than episodic.

Logistics Resilience Amid Disruption: How has Procurement evolved its logistical strategies for greater resilience?

The pandemic reinforced that resilience must be engineered deliberately.

We elevated Supplier Relationship Management into a strategic discipline, maintaining direct engagement with critical suppliers and formalising contingency planning frameworks. Capacity visibility and scenario planning are embedded in our operating model. Logistics strategies were redesigned for agility. Multi-modal transport options and flexible freight agreements reduce dependency on single routes, while real-time visibility enables proactive intervention.

Brazil’s retail landscape adds complexity. Serving more than 100,000 pharmacies requires close coordination across Procurement, Supply Chain, and Commercial teams to maintain service levels consistently. Resilience is now the result of structured planning, disciplined partnerships, and enhanced visibility.

Talent & Capability Development: How does your procurement team remain current and competitive?

Procurement capability is a strategic asset that requires continuous development.

We conduct regular regulatory training aligned with ANVISA and global standards to ensure compliance remains embedded in daily practice. Ethical governance and anti-corruption frameworks are reinforced through structured programmes. Beyond compliance, we invest in strengthening strategic competencies such as negotiation, category management, cost modelling, and digital fluency. Continuous learning platforms support awareness of global sourcing trends and risk evolution.

Cross-functional collaboration ensures sourcing decisions align with innovation priorities and regulatory requirements. A high-performing procurement organisation is built on knowledge, discipline, and alignment.

Social Responsibility & Inclusion: How does Procurement support Brainfarma’s ESG and community initiatives?

Operating within the Cerrado biome reinforces our responsibility to balance economic performance with environmental stewardship.

ESG criteria are embedded directly into supplier qualification processes. Environmental impact, water stewardship, emissions management, and biodiversity awareness are evaluated alongside technical performance and compliance standards. Procurement prioritises sustainable packaging solutions, green chemistry initiatives, and waste reduction programmes that extend Brainfarma’s environmental commitment across the value chain.

We also encourage supplier participation in youth development and apprenticeship initiatives, strengthening local talent pipelines and community inclusion. Sustainable growth requires alignment between operational excellence and social responsibility.

Governance, Performance and Trust: How do you balance governance with flexibility for innovation?

Governance creates the environment in which trust can develop.

Structured workflows, auditability, and policy enforcement provide predictability and transparency. Digital governance ensures procurement decisions are traceable and consistent.

Clear KPIs and structured performance reviews provide discipline without restricting dialogue. When expectations are visible and data-driven, suppliers are more confident proposing innovation within defined boundaries.

Flexibility exists within structure. Strong governance enables responsible innovation rather than limiting it.

Building a Future-Ready Procurement Ecosystem: What defines the ideal strategic partner for Brainfarma?

The ideal strategic partner combines resilience, innovation capability, governance maturity, and ESG alignment.

Future ecosystems must operate with shared data, proactive risk visibility, and continuous improvement discipline. Partners should invest in operational reliability, technological advancement, and sustainable practices.

Digital transparency and performance accountability are fundamental. Collaboration must be supported by measurable outcomes rather than informal alignment. Procurement’s role is to curate a partner network that reinforces competitiveness, compliance, and long-term sustainability.

Strategic Priorities Ahead: What are your top priorities for Procurement over the next five years?

Our priorities remain clear: strengthen resilience, deepen quality discipline, accelerate innovation enablement, and embed sustainability into sourcing decisions. We are advancing structured risk mapping across critical APIs, expanding dual-sourcing frameworks, and reinforcing supplier audit programmes to protect continuity and regulatory integrity.

Exclusive partnerships and early-stage collaboration with innovation partners will continue to support differentiated portfolio growth. Digital analytics and performance monitoring will further enhance decision quality and visibility.

Every procurement decision must reinforce Brainfarma’s mission to expand access to safe, high-quality, innovative healthcare while ensuring sustainable and responsible growth.

Geopolitical Risk & Supply Chain Resilience: How does the current conflict in the Middle East impact pharmaceutical supply chains, and what is the role of Procurement in navigating this environment?

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East reinforces a reality that Procurement leaders in pharmaceuticals have been managing for some time: supply chain risk today is systemic, interconnected, and rarely confined to a single geography. A significant portion of pharmaceutical synthesis routes depend on solvents and intermediates derived from petroleum. Disruptions in oil production, refining capacity, maritime routes, or energy pricing have a direct and immediate impact on the availability and cost of critical raw materials. In recent months, several suppliers have already signalled potential shortages or allocation risks for key solvents, highlighting how geopolitical tensions can rapidly translate into operational exposure for the industry.

In this context, the role of Procurement goes far beyond price negotiation. It is fundamentally about resilience engineering. This means anticipating risk across multiple layers—geopolitical, logistical, financial, regulatory, and technical—and building structural responses before disruption materialises.

At Brainfarma, resilience is addressed through diversification of supply sources across Asia and Europe, multi-sourcing strategies for critical APIs and excipients, and deep, transparent collaboration with strategic suppliers. Many of our partners are operating under the same uncertainty, and navigating these moments successfully requires trust, open communication, and joint scenario planning rather than transactional behaviour.

Our experience during the pandemic reinforced this mindset. Companies that treated suppliers as interchangeable vendors struggled. Those that acted as partners preserved continuity. The same principle applies today. By maintaining close relationships, early visibility into supplier constraints, and disciplined risk segmentation, we are able to mitigate impacts and protect our operations without compromising quality or patient safety.

Ultimately, geopolitical volatility has elevated Procurement into a core leadership function. Decisions made in sourcing directly influence production continuity, regulatory compliance, and market access. In an environment where many suppliers are concentrated in Asia and Europe and global tensions remain high, Procurement leadership is about ensuring stability, adaptability, and long-term value creation, especially when the external environment is anything but stable.

Ecosystem Partners

Companies supporting and shaping this feature’s wider story.


Coupa

Coupa is a global leader in business spend management, enabling organisations to gain full visibility and control across procurement, finance, and supply chain operations. Trusted by more than half of the Fortune 500, the platform helps businesses optimise spend, strengthen supplier collaboration, and drive smarter decision-making.

As highlighted in this feature, Coupa supports Brainfarma in advancing spend visibility across its procurement function.

Visit Coupa: https://www.coupa.com/


Grupo NTSEC

 

Grupo NTSEC is a recognised provider of advanced cybersecurity, cloud, and infrastructure solutions, helping organisations strengthen resilience across increasingly complex digital environments. With more than 18 years of experience, the group combines technology, strategy, and operational insight to improve visibility, control, and data integrity. As reflected in this feature, its work supports a safer, more secure digital future.

As highlighted in this feature, Grupo NTSEC supports organisations in building more resilient and secure digital environments.

Visit: Grupo NTSEC: https://grupontsec.com.br/en/


CHEMO

 

Chemo is a global pharmaceutical group with more than 45 years of experience across the chemical and pharmaceutical value chain. Operating across APIs and finished dosage forms, the company combines industrial infrastructure with advanced development capabilities to deliver high-quality healthcare solutions. With a strong international presence, Chemo supports partners in meeting evolving demands across global healthcare markets.

As highlighted in this feature, Chemo supports global pharmaceutical organisations in delivering reliable, high-quality healthcare solutions at scale.

Visit Chemo: https://www.chemopharmaceuticals.com


All4Labels

 

All4Labels is a global leader in label and packaging solutions, combining technology and innovation to support brands across a wide range of industries. With a strong focus on sustainable labelling, the company delivers high-quality solutions that protect products and patients while meeting stringent regulatory and industry standards. All4Labels supports organisations in enhancing packaging performance and sustainability across their operations.

As highlighted in this feature, All4Labels supports organisations in delivering innovative and sustainable packaging solutions across complex supply chains.

Visit All4Labels: https://www.all4labels.com


Molkem

 

Molkem is a global partner in ingredients and formulation distribution, supporting pharmaceutical and life sciences organisations with scalable, innovation-driven solutions. With a strong focus on simplifying complex supply chains, Molkem combines sourcing expertise, contract manufacturing, and product development to deliver efficiency and reliability across global markets. The company supports partners in advancing R&D and strengthening supply chain performance.

As highlighted in this feature, Molkem supports organisations in enhancing supply chain resilience and driving innovation across pharmaceutical and life sciences operations.

Visit Molkem: https://www.molkem.com

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Procurement Garage

 

Procurement Garage is a specialist consulting firm focused on procurement transformation, supply chain optimisation, and applied technologies. Operating across global markets, the firm combines strategy with hands-on delivery to connect vision with execution. With a strong focus on operational excellence and measurable outcomes, Procurement Garage supports organisations in driving efficiency, resilience, and sustainable growth across the value chain.

As highlighted in this feature, Procurement Garage supports organisations in advancing procurement excellence and delivering sustainable performance improvements.

Visit Procurement Garage: https://www.procurementgarage.com

A.R.M. Holding

A.R.M Holding Logo

From Cost Control to Value Creation: How Ahmed Raafat Is Positioning Procurement at the Decision Table

In today’s complex investment landscape, procurement is no longer confined to cost control; it is a strategic lever for growth. It has evolved into a vital function that influences decision-making, strengthens supplier ecosystems, and drives long-term value creation.

At A.R.M. Holding, a diversified investment group operating across real estate, hospitality, and lifestyle sectors, procurement plays a critical role in shaping how projects are delivered and how value is sustained. Ahmed Raafat, Head of Procurement & Supply Chain, brings a unique perspective shaped by his engineering background and experience across large-scale developments in the UAE.

In this interview, Raafat shares how procurement is evolving into a strategic enabler, offering insight into governance, digital transformation, supplier collaboration, and the leadership mindset required to deliver sustainable growth.

Click below to access the digital version:

Career Journey: Can you share your career journey and what led you to your current role as Head of Procurement & Supply Chain at A.R.M. Holding? What experiences have most shaped your philosophy in procurement and supply chain leadership?

My journey into procurement was shaped by my background in civil engineering and early exposure to complex construction and development projects. Working closely with project teams gave me a clear understanding of how commercial decisions influence timelines, cost structures, and overall project outcomes.

Procurement shaped my career, but more importantly, it shaped how I see business through the lens of value, risk, and long-term impact. Over time, I recognised that procurement sits at a unique intersection between strategy, risk management, and operational delivery. It is one of the few functions that directly impacts cost efficiency, supplier innovation, and long-term partnerships.

Throughout my career in the UAE’s real estate and infrastructure sector, I have worked on large-scale developments where procurement decisions carry significant strategic weight. These experiences reinforced my belief that procurement should never be limited to transactional buying.

Today at A.R.M. Holding, I position procurement as a leadership function that supports investment decisions, enables delivery, and builds resilient supplier ecosystems aligned with long-term growth.

Procurement as a Strategic Enabler: A.R.M. Holding is a diversified investment company across real estate, hospitality and more. How do you position procurement not just as a cost centre, but as a strategic enabler of growth and value?

In many organisations, procurement is still viewed primarily as a cost-control function. At A.R.M. Holding, we deliberately position it as a strategic enabler of value.

The biggest shift is simple: procurement is not controlling cost; it is controlling value. Procurement is involved from the earliest stages of project planning, working closely with development, finance, and project teams to provide market intelligence, commercial insights, and risk assessments before sourcing begins. This early engagement allows us to influence key decisions around supplier selection, contract structures, and sourcing strategies.

As a diversified investment group, these decisions directly impact project feasibility and long-term asset performance. When procurement is embedded in decision-making, the conversation moves beyond price to focus on value, innovation, and resilience.

Procurement is not simply managing spend. It is shaping decisions. That is where its real influence lies.

Transforming Procurement Operations: When you joined, what were the key challenges, and how have you modernised procurement processes within such a dynamic investment group?

When I joined A.R.M. Holding, one of the key priorities was strengthening governance while maintaining the agility required in a dynamic investment environment.

The opportunity was to move from fragmented procurement activities towards a more structured and transparent framework. We focused on standardising tendering processes, strengthening supplier prequalification, and introducing clearer evaluation methodologies across major procurement packages.

Equally important was improving cross-functional collaboration. Procurement now works closely with development, project, and finance teams to ensure alignment on commercial strategies and supplier engagement. We focused not just on improving processes, but on elevating the quality of the decisions driving them.

Rather than focusing solely on cost savings, we emphasised building disciplined procurement practices that improve visibility, strengthen governance, and reduce risk. Transformation in procurement is not driven by a single initiative. It is achieved through consistency, better decision-making, and positioning procurement as a trusted strategic partner within the organisation.

Digital & Data-Driven Transformation: How has the integration of systems through the Boomi platform impacted procurement and supply chain operations?

Digital transformation has been a key enabler of visibility and decision-making across procurement and supply chain operations.

The integration of multiple systems through the Boomi platform has significantly improved how information flows across the organisation. This has created greater transparency around supplier engagement, project commitments, and financial controls. Access to integrated data allows procurement teams to make more informed decisions on supplier performance, timelines, and spend management, while also improving collaboration between procurement, finance, and project delivery teams.

Data does not replace judgement, it strengthens it. More importantly, digital integration shifts procurement from reactive purchasing to proactive planning. With access to accurate, real-time information, teams can anticipate risks, optimise sourcing strategies, and provide stronger commercial insights.

Technology does not make procurement smarter on its own. It makes better decisions possible, and that is where its real value sits.

Ethics, Governance & Transparency: How have you built a culture of integrity and transparency, and what does this mean for supplier relationships?

Ethics and transparency are fundamental to building a credible procurement function.

Achieving the CIPS Ethics Kitemark reflects a clear commitment to integrity, accountability, and responsible procurement practices. In an environment where procurement decisions influence major investments, strong governance frameworks are essential. We emphasise structured evaluation processes, clear procurement policies, and transparent supplier engagement. This ensures decisions are consistent, fair, and based on objective criteria.

Governance is not about control. It is about trust. The real value of ethics is not compliance, it is credibility. Equally important is creating a culture where ethical conduct is embedded across the organisation rather than treated as a formal requirement alone.

For suppliers, this builds confidence in the procurement process. For the organisation, it strengthens both commercial performance and long-term reputation. Strong governance ultimately supports trust, consistency, and sustainable partnerships.

Sustainability and Responsible Sourcing: How do you embed sustainability into procurement practices?

Sustainability is becoming an integral part of procurement decision-making, particularly in sectors such as real estate and infrastructure where supplier choices directly impact environmental outcomes.

At A.R.M. Holding, we are embedding sustainability into supplier selection and procurement strategies. This includes evaluating suppliers based on environmental standards, encouraging responsible sourcing practices, and promoting innovation in materials and construction methods. Responsible procurement goes beyond compliance. It supports long-term development goals and ensures projects contribute positively to the wider ecosystem.

Sustainability is no longer optional in procurement; it is becoming a commercial decision. The question is no longer whether organisations can afford sustainability, but whether they can afford to ignore it.

As global expectations continue to evolve, procurement plays a critical role in aligning business objectives with environmental responsibility. By partnering with suppliers who share these values, procurement can support projects that are both commercially successful and environmentally responsible.

Supplier Engagement & Partnerships: What is your approach to building strong supplier relationships?

Strong supplier relationships are essential to delivering successful projects within a diversified investment group.

Our approach focuses on building partnerships rather than transactional relationships. We prioritise suppliers who demonstrate reliability, innovation, and a clear understanding of our development objectives. Supplier engagement is based on transparency and clear expectations, and we actively collaborate with suppliers to identify opportunities for value engineering, operational improvements, and design optimisation.

The best suppliers do not just deliver scope, they improve outcomes. When suppliers feel like partners, they perform like partners. Many of the most impactful innovations come directly from supplier expertise, so creating an environment where suppliers feel trusted and engaged leads to stronger results for both parties.

In the long term, procurement success is measured not only by cost efficiency, but also by the strength of the supplier ecosystem supporting project delivery and business growth.

Managing Risk & Resilience: How do you identify and mitigate procurement risks to ensure business continuity?

Supply chain volatility has reinforced the importance of proactive risk management in procurement. Operating across multiple sectors requires continuous monitoring of supplier markets, material availability, and broader economic or geopolitical developments. Our approach focuses on early risk identification and diversification of supplier options where appropriate.

Maintaining strong supplier networks and market awareness allows procurement teams to respond quickly to potential disruptions. Close coordination with project and development teams ensures procurement strategies align with timelines and operational priorities.

Resilience is not built in crisis. It is built in preparation. Resilient supply chains are created through disciplined planning, strong relationships, and consistent monitoring. Procurement therefore plays a critical role in ensuring continuity and stability across the organisation.

Talent & Capability Building: How do you develop procurement and supply chain talent within your organisation?

Procurement excellence depends on the strength of the people behind it.

The future procurement leader is not simply a buyer. It is a strategist who understands business. Our focus is on developing teams that combine commercial awareness, technical understanding, and strong stakeholder engagement capabilities. Modern procurement professionals must navigate complex contracts, supplier negotiations, and cross-functional collaboration.

Continuous learning is essential. We encourage professional development, exposure to complex scenarios, and engagement with industry best practices. Equally important is empowering individuals to think strategically rather than focusing purely on transactional tasks.

Skills can be taught. Mindset must be built. When procurement teams understand the broader business context, they are better positioned to contribute meaningful insights and support organisational objectives. Building a strong procurement function is therefore as much about talent development as it is about processes and systems.

Advice for Aspiring Procurement Leaders: What advice would you give to professionals aspiring to lead procurement functions?

The best procurement leaders do not focus on procurement alone. They focus on the business. And when that shift happens, procurement stops being just a function and becomes influence. That is when leaders begin to shape outcomes rather than simply support them.

Featured Partner

Supporting and shaping this feature’s core transformation story.


Powerweave

Powerweave is a technology company specialising in procurement data transformation, helping organisations clean, structure, and standardise fragmented data across complex projects. Through its solutions, Powerweave enables procurement teams to improve visibility, enhance supplier compliance, and drive more confident, data-led decision-making. The company supports organisations in creating a single source of truth across procurement operations.

As highlighted in this feature, Powerweave supports organisations in improving data quality and enabling more effective procurement decision-making.

Visit Powerweave:https://www.powerweave.com

Levene Energies

Levene Energies Logo

Building Procurement Resilience Across the Energy Value Chain: Olugbenga Odunlami on Strategy, Risk, and the Future of Supply

In a sector defined by volatility, technical complexity, and global supply dependencies, procurement plays a decisive role in ensuring operational continuity and strategic growth. For Levene Energies Limited, a company active across upstream & engineering services, gas & power, trading, and renewable energy, procurement must operate with both discipline and adaptability.

Olugbenga Odunlami, Group Head of Procurement and Supply Chain at Levene Energies Limited, brings extensive experience across oil and gas, power infrastructure, and large-scale industrial projects. His career journey spans roles at General Electric and Income Electrix, where he developed deep expertise in supplier capability, contract governance, and complex project delivery. Today, he oversees procurement strategy across a diversified energy portfolio, balancing technical compliance, supplier performance, and long-term supply resilience.

In this conversation, Odunlami discusses how Levene Energies aligns procurement across multiple energy sub sectors, manages supplier risk in global markets, and builds a future ready supply chain that supports both traditional energy operations and the accelerating transition toward renewable energy.

Click below to access the digital version:

Career Journey: You’ve risen through roles in procurement and supply chain across different energy sub sectors. Can you walk us through your career journey and how your past experiences led you to your current role as Group Head of Procurement and Supply Chain at Levene Energies?

My career began at General Electric as a Buyer and Contract Administrator, where I gained a strong foundation in procurement operations and contract governance. I later transitioned into Supplier Development Engineering and became a certified SRG Auditor, which strengthened my technical understanding of supplier capability and quality systems.

GE entrusted me with increasingly complex mandates, including a recall from the GE–Transnet 465 locomotives project in South Africa to lead the one billion dollar GE Multimodal Emerald Project in Calabar, Nigeria. These experiences deepened my exposure to large scale project procurement and multi stakeholder coordination.

After GE, I joined Income Electrix, a company active across power generation, transmission, and distribution, eventually serving as General Manager, Services. The combination of oil and gas experience from GE and power sector expertise from Income Electrix positioned me well for my current role as Group Head, Procurement and Supply Chain at Levene Energies. Here I oversee procurement across upstream & engineering, gas & power, trading, and renewable energy operations.

Integrated Energy Procurement Strategy: Levene Energies operates across upstream engineering, gas & power, trading, and renewable energy. How do you align procurement strategies across these very different sub sectors to maintain cost discipline, quality, and compliance?

Aligning procurement across diverse sub sectors requires a unified framework supported by sector specific flexibility. I begin by establishing group wide policies covering cost control, commercial compliance, supplier prequalification, and HSE standards.

Each sub sector, whether upstream drilling or renewable deployment, then adapts these standards based on its operational realities. We operate a category management model that enables specialised teams to manage technical categories while still aligning with overall corporate strategy.

Centralised visibility through spend analysis, supplier performance reviews, and budget governance ensures consistency across the group. At the same time, technical committees help maintain quality assurance and regulatory alignment across different jurisdictions. This hybrid model allows us to optimise cost, maintain compliance, and protect quality while respecting the specific requirements of each energy segment.

Procurement for OEMs and Specialised Equipment: Given Levene’s procurement solutions arm sources from a global network of OEMs for items like 2,000 – 3,000HP 10-15K psi Land Rig, drill bits, blow out preventers, and Christmas tree assemblies, what criteria do you use to select these suppliers, and how do you manage lead times and technical compliance?

When sourcing specialised equipment such as 2,000 – 3000HP 10-15K psi land rig, blow out preventers, drill bits, or subsea assemblies, our first priority is OEM pedigree. We assess proven manufacturing standards, API and ISO certifications, and demonstrable field performance.

Technical compliance is verified through engineering validation, factory audits, and detailed reviews of quality documentation. Lead time management depends heavily on early engagement with drilling teams, realistic schedule planning, and securing production slots with OEM manufacturers.

To manage supply risk, we also apply dual sourcing strategies, framework agreements, and inventory planning for long lead items. Continuous communication with OEMs and logistics partners ensures that critical path components are closely tracked, helping us minimise delays while maintaining strict technical and operational compliance.

Renewable Energy and Local Assembly: Levene is active in renewables in Nigeria, including locally manufactured solar panels and solar PV system deployment. How do you approach procurement in renewable projects differently from traditional oil and gas projects?

Procurement in renewable projects places greater emphasis on localisation, cost competitiveness, and long-term maintainability compared with traditional oil and gas procurement.

For solar projects, we prioritise local assembly where feasible, leveraging LPV Technologies’ panel production capacity while ensuring that all components still meet global efficiency and durability standards. Local content compliance is central to this strategy, both to meet regulatory expectations and to reduce foreign exchange exposure.

Renewable procurement also focuses heavily on lifecycle cost, given the importance of warranties, degradation rates, and after sales support. Unlike oil and gas, where specifications are often rigid and OEM driven, renewable projects allow greater sourcing flexibility. This enables us to balance cost, localisation, and technical performance in a more strategic way.

Risk Management and Supply Chain Resilience: With operations spanning Nigeria, London, Ghana and Mauritius, how do you manage risk around supplier reliability, import delays, regulatory changes, or shifts in supply chain costs?

Managing risk across multiple geographies requires strong visibility into supply market conditions and robust contingency planning. We evaluate supplier reliability through historical performance data, financial stability checks, and compliance audits.

To mitigate import delays, we implement early procurement strategies, maintain strong relationships with freight partners, and build realistic timelines that account for customs and regulatory approvals. Diversifying suppliers across different regions also helps us manage geopolitical risk and regulatory changes.

Framework agreements allow us to stabilise pricing and cushion fluctuations in raw material or freight costs. Regular risk reviews covering logistics, foreign exchange exposure, political developments, and commodity pricing ensure that we remain proactive in protecting operational continuity across our global footprint.

Sustainability and ESG in Procurement: How significantly are environmental, social, and governance criteria incorporated into procurement decisions?

ESG considerations are now fully integrated into our supplier evaluation and procurement decision making. We prioritise suppliers that demonstrate strong environmental practices, ethical labour standards, and transparent governance structures.

ESG requirements are embedded within our RFP processes and supplier assessments, covering areas such as energy efficient manufacturing, waste reduction, HSE performance, and community impact.

A recent example involved sourcing solar panel components from suppliers with verified low carbon manufacturing processes. Although these suppliers were not the lowest cost option, their stronger environmental credentials and reduced lifecycle emissions aligned better with our renewable energy objectives and long-term sustainability commitments. This ensured that procurement decisions supported both operational performance and responsible business practices.

Supplier Relationships and Quality Assurance: Long term, high value supplier relationships are critical. What practices do you use to build trust and maintain consistent quality over time?

Strong supplier relationships are built on transparency, shared expectations, and continuous performance management. We implement structured onboarding processes, conduct regular technical audits, and hold quarterly business reviews to maintain alignment on quality, delivery performance, and compliance.

Supplier scorecards help us monitor key indicators such as delivery reliability, documentation accuracy, and HSE compliance. By sharing project forecasts and pipeline visibility with trusted suppliers, we also allow them to plan production capacity and prioritise our requirements.
Equally important is maintaining ethical business practices and clear contractual frameworks. These principles create mutual trust and ensure that suppliers consistently deliver the standards required for critical energy operations.

Digital Transformation and Procurement Tools: Are you using digital tools to improve procurement visibility and supplier management?

Digital tools now play a central role in improving procurement efficiency and governance. We rely on ERP systems to manage end to end procurement workflows, while spend analytics platforms provide deeper insights into category performance and cost drivers.

Supplier performance dashboards enable data driven evaluations of delivery reliability, compliance, and service quality. In addition, predictive procurement tools help us anticipate market shifts such as commodity price movements or supply disruptions.

The greatest impact has come from spend analytics and supplier dashboards, which provide real time visibility into procurement activity across the organisation. These capabilities strengthen strategic sourcing, reduce maverick spending, and support more disciplined supplier management.

Demand Forecasting and Inventory Strategy: How does your team forecast demand for high cost equipment and long lead items?

Forecasting demand for high value and long lead equipment requires close collaboration with project teams, drilling engineers, and operational planners. We analyse project timelines, equipment failure rates, and historical consumption patterns to build accurate demand forecasts.

For critical path components, we maintain controlled safety stock levels or establish rapid response agreements with pre-qualified suppliers to minimise operational downtime. At the same time, we avoid excessive inventory by applying just in time principles for non critical items.

Framework agreements also allow us to secure supplier capacity without tying up working capital. Ultimately, the balance between availability and capital efficiency is achieved through continuous cross functional planning and data driven demand visibility.

Advice for Future Procurement Leaders in Energy: What advice would you give to professionals aiming to take on leadership roles in energy procurement?

Future procurement leaders in the energy sector must develop a combination of technical literacy, commercial discipline, and cross sector adaptability. The energy landscape is evolving rapidly, and expertise limited to traditional oil and gas is no longer sufficient.

Professionals should invest in recognised certifications such as CIPS, develop strong data analysis capabilities, and strengthen their negotiation and stakeholder management skills. Equally important is gaining exposure to renewable energy, digital procurement tools, and ESG driven sourcing strategies.

Above all, successful leaders must cultivate resilience, curiosity, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Supply chains are becoming more complex and dynamic, and those who remain adaptable, ethically grounded, and strategically minded will be best positioned to lead procurement in the future energy economy.


Ecosystem Partners

Companies supporting and shaping this feature’s wider story.


Energy Quest Oilfield Services

Energy Quest Oilfield Services is a Nigerian-based provider of integrated oilfield solutions, supporting clients across drilling, production, and asset integrity operations. With a strong focus on performance, reliability, and local expertise, the company delivers high-quality services including well intervention, pipeline integrity, and engineering support. Energy Quest supports organisations in enhancing operational efficiency and maintaining critical energy infrastructure.

As highlighted in this feature, Energy Quest supports organisations in delivering reliable and efficient oilfield operations across complex environments.

Visit Energy Quest: https://www.eqoilfield.com


Alge Global Ventures

 Alge Global Ventures is a provider of integrated construction, engineering, and logistics services, supporting complex infrastructure and energy projects. With a strong focus on operational excellence, the company combines local expertise with international standards to deliver efficient, reliable solutions across marine and oilfield environments. Alge Global supports organisations in executing large-scale projects with precision and long-term value.

As highlighted in this feature, Alge Global supports organisations in delivering complex infrastructure and engineering projects with efficiency and reliability.

Visit Alge Global: https://www.algeglobalventures.com


B.M.S

B.M.S Waleed Enterprises is a diversified service provider supporting procurement, logistics, civil engineering, and energy distribution projects. With a strong focus on reliability and end-to-end project delivery, the company provides sourcing, transport, and contracting solutions across infrastructure and supply operations. B.M.S Waleed supports organisations in delivering efficient, well-managed projects across complex environments.

As highlighted in this feature, B.M.S Waleed Enterprises supports organisations in executing supply, logistics, and infrastructure projects with reliability and operational efficiency.

Visit B.M.S Waleed Enterprises: talk2bmswaleed@gmail.com