Driving Change in Procurement: Insights from Sharmeen Lalani-Fade at Bayer Consumer Care AG
In the dynamic world of procurement, Sharmeen Lalani-Fade, Global Category Lead for Online Media and Data at Bayer Consumer Care AG, stands out as a transformative leader. With a rich background in procurement spanning over 15 years, Sharmeen has leveraged her experiences across various industries to drive innovation and efficiency at Bayer. In this interview, she shares her journey into procurement, the challenges and opportunities she has encountered, and how she is reshaping the online media landscape. From discussing the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace to exploring the future trends in procurement and technology, Sharmeen provides valuable insights into how she and her team are navigating the evolving procurement landscape while empowering fellow professionals to thrive in their careers.
Click below to access the digital brochure version
Career Path and Inspiration: Can you share your journey to becoming a senior procurement executive at Bayer? What inspired you to specialise in the intersection of procurement, online media, and data?
My journey in procurement began many years ago when I heard an industry leader speak passionately about the field. This ignited my curiosity and prompted me to pursue membership in the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (MCIPS) qualification.
My fascination with marketing procurement was sparked while working in the non-ticket revenue department of London Underground. There, I marketed and sold spare space on cable brackets to the telecom industry in the mid-90s to lay fibre optic cable. If you ever ride the Tube, look out the window to see the black and orange cables—black for power and orange for fibre optic.
For me, procurement is a unique space where one can truly embrace an entrepreneurial mindset. It requires mastering the end-to-end process while maintaining a strategic overview. You must think critically, mitigate risks, and dive into the weeds when needed.
One of my most exhilarating experiences was transforming my family’s business. I negotiated with creditors to arrange a five-year Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA), drawing on every ounce of my training in finance, negotiation, contracting, and process mastery. Today, it is a flourishing family business known as Park Villa Boutique Hostel in Mile End, London.
Aspiring to global category management, I gained valuable experience in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and healthcare industries. Nearly six years ago, I took on the role of leading the Global Media category at Bayer. As traditional media gradually became obsolete, online media rapidly grew and evolved. With my growing expertise, I often found myself training colleagues in legal, finance, business, and procurement. To explain online media and data, one needs to be a good storyteller, as revealing the complexities and lack of transparency in the programmatic supply chain within the online media ecosystem can be quite involved.
End-to-End Accountability: Your role requires end-to-end accountability in procurement. How do you manage the complexities of this responsibility, particularly when negotiating with major players like Google Marketing and Amazon Advertising?
I am a big-picture thinker and thrive on understanding the end-to-end process and the impact each piece has overall. If I need to dive into the details, I do. Bayer is a well-established and trusted brand that has successfully reached 160 years, and it continues to thrive under our new CEO, Bill Anderson. In contrast, technology platforms like Google are only 25 years old, and TikTok is just 7 years old.
My point is that the established systems and structures that have evolved over 160 years are not the same as those that are just a few years old. My role requires me to bridge these two worlds, whether discussing Joint Business Plans or orchestrating a cross-functional team tasked with ensuring campaigns are back online and bills are paid, or redesigning dedicated tech platform resources in legal or accounts payable.
One must understand the key elements of their operations to find the best solutions to any challenge, whether it involves Google or Amazon. Tech platform providers are composed of talented individuals, and if they believe you are there to facilitate their efforts, they will reciprocate. New media demands a new procurement mindset; otherwise, the doors will remain closed.
Navigating the Online Ecosystem: The online media landscape is constantly evolving. How do you stay ahead of the curve in understanding and leveraging the latest trends and technologies in ad tech?
Staying ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving online media landscape can indeed be challenging, but I embrace it as an exciting opportunity. I consider myself somewhat of a tech enthusiast and immerse myself in industry news and trends daily, even while walking the dog.
In addition to consuming news, I actively participate in webinars, technology conferences, and networking events where I can engage with thought leaders and peers. These interactions provide valuable insights into emerging technologies, best practices, and potential pitfalls. I also thrive on figuring out solutions when faced with uncertainty. At Bayer, we are fortunate to have a labyrinth of online training resources available at everyone’s fingertips.
Moreover, I collaborate closely with our internal teams and external partners to understand their perspectives and experiences. This collaborative approach allows me to leverage diverse viewpoints and adapt to changes swiftly. By combining my passion for technology with proactive engagement in the industry, I strive to not only stay informed but also anticipate trends that can drive our procurement strategies forward. For example, the emergence of a sub-industry of Google Certified Partners offering specific Google Platform technical consultancy services is a noteworthy development as companies continue their digital upskilling journey.
Driving ROI and Value: Procurement today must reimagine efficiencies and focus on ROI. Can you discuss how you balance financial and non-financial value, particularly in supporting Bayer’s digital acceleration initiatives?
Before embarking on any negotiation, every procurement professional must understand the key business goals, meaningful and actionable KPIs, and the ROI measurements that will help drive business and brand objectives. For every purchased product, one must comprehend its ROI. For example, when buying brand safety or ad verification post-bid products, it is essential that every cent is accounted for.
Oracle’s subsidiary, “Moat,” which is no longer operating, published a complex white paper on measuring the ROI of brand safety and ad verification. I utilise a straightforward calculation that I developed: it considers the benefits of preventing wasted impressions, such as the value of reduced wasted impressions, higher conversion rates, and improved brand perception, relative to the cost of preventing those wasted impressions, which includes the software needed to optimise and verify ad placements.
Challenges in a Male-Dominated Field: You’ve noted that there are few women in your field. What challenges have you faced as a woman in procurement, especially in the tech-driven space, and how have you overcome them?
As a woman entering the tech-driven space, I have certainly encountered my share of challenges. One significant challenge has been navigating the male-dominated culture that can exist in tech environments. This experience has required me to build strong relationships and networks with tech platforms and providers to foster collaboration and support.
To overcome these challenges, I’ve leaned into some of my strengths—such as empathy, my drive to continuously learn, and relationship building—to establish rapport and credibility. I actively seek mentorship and sponsorship from leaders in the industry, which has been invaluable for my growth and confidence. Additionally, I seize every opportunity to advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives, helping to create a more inclusive environment for everyone who works with me.
Ultimately, I believe that by sharing my experiences and supporting other women in the field, we can collectively break down barriers and pave the way for future generations of female leaders in the tech-driven space.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): You’ve been recognised for your work in DEI, including a Bayer leadership award. How do you integrate DEI principles into your procurement strategies and daily operations?
In 2020, Thomas Udesen, our Chief Procurement Officer, was a pioneer in championing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) within Bayer’s global procurement efforts. I was fortunate to be part of the team that came together to initiate the dialogue around DE&I and drive the agenda forward. We called ourselves SWIRL, which stands for Stronger With Inclusion, Respect, and Love. Securing the word “Love” was not easy, but we believed it was essential to our mission.
This marked the beginning of my learning journey in DE&I, focusing on awareness, action, and advocacy. I launched a safe space initiative, which ultimately earned me an award. The safe space sessions were grassroots open dialogue forums designed to foster honest conversations. In preparing for the bi-monthly sessions, I researched topics such as personal pronouns, institutional privilege (including aspects like being straight, male, cisgender, white, upper/middle class, and able-bodied), microaggressions, and intersectionality. This allowed me to upskill in DE&I terminology, tools, and concepts, similar to my journey in online media and the tech space.
This growing knowledge enabled me to weave DE&I principles into everything I do, including procurement strategies and daily operations. For instance, I began advocating for diversity to be considered in the engagement of creators and influencers, in the publisher sites where we place our ads, and in the teams that design media plans. I truly believe, along with McKinsey research, that DE&I drives better business outcomes.
Strategic Procurement Leadership: You’ve led the strategic setup of procurement deliverables. Can you share how you approach transformational leadership, particularly in aligning your team’s goals with Bayer’s broader business objectives?
For me, transformational leadership means coaching, inspiring, and empowering teams to align their goals with Bayer’s business objectives. My approach starts with clear communication. I believe in sharing the company’s mission and how our procurement strategy fits into that picture. This understanding translates into the Joint Business Plan goals that we have in place. Bayer’s powerful mission—“Health for All, Hunger for None”—gives us all purpose and is both inspiring and empowering.
Bayer is undergoing an organisational shift towards placing the customer and the product at the centre of everything we do. Linked to this is the goal of reducing bureaucracy and removing command-and-control leadership practices. For me, this is transformational leadership in 2024.
I also encourage team members to share their ideas and insights, fostering an environment where everyone feels valued. This not only sparks innovation in the ideas produced to overcome challenges and roadblocks but also increases team motivation and respect for one another.
Lastly, I focus on continuous development. I invest in training and resources to equip the teams that support me with the skills they need to succeed. In 2021, I developed online media training modules on Degreed, the training platform I mentioned earlier. This training is regularly updated. By nurturing their growth, we collectively drive the digital transformation at Bayer and contribute meaningfully to the company’s success. Ultimately, it’s about creating a culture where everyone is empowered to take ownership and contribute to our shared vision.
Podcast and Speaking Engagements: You were invited to speak at the Programmatic Pioneers Summit and record a podcast for the New Digital Age magazine. What insights did you share, and how do these experiences influence your work at Bayer?
I am passionate about programmatic transparency, defining and measuring ROI, and sustainability, including inclusive practices in the programmatic supply chain.
Regarding transparency, I believe that the only way to shift the needle is through legislation, such as the Digital Services Act. We have reached a point where it is imperative for industry bodies to achieve consensus on the highest standards of transparency that are universally accepted across the ecosystem.
When it comes to defining and measuring ROI, the narrative around measurement needs to be simplified and made accessible. Ad verification and brand safety serve as good examples of this.
On sustainability and DE&I, every link in the programmatic supply chain should strive to measure CO2 emissions consistently and accurately across the industry. Responsible media is a crucial part of this, and I believe that ad verification agencies should drive the agenda of effectively measuring where advertiser brands appear and do not appear—100% versus 99.5% of the time. Additionally, ensuring that sites that promote hate speech are identified and avoided is vital. I also advocate for the need to inspect every system and process for bias across the entire programmatic value chain.
Future of Procurement: As the landscape of online media and procurement continues to evolve, what trends do you foresee shaping the future? How is Bayer preparing to adapt to these changes?
The online media and procurement landscape is evolving rapidly, and I see several key trends shaping the future. First, data privacy and compliance are becoming increasingly important. With regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) tightening, we need to navigate these complexities while retaining trust with consumers. The recent news about the disbanding of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) means that advertisers must be more vigilant and thorough regarding where their ads are placed. Inclusion and exclusion lists have renewed significance, and ad verification agencies need to increase investment in R&D to better serve brands and ultimately protect brand equity.
Of course, I must mention the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning in ad tech. These technologies are game changers, enhancing targeting and personalisation, which leads to more efficient media buying and better ROI. At Bayer, we’re actively exploring AI-driven solutions to optimise our procurement strategies and processes, yielding incredible results.
Sustainability is also a major focus right now. Both consumers and brands are prioritising eco-friendly practices, which means we must adopt sustainable procurement strategies. Sustainability was integrated into our procurement framework several years ago, ensuring our partners align with our environmental goals. At Bayer, we are even reviewing tier-two suppliers. Within our joint business plans, sustainability forms an integral element, driving accuracy in measuring online media carbon emissions from creative ideation through to publisher site policies, such as the percentage of green electricity used.
Lastly, I believe that the shift toward full-funnel marketing should reshape how we, as a procurement function, approach media procurement. As consumers engage across multiple platforms, we should adapt by developing integrated procurement strategies that leverage various channels instead of siloed approaches. Additionally, procurement should consider cross-divisional and cross-agency partner joint business plans wherever possible—such as with Google, creative teams, media planning, sustainability efforts, and even ad verification agencies—all working toward the same meaningful and measurable goals.
