Building the Talent Engine Behind Supply Chain Transformation: A Conversation with Adlina Azavedo of Michael Page Saudi Arabia
Adlina Azavedo’s journey from finance graduate to leading supply chain recruitment specialist at Michael Page Saudi Arabia is a story shaped by instinct, exposure, and impact. With a childhood steeped in logistics and a career rooted in understanding the deeper dynamics of procurement and supply chain functions, Adlina brings a unique lens to one of the region’s most critical talent markets. In this Executive Insight, she shares her reflections on the Kingdom’s evolving hiring landscape, from greenfield builds and localisation targets to the growing demand for strategic capability and digital literacy. Candid and insightful, Adlina offers advice for both hiring leaders and aspiring professionals navigating Saudi Arabia’s dynamic Vision 2030 economy.
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Career Journey: Can you share your career journey and what led you to your current role at Michael Page Saudi Arabia? What personal and professional experiences have most shaped your approach to procurement and supply chain recruitment?
I graduated from Heriot-Watt with a degree in Business and Finance and, to be honest, like many fresh grads, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do. I got a call about an internship opportunity with Michael Page and ended up attending an assessment day with group tasks, case studies, and interviews. Around the same time, I also had a permanent offer as a payroll accountant, which I initially accepted, but the hiring manager at Page gave me a call, and let’s just say his sales pitch was convincing enough that I gave up a permanent offer for a six-month, stipend-only internship.
I started in the Property & Construction team, but I sat right next to the Procurement & Supply Chain desk, and that hit close to home. My dad is a supply chain professional, and I practically grew up in a warehouse. I was helping him with Excel reports in high school, and terms like “picking,” “packing,” and “air waybill” were just part of our daily vocabulary.
So when I was given the choice between building my career in Sales & Marketing or Supply Chain, I picked the latter, it was a no-brainer. To me, supply chain isn’t just a job category, it’s an ecosystem. It’s how the world moves. From food security to healthcare to national resilience, supply chain and procurement are central to all of it. That’s what makes this more than just recruitment for me. I’m invested in the impact this function has on the world around us.
The Talent Behind Supply Chain Success: At Michael Page, you work closely with clients to shape their supply chain capabilities. How do you identify and match the right procurement and logistics talent to evolving market needs in Saudi Arabia?
Recruiting in procurement and supply chain isn’t just about matching job titles and years of experience. It’s about understanding where the organisation currently is on its maturity curve, where it wants to go, and what kind of infrastructure, leadership, and expectations exist internally. Especially in Saudi, many businesses are building from scratch, and they often think they need a strategic CPO-type profile when, in reality, they haven’t yet identified their basic procurement requirements. Not every company is ready to implement strategic procurement principles, especially if the basics, like spend visibility, supplier governance, or internal alignment, aren’t yet in place.
I always say: hiring someone “strategic” before the foundation is ready is like hiring a pilot before you’ve built the runway. The result is misalignment, burnout, and lost opportunity, for both client and candidate.
My role is to challenge briefs when needed and educate clients, because procurement isn’t just about cost savings and logistics isn’t just about moving things from point A to B. It’s about strategic value creation, risk mitigation, and enabling scale.
Once I’ve grasped the client’s context and clarified the brief, I use a structured lens to assess candidates. My focus is on behaviours and traits that signal long-term success. It’s not just about finding someone who can ‘do’ the role, but about identifying who will thrive in that specific environment
Evolving Client Expectations in the Kingdom: As Vision 2030 accelerates economic diversification, what trends are you seeing in client demand for procurement and supply chain professionals in KSA? Which sectors are leading the demand?
With Vision 2030 driving economic diversification and digital transformation, the nature of hiring in procurement and supply chain has evolved significantly.
There’s strong demand for professionals with experience in greenfield environments, those who can drive transformation, implement ERPs, and operate within business partnering models. But above all, change management has become non-negotiable.
In procurement, clients are looking for candidates who understand value beyond cost, professionals who can establish strategic sourcing, build category strategies, and work cross-functionally. On the supply chain and logistics side, the focus is on mobility integration, AI adoption, and improving efficiency in high-volume, low-margin environments. Clients want people who can streamline processes, reduce delivery times, and maintain customer satisfaction at scale.
There’s also a rising demand for bilingual professionals, especially Arabic speakers with international exposure who can bridge local context with global standards.
Recruiting for Resilience: How have recent global disruptions, like COVID-19 and Red Sea shipping issues, influenced how companies in Saudi Arabia approach supply chain hiring?
In the face of global disruptions, whether COVID, the Red Sea crisis, or wider geopolitical volatility, we’ve seen two responses from companies. Some have taken a risk-averse approach, scaling back hiring and focusing solely on core operations. Others, and I believe rightly so, have doubled down on building resilient supply chains, including investing in strategic talent.
There’s been an uptick in demand for candidates with expertise in multimodal logistics, vendor risk management, and contingency planning. These professionals are expected to create agile workflows that maximise current capacity while building in buffers to absorb future shocks.
In procurement, the focus has shifted beyond just consolidation. It’s now about building long-term supplier partnerships, creating cross-functional synergies, and leveraging outsourcing or nearshoring models to manage uncertainty.
Localisation has naturally become a key priority. But it’s not just about compliance anymore, organisations increasingly view it as a strategy to reduce dependency on fragile global trade lanes.
There’s also growing interest in deep supply chain risk mapping, not just Tier 1 suppliers, but also Tier 2 and Tier 3 exposures, ensuring companies have better visibility and control across the entire value chain.
Of course, it’s not just companies navigating uncertainty- candidates are too. Many are understandably cautious about making a move in volatile times. But when organisations present a clear strategy, defined career pathways, and compelling packages, the right talent still leans in.
The Saudi Nationalisation Agenda (Saudisation): What role does Saudisation play in procurement and supply chain hiring, and how do you support both clients and candidates in aligning with national workforce objectives?
Saudisation in procurement is gaining significant traction, especially as the government accelerates local content development. In logistics, there’s still some flexibility, largely because the supply of skilled local professionals in technical logistics roles hasn’t yet caught up.
As a recruiter, I actively collaborate with organisations like CIPS and the Saudi Logistics Academy, both of which are doing phenomenal work in upskilling Saudi talent. I also encourage clients to consider local candidates with potential and to create environments that support their growth. But that environment really matters, hiring a Saudi candidate just to tick a compliance box is a short-term move. What’s needed is mentorship, structure, and a clear development path to ensure sustainable success.
At the end of the day, it’s not just about meeting client demands, it’s about what will work, what can scale, and what the broader talent ecosystem can realistically support.
An example of that is when I advise clients to invest in mid-junior professionals with potential and give them the right runway. It’s one of the most effective ways to build the next generation of leaders. Unicorns are rare- grow your own.
Strategic Procurement in Family-Owned Groups: In your experience, what does the reality of implementing strategic procurement look like within family-owned conglomerates in the region? What unique dynamics or challenges do you see when it comes to embedding procurement as a strategic value-driver in these environments?
This is a really relevant and interesting topic, especially in today’s climate. It’s also a space where I feel I can bring a lot of value, not just because I work in recruitment, but because I’ve spent the last nine years specifically focused on procurement and supply chain talent across the region. I’ve had the chance to observe the evolution of the function, the maturity curve of different businesses, and the kind of talent that has succeeded, or struggled, within various organisational setups, including family groups.
Just recently, I was speaking with the Group COO of a prominent family group who shared his frustrations around the lack of cohesion among subsidiaries. It reminded me of a candidate I knew who had taken on a similar challenge. His approach wasn’t to impose a one-size-fits-all procurement structure, but rather to identify replicable best practices and drive cross-learning.
Now, that sounds straightforward in theory, but the reality is far more complex. In a family group, you’re not just changing systems or policies, you’re challenging years, sometimes decades, of embedded ways of working. You’re walking into an environment where you need to say, “There’s a better way to do this.” And as we all know, change management is often the hardest part of any transformation.
That’s why the kind of talent you bring in for such a project is critical. You need someone who not only understands procurement at a strategic level, the frameworks, the cost levers, the governance, but also someone who is emotionally intelligent, politically astute, and capable of driving behavioural change. These individuals often have to make tough decisions and navigate sensitive conversations. If not handled well, you risk creating more resistance than progress.
The challenge is both in the availability of this blend of technical and soft skills, and in attracting this calibre of talent. While family businesses are the backbone of the regional economy, there’s sometimes hesitation from candidates due to certain misconceptions. And while in some cases these are just perceptions, in others, they may reflect reality.
These themes also apply to supply chain, particularly in emerging areas such as ESG, sustainability, and integrated supply chain planning.
Challenges in Procurement and Supply Chain Recruitment: What are some of the recurring challenges clients face when building high-performing supply chain teams in Saudi Arabia? How does Michael Page help overcome these challenges?
Funnily enough, I spend more time speaking to my clients about retention and growth than I do about recruitment. It has become the primary challenge in today’s climate.
Building a high-performing supply chain or procurement function isn’t just about hiring people with the right technical skills, it’s about finding individuals who can navigate complexity, drive change, and align with the organisation’s maturity stage.
One of the most common challenges is the tension between talent scarcity and high expectations. Clients often seek professionals who combine operational excellence with strategic capability. But in a market like ours, where transformation is still ongoing, that hybrid skill set is limited. Another recurring issue is the misalignment between the role and the business environment. We sometimes see companies trying to plug a “best-in-class” leader into an organisation that hasn’t yet evolved to support that level of maturity. Without process, data, or executive alignment, even top-tier talent can struggle.
Cultural fit is also a significant factor, especially in family businesses or government-linked entities. Politics, legacy systems, and unspoken power dynamics can derail even the strongest hires. The real challenge is identifying someone who not only brings the right skills but also has the temperament to navigate those complexities.
This is where our role at Michael Page goes far beyond a standard search function. Because I specialise in this space, I don’t just match CVs to job descriptions, I work closely with hiring managers to assess where they are on the maturity curve, understand the real scope of the role, and gauge the organisation’s appetite for change. Based on that, I advise whether they need a builder, an optimiser, or a stabiliser, and what trade-offs may be necessary in the available talent pool.
We also act as translators, helping both candidates and clients align on expectations, whether it’s about reporting lines, structure, or the broader transformation agenda. And we give honest feedback. If a business wants to attract high-calibre talent, it also has to be ready to receive and retain it. Sometimes that means recalibrating the brief to reflect what’s truly needed.
Another misconception we’re working hard to challenge is the idea that local talent can’t lead transformation. That’s shifting, and part of our role is to surface high-potential nationals who are often overlooked.
Procurement Across Industry Sectors in KSA: How does strategic procurement differ across industries in Saudi Arabia, from sectors like manufacturing and construction to services and retail? What trends or gaps are you seeing in terms of capability, adoption, and business alignment?
The way strategic procurement is defined and executed really varies depending on the sector, and what we’ve seen in Saudi is that maturity levels differ quite significantly.
In manufacturing, for example, strategic sourcing is directly tied to production continuity. There’s a strong emphasis on machine reliability, critical spare parts, raw material availability, and quality standards. This sector tends to have a more structured and long-term view of procurement, where poor sourcing decisions have an immediate and measurable impact. It’s not just about cost; it’s about fit-for-purpose selection, supply assurance, and managing lifecycle costs effectively.
Construction presents a slightly different landscape. While quality and meeting deadlines remain essential, a significant portion of procurement in this sector is service-based. You’re not only sourcing materials, you’re sourcing services. Strategic procurement in this space often revolves around managing a small number of key vendor relationships. However, one of the persistent challenges is the limited depth of certified or globally benchmarked suppliers. Even widely recognised certifications like ISO 9001 aren’t as common as expected, which makes supplier qualification and risk management more complex.
Retail, by contrast, is generally more transactional in nature, though there are exceptions. Categories such as meat, commodities, or perishables require strategic thinking when it comes to sourcing, pricing stability, and supply consistency. But for many other retail categories, procurement still functions in more of a support capacity rather than as a core strategic driver.
In defence or government-linked sectors, procurement is often centralised or predefined, which can limit the scope for professionals to drive strategic initiatives. Meanwhile, in the private sector, there is growing pressure to align with localisation mandates. This means procurement strategies now need to balance cost, quality, and local content requirements, a shift that adds significant complexity and nuance to the sourcing process.
Overall, the region is still experiencing a maturity gap in many industries. Strategic sourcing is evolving, but the focus often remains cost-centric rather than value-driven. While the concept of procurement as an enabler of growth, innovation, and transformation is gaining ground, it’s not yet consistently embedded across all sectors.
Advice for Aspiring Procurement Leaders in the Region: As someone deeply embedded in procurement and supply chain recruitment, what advice would you give to aspiring professionals in Saudi Arabia and the GCC looking to grow into leadership roles?
Start early and start intentionally. It’s never too soon to build your LinkedIn presence, expand your network, and grow your knowledge base.
Networking is critical. Don’t just connect within your own function, reach across adjacent industries. The more diverse your network, the more exposure you’ll gain to different operating models, cultures, and best practices. That cross-functional perspective becomes a real asset as you grow into leadership.
Hand-in-hand with networking is mentorship. Actively seek mentors, and don’t be afraid to reach out. Most senior professionals are more than happy to give back if you approach them with intention and curiosity. I’ve personally had multiple mentors at different stages of my career, they’ve been invaluable, especially when navigating unfamiliar challenges or when I needed a neutral sounding board. And remember, you don’t need just one mentor. Different voices bring different perspectives.
Another key pillar is qualification. It may sound obvious, but many professionals get caught up in day-to-day firefighting and forget to invest in themselves. Stay updated with relevant certifications, whether that’s CIPS, APICS, Six Sigma, or others. Continuous learning is your edge, the market is evolving rapidly, and you need to evolve with it.
Community engagement is another often-overlooked area. Join professional associations or industry groups. These platforms not only give you access to a peer group and a support system but also help you stay current with industry trends and innovations.
And finally, stay digitally literate. Understand the technologies shaping your function, whether it’s procurement analytics, automation, AI, or TMS/WMS platforms. Today’s leaders need more than people and process expertise; they must also be capable of leveraging digital tools to drive transformation.
Above all, think like a businessperson, not just a functional expert. Procurement isn’t just about tenders, and supply chain isn’t just about shipments. The professionals who rise into leadership are those who understand how their function contributes to revenue growth, risk management, and long-term business competitiveness.
