Richard Stewart FCIPS

Interim Chief Procurement Officer & Independent Consultant | Driving Procurement Transformation & Value Creation | Manufacturing & Industrials | FTSE | Fortune 500 | Private Equity

Henley-On-Thames, England, United Kingdom

About

Procurement is one of the most under-leveraged functions in many organisations. When it performs well, it improves margins, strengthens supply chains and unlocks competitive advantage. When it doesn’t, significant value is left on the table. I work with CEOs, CFOs and executive teams to deliver a step change in procurement performance and capability, helping organisations to: • Grow revenue • Protect and expand margins • Strengthen supply chains and reduce risk I bring 30+ years of blue-chip, international experience building and leading high-performing procurement functions in large and complex global organisations, including: - Diageo plc - Medtronic - Smiths Group plc - BMI Group As an interim Chief Procurement Officer and independent consultant, my clients have included: - Genuit Group plc - Biffa - Xaar plc - Flint Group Packaging Solutions We operate in a very challenging economic environment and senior leaders cannot afford a procurement function that is operating below its potential. If you’d like to explore how I can help your organisation, feel free to get in touch for a confidential, no-obligation discussion. 📩 [email protected] 📞 +44 (0)7932 763268

Experience

  • MD Propeller Procurement | Interim CPO & Independent Consultant at Propeller Procurement
    Sep 2022 - Present · 3 yrs 11 mos

    I work with CEOs, CFOs and executive teams to deliver a step change in procurement performance and capability, helping organisations to: • Grow revenue • Protect and expand margins • Strengthen supply chains and reduce risk Assignments include Genuit Group plc, Biffa, Xaar plc and Flint Group Packaging Solutions.

  • Group Procurement Director | Chief Procurement Officer at BMI Group (Roofing & Waterproofing)
    Sep 2017 - Jan 2022 · 4 yrs 5 mos

    Recruited by President & COO to integrate procurement post-merger and build new function. Member of Operations LT, ELT and SAP S/4HANA Operating Committee. - Built and led strategic procurement function (50 FTE) and CoE in Luxembourg - Delivered full merger synergy targets 12 months early; reduced risk and enhanced resilience pre-COVID - Controlled €1B+ spend; enabled margin protection through volatile materials and energy markets - Owned global P2P strategy within SAP S/4HANA transformation - Led 100+ plant network review to identify optimisation opportunities

  • Group Head of Procurement | Chief Procurement Officer at Smiths Group plc
    Jun 2013 - Jun 2017 · 4 yrs 1 mo

    Global functional leader for Procurement within FTSE 100 diversified engineering company. Recruited to embed best practice and unlock synergies across 5 independent divisions. Reported to Group CFO/ Group COO with Procurement spend c. £1.5 billion and 150+ staff. - Increased annual savings from £30M to £45M+ - Created global Procurement Scorecard, training programme, and supplier ethics framework - Launched Group Indirect Procurement team; partnered with functions to deliver efficiencies - Formalised procurement budgeting and benefits tracking

  • Global Head of Sourcing at Noble Group
    Nov 2011 - May 2013 · 1 yr 7 mos

    - Built global sourcing function across IT and indirects. - Delivered 7%+ in first-year savings - Introduced Concur (T&E) and Ariba (P2P) to improve controls

  • Director, EMEA and Japan Sourcing at Medtronic
    Jan 2008 - Oct 2011 · 3 yrs 10 mos

    - Led $300M+ spend; created and managed regional procurement. - Delivered $35M+ in savings over 3 years - Sponsor for P2P and T&E transformation