This episode of Talent Talks was sponsored by Bridge Procurement. Bridge Procurement helps companies of all sizes to reduce their operating expenditure whilst improving contract governance. They always provide a return on investment and a refreshing approach to outsourced procurement. For more information please visit bridgeprocurement.com
As a purely bricks and mortar business, with no online services, Primark were one of the hardest hit industries during the COVID-19 lockdown. No-one could have ever imagined that their top line could become zero overnight.
In this episode of Talent Talks, Martin Smith, Founder of Talent Drive interviews Ross Grierson, Head of Indirect Procurement at Primark about how his role and team has adapted during the pandemic. Ross discusses building a new team remotely, who have never physically met each other, the importance of being considerate during supplier negotiations, and why you should “Be bold but be humble”.
In this series of short bonus Talent Talks episodes, Martin Smith interviews leading procurement professionals from a range of brands about their views and experiences on the effects of the current COVID-19 pandemic.
This episode of Talent Talks covers:
- How retail is adapting
- Building new teams remotely
- Embracing new technology
- Long-term impacts on the procurement industry
- Valuable skills moving forward
Links & References:
- Talent Drive: https://talentdrive.co.uk/
- Martin Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinsmith2009/
- Ross Grierson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossgrierson
- Get in touch: info@talentdrive.co.uk
Episode Highlights:
“I think we’ve had to balance that we need to be bold with what we’re asking our suppliers, but also be human with what we’re asking for and recognise that they’re a business too. Because ultimately, this is the temporary closure of stores and we are going to reopen them across the countries. And so we need to keep that in mind as we have this conversation, which has been not always an easy balance to strike so that I think the negotiation skills and the nuance between being too pushy and not being pushy enough has been one that’s been, you know, a challenge to find. I think we’ve been pretty, pretty good at that space.” 10:14 – Ross Grierson
“I think the last skill would just be, and it’s one that I always look for is, is that business acumen. So do you have the ability to connect the dots together? Do you see the impact of why you’re doing something and what you’re doing it for? Because that coupled with the whole deal of ambiguity, makes how you approach and how you navigate the situations much more important.” 14:04 – Ross Grierson
“Be bold, but be humble. So I think, you know, you’ve hopefully now earned the right to be where you are through this, this really challenging time. And I think it’s the opportunity that you can use to build on that capital that you’ve managed to create within your business and use that to the advantage of the business going forward, I think that’s, that’s probably the advice I’d say. And as a consequence of that, that will improve the function and your own career and objectives and potential right, so I think it’s looking at it through a business lens, that would be how I’d look at it.” 15:46 – Ross Grierson
