Episode show notes
“It comes back to innovation: what could we do differently to get ourselves through this difficult period?”
Whether you’re among the largest corporations in the world, or the bustling startups growing through adversity, innovation needs to be at the heart of your procurement function.
Applying that principle at both ends of the spectrum with Coca-Cola and Mum & You, David Cowell is the perfect guest on Talent Talks to weigh in on building a successful function from scratch, and retaining your top talent.
Tune into this week’s episode for a look at how David handled a function spanning over 13 countries, whether centralised procurement trumps decentralised procurement, and offers invaluable insight for professionals ready to move up the ladder.
This episode of Talent Talks covers:
- David’s several decades’ experience in huge, multinational companies such as Coca-Cola and Nestle
- How to recruit and retain the best talent through methods beyond remuneration
- Taking on the challenge of setting up a supply chain from scratch
- Weighing up the advantages of centralised vs decentralised procurement functions
- Invaluable advice for aspiring procurement leaders
This episode of Talent Talks is sponsored by 4C Associates – a leading European procurement and supply chain consultancy, who work collaboratively with forward-thinking clients to deliver real business value across a wide range of transformation and cost optimisation service offerings. Visit https://www.4cassociates.com/ for more information.
Episode Highlights
“I had the opportunity to take on a Director of Procurement role with a Central and Eastern European bottling company called Coca-Cola Hellenic, and I relocated to Vienna, where I managed the procurement for 13 countries at the time, which then expanded to 23+ countries now.” – 3:35 – David Cowell
“The key is to have that network of relationships within business, so that people know not just who I was, but also what I represented in terms of the procurement function, and what we’re trying to achieve.” – 8:20 – David Cowell
“You have to have the right leadership supporting you, and you have to be able to sit at the table, discuss the business issues, and present to the board as well, so they understand what procurement is doing for the business. Without that, it’s very hard to make progress. ” – 12:00 – David Cowell
“Remuneration is always going to be a challenge in difficult times and if people’s expectations are growth in salary etc, then that becomes a challenge. So I think you have to park that and ask what else motivates people. A lot of studies will show that money is not the main motivator. It’s career development.” – 14:30 – David Cowell
“When you see today that we have 100% recycled bottles, that technology didn’t exist 10 years ago. So one of the things sustainability has done, or the focus on sustainability, it’s accelerated the technology that enables that to happen.” – 19:20 – David Cowell
“You get squeezed at both ends, and I’m sure anybody in a small business will have exactly the same challenge. So I think it’s back to innovation: what could we do differently to get ourselves through this difficult period.” – 25:10 – David Cowell
“Procurement is a critical function, I think it’s much more recognised than it used to be. The days of the old purchase department, I think have gone. But it needs to continue on that journey.” – 31:40 – David Cowell
“If you take something to senior leadership, you’re putting yourself at risk, of course you are. You’re saying you’re going to do something and you’re gonna have to deliver that. But without risk, there’s no reward. You need to take some risks, but you need to demonstrate the reward that’s going to bring.” – 36:10 – David Cowell
Links & References
• David Cowell
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjcowell/
• Mum & You
https://www.linkedin.com/company/q-river/
• Martin Smith, Founder & Director of Talent Drive
https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinsmith2009/
