Bio

Most companies fail to take procurement into account when they are defining their business strategy. Instead, it’s often an afterthought, and deemed a reactive, transactional function. But it's time to rethink that. As the General Manager of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) for the MENA region, my role is to ensure that ethics, responsibility, and education are standardised within the profession and that more organisations understand the value of procurement. I have extensive experience in Senior Procurement and Strategic Sourcing roles for organisations such as Land Securities in the UK, Abu Dhabi Municipality and Majid Al Futtaim in the Middle East, and MTN across Africa. Like many of my industry peers, I fell into procurement by chance. While collaborating on a project in a past role, I was introduced to the diverse responsibilities of procurement professionals. When I was given the chance to transition into the procurement department, my answer was an immediate yes. Procurement teams focus on the: • Need for the good or service; • Ethics attached to the goods or services provided; • Impact on the organisational success; • Effect on the triple bottom line. What I have come to appreciate is that strategic procurement is one of the most important – yet commonly overlooked - functions of any organisation. I am a regular speaker at industry events, and I’m keen to speak with anyone wanting to learn more about procurement, industry standards and CIPS. The value and future of procurement is something that I am passionate about, so I hope you’ll join me in sharing your thoughts and opinions to ensure the profession gets the credit it deserves. Feel free to connect with me by email here: sam.achampong@cips.org To find out more about the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) visit www.cips.org