Originally he studied marketing, but after an exciting Master Thesis within the subject supplier network he chose to change the direction of his career path. He had the feeling that his analytical personality would fit very well to the procurement profession. It was the wide range of competencies with procurement you can actually apply, everything from marketing and sales, to stakeholder management, finance and organization what appealed the most to him. Personally it is not the tough negotiations, with the aim to achieve the lowest possible prices, that drives him. It is rather the possibility to be involved in the development of strategies, innovation and change management what interests him.
Achievements
Traditionally procurement had a significantly lower importance in the IT industry compared to other industries like for example retail and automotive, but a change is currently taking place at Fujitsu. Procurement has become more important during the last couple of years where they, after building up the function, work both at a general category management level- and at a national level. The procurement department is now invited earlier in the procurement process, which is very important within IT as it is in the early stages of the process most of the savings can be generated. They also managed to combine a global and a regional sourcing strategy in a successful way. Having started by going from regional solutions to a European solution, they however experienced along the way that a combination of local footprint and a European consolidation works best for the business.
Leadership
During the Leadership Program, the biggest difference Daniel noticed was that his cooperation with others, both within procurement and the business, has changed in a very positive way. This can be directly derived from the module ’Leadership” and the peer coaching sessions that form an important part of the program. It was actually one of my improvement areas he wanted to work on and he experienced a big difference during the course of the program. E.g. instead of taking positions in the mailbox, you achieve much better and quicker results by giving the person you are discussing with a simple phone call.
Being right or getting right
When asked the absolute highlights of the program, Daniel explains that above all, it is the combination between procurement and leadership. Studying together with colleagues from different parts of the world who also want to develop within procurement leadership provides you with fantastic opportunities to discuss and develop yourself. The discussions are on a much more in-depth level than in previous business studies at the university. Another important thing you will learn is the difference between being right and getting right, which becomes even more important the further you would like to develop yourself in the procurement role. You will also learn how to zoom out, take in more perspectives and ask yourself questions such as, ”how do the others think?”. These are skills that you learn during the course of your working life but PLP accelerates that development.
