supplymanagement.com

7 June 2012 | Nick Martindale

CIPS has gone from strength to strength in the past five years, says Nick Martindale, putting procurement firmly on the global map.

The past five years have seen CIPS cement its place as the leading global organisation for procurement and supply management and further its reputation and presence around the globe.

The appointment of David Noble as chief executive in 2009 has been key to the organisation’s ongoing development, drawing on his background in senior, board-level positions inIMI, Novar and Honeywell. In taking on the post, he became the first procurement professional in the top job in more than 20 years.

With the UK and most of the rest of the world in recession, Noble pledged to help put procurement at the heart of organisations. “There’s never been a better time to be in this profession,” he said. “Chief executives are looking to procurement to ensure they maintain and grow their businesses. In this economic environment, growth is not going to come from marketing and sales, but from how well you manage your resources.”

His was not the only notable appointment, however. Dr Bola Afolabi, project director for the Nigerian National Oil company, was named international president for 2008-09, becoming the first non-European in the role. Former chief executive Ken James, meanwhile, who led the organisation from 2001 to 2008, was awarded an OBE for public service in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list of 2008, while the appointment of David Smith, commercial director at the Department for Work and Pensions, as 2011-12 president also demonstrated the ability of both the organisation and procurement to influence at the very highest levels…Read more.