Anubhav Madan

What led you into procurement?

After a degree in computer engineering I realised I'm not very good at software development but good at managing things, and so I joined Dell Computers in Singapore as a project manager. I was managing software vendors like Microsoft, and Adobe. That's where I cut my teeth in procurement and managing suppliers, and I realised it’s actually a lot of fun. 

Then I moved to the hardware side and was managing the global supply chain of notebook keyboards. There were four suppliers at the time, and it was a billion-dollar category. 

I realised the impact procurement has, not just on a company but an entire industry. After that, I was just hooked.

What is it about procurement you most like?

The amount of leverage that it has, which can make a difference in the world. In procurement, you're influencing suppliers, stakeholders and entire industries, which means you have a huge impact on the way a sector operates. 

Biggest challenge of your role?

We serve 128 councils across the state of New South Wales, and those councils can be large or small. You've got some councils, which has almost AU $1bn of revenue located in the metropolitan area, then you have other much smaller regional and rural councils that have less than $5mn. 

We have to cater for them all, and our contracts need to be fit for purpose for the full range of needs, and that's what makes it challenging.

But also interesting, because you have to think deeply about which suppliers to bring on board to serve the varying requirements of the sector. 

The other thing that's very challenging is the level of procurement maturity in the sector. Unlike the private sector, the public sector cannot always attract or afford the procurement resources and the talent they need. Often our role is to educate, support, and guide people who are new to the procurement profession.

Proudest professional achievement?

In my last role, working for New South Wales Treasury, there was a big push to standardise the way in which we engaged consultants. One of the things that I did was establish a procurement framework for all state government departments, to help them engage with management consultants across the board.

By putting this procurement framework in place, the rates became affordable, which meant that even small agencies could afford consultants, allowing them to elevate themselves to a whole different level.

Read the full story HERE.

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