Linda Siegert’s career shows that paths can change in unexpected ways. After beginning in accounting, she soon realised she enjoyed connecting with people and finding the stories behind the data more than just working with numbers. 

Since joining SailPoint in 2017 as a Procurement Manager, Linda has worked her way up to be the firm’s Senior Director of Global Procurement at SailPoint in Austin, Texas. During that time, Linda has become known for combining strong technical skills with a creative approach to problem-solving.

“My path into SailPoint was driven by a constant theme in my career: building scalable, forward-looking functions that support rapid growth,” she says. “I was increasingly drawn to environments where procurement can influence strategy, and not just transactions.”

Her time at SailPoint has coincided with the rapid growth of digitalisation in the procurement sector and, more recently, the emergence of AI in creating efficiencies, automating processes and impacting everyone’s daily lives.

“My focus – and SailPoint's focus – is on identity security, coupled with its growth trajectory, which presented an opportunity to operate at the intersection of technology risk and business enablement, where procurement can truly add value and create impact,” Linda says.

“My role as a leader is to view procurement as a strategic enabler rather than a traditional buying function. I partner at the intersection of cyber, legal, finance and business leadership to ensure our technology and supplier ecosystems drive commercial value, operational resilience and robust risk management.

“Because we operate in a very highly dynamic security-first landscape, our procurement strategy must continuously evolve, protect and propel the business forward.”

Leading on from her accounting background, Linda enjoys the structure of the role but also appreciates the creative elements of procurement in an increasingly complex landscape. 

“It's constantly changing,” she says. “No day is like the previous day, and it is a constant evolution of what you need to consider, what you need to think about, and how you need to look around the corner. It requires a creativity in this space that you simply don't find in other sectors.

“Always thinking outside of the box. And I like to solve things five different ways. Never one single direction. I think there's always a great answer. Arriving at that answer could be a different path each time.”

With that greater complexity also comes abundant opportunities. Linda can see her role becoming increasingly important as digital technology, cybersecurity and AI become more ubiquitous. 

“My role is in a constant evolution and I'm always looking for even greater strategic influence. I want to remove the operational burden, deepening automation where it removes friction, expanding data-driven insights to guide decision-making and further embedding procurement into the technology, security and financial planning conversations. The goal is to ensure procurement is consistently helping the business scale responsibly, not slow it down.”