P&SC LIVE Q&A: Matthew Harris, Maersk Head of Procurement

Matthew Harris is the Global Head of Procurement, Logistics & Services at A.P. Møller-Maersk, based in Copenhagen. 

In this role he is responsible for all procurement activities related to Maersk’s operations in Landside Transportation, Contract Logistics and Customs Services.

Matthew has spent over 25 years in the industry and offered his expertise as part of The Future of Logistics and Distribution panel discussion, sponsored by GEP.

Before he graced the stage, Procurement Magazine spoke to Matthew about how his perspective of the industry has changed over time and what he took away from the event. 

What inspired you to get involved in procurement and how has your perspective evolved over time?

I studied supply chain at university. So my initial inspiration for being involved in the supply chain came from there. I spent my early career working for third party logistics providers and then transitioned to procurement about 18 years ago.

So I've had experience across a number of areas of the supply chain in that time.

Are there any innovations or trends in procurement, in supply chains that you are particularly excited about?

The trend that I'm most excited about is the way that procurement's been elevated in so many organisations and just the general recognition of how important effective supply chain management is. 

I think procurement is no longer seen as a compliance function. It's seen as a really important value adding function for the business and that really excites me.

What has been your biggest takeaway or highlight from the events so far?

I think events like this are just so good in bringing like-minded people together, the ability to network to hear from some really great speakers, to hear perspectives, opinions and experiences from others. I think that's really been very useful for me and I've really enjoyed it.

How do you see events like procurement and supply chain life contributing to the broader industry movement?

The ability to share experiences, to hear best practice, to see some of the innovative solutions that are on show here, I think that all helps move the procurement functions of our organisations forward.

How do you anticipate procurement and supply chain practises within your organisation to evolve in the next five years?

Maersk's procurement function continues to evolve. We want to be the destination for top talent, both from within our organisation but also from the outside market. I think we also want to be the pioneers for driving ESG, driving decarbonisation across the business and I think we can play a really huge role in the next five years.

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