Trailblazer: Meet Anna Spinelli, CPO at Deutsche Post DHL
Year joined: 2020
Education: Università degli Studi di Udine and Liceo Scientifico
Skills: Purchasing, Supply Management, Global Sourcing, Supplier Development, Six Sigma, Strategic Sourcing
Ranking in Top 100 Women in Procurement: #1
Anna Spinelli is a strategic thinker with a practical mind. As an experienced executive leading multicultural and diverse organisations, Spinelli’s career spans more than 20 years.
Spinelli has a proven track record of driving transformation while enhancing performance sustainably. She is passionate about developing meaningful supplier relationships and engagements, building a competitive ecosystem.
Constantly looking for ways to enhance a company’s success beyond functional and personal boundaries, Spinelli began her career at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
Over the last two decades, Spinelli has climbed the corporate ladder working for multiple organisations in the automotive, consumer goods, telecommunications and logistics industries.
Such companies include Adam Opel AG, General Motors, BMW, Phillips, TIM, and Enics before joining Deutsche Post DHL.
In March 2022, Deutsche Post DHL announced one of Spinelli’s proudest moments since she began working for the logistics company: the signing of two of its largest Sustainable Aviation Fuel deals with BP and Neste.
Working with her cross-functional procurement team, Spinelli has been contributing to the company’s sustainability roadmap, working to boost its decarbonisation efforts.
Spinelli’s peers describe her as a ‘natural born leader’, with both ‘astonishing technical skills and interpersonal skills’. She has experience with multiple skill sets including purchasing, supply management, global sourcing, supplier development and supply chain management.
She is also a graduate from the Università Degli Studi di Udine - with a degree in Management Engineering - and is fluent in four languages: English, German, Italian and Spanish.
Sustainability in supply chain and procurement
It can be clearly seen from her career that Spinelli is a firm believer and advocate for sustainability.
In a recent report from The Procurement Initiative, Spinelli spoke about her thoughts on the value sustainability has in procurement.
Spinelli highlighted the correlation between sustainability and long-term value creation among partners, and how building resilience to be more decisive in procurement can accelerate the value stream in business strategies.
As such, procurement stands to benefit from the supply chain increasing its transparency and supporting sustainable and ethical sourcing strategies.
Spinelli said: “Concerning Sustainability there is a sense of urgency. The expected actions and behaviours need to be part of your company’s strategy, which means where you put focus needs to be meaningful and fit to the company’s Purpose ‒ in our case, 'connecting people improving lives'. Communication is therefore absolutely key and setting meaningful targets can also create focus on the critical topics.”
Top 100 Women in Procurement
In honour of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, Procurement Magazine launched its debut Top 100 Women in Procurement in March 2022.
Among many of the well-deserving leaders in the supplement, Spinelli sits at the very top of our list.
Empowering women in business is something we ardently support and track as a publication. Each and every one of those mentioned in our Top 100 has earned their place and the respect of their peers through hard work, talent and determination.
The role of procurement has never been more critical. In a world defined by its hyperconnectivity and then rocked by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of procurement decision-making is hard to put into words.
But it does come in the form of people - incredible women like Spinelli and the many others on our Top 100 list.
