Top 10: CPOs in Automotive
Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs) oversee a product lifecycle, ensuring the product is the best fit for the company.
Whether theyāre managing risk or boosting productivity, these CPOs are doing their bit to ensure their organisations' success.
Business disruptions have been increasingly prevalent over the last 12 months and these CPOs are responsible for managing supplier relationships and negotiating the most beneficial contracts.
Here, we take a look at the CPOs in the automotive industry who are pioneering new approaches and driving success across operations.
10. Andrew Wareing - Chief Purchasing Officer & VP Purchasing (Americas)
Company: Nissan
Employees: ~133,000
Founded: 1933
Andrew is the Chief Procurement Officer and VP Purchasing in the Americas division of Nissan, and has been since 2023. Within this role, he oversees all purchasing activities within Nissanās American operations, including engine manufacturing and vehicle assembly.
He is responsible for supplier relations and purchasing project management.
He has also worked within Nissan Europe and Nissan AMIEO divisions, holding CPO and VP roles across each division. He has worked at Nissan for more than 25 years, beginning his career as a graduate engineer at Nissan in the UK.
9. Sudhir Chikhle - Chief Purchasing Officer
Company: TATA.ev
Employees: 10k+
Founded: 2019
Sudhir joined TATAās ev division in 2023 as Chief Purchase Officer, bringing more than 20 years of sourcing experience. He has gained significant global experience throughout his career, working in India and Michigan, and leading global teams across various companies.
He has experience directly supporting R&D teams. In his role at TATA.ev, he is focused on bringing down the cost of electric vehicles in order to make them more accessible to consumers.
8. Eric Apode - Global Head of Procurement
Company: Volvo Cars
Employees: ~42,000
Founded: 1927
Eric joined Volvo Cars as Global Head of Procurement in 2025, bringing his extensive, global career to the role. Throughout his career, Erica has worked around the world, including France, India, Malaysia and Sweden.
He is a Board Member at NOVO Energy, and has experience working at Citroƫn and Peugeot. His experience in leading teams across the world, such as Vice President South East Asia operations, has made him well-practiced for his role leading global procurement.
7. Tobias Moch - Chief Procurement Officer
Company: Jaguar Land Rover
Employees: ~40,000
Founded: 2008
Tobias has a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Stuttgart and a degree in Numerical Fluid Mechanics from the University of Cambridge.
He joined Jaguar Land Rover in 2023 as Chief Procurement Officer after an extensive career in car manufacturing. Tobias started his career in 1995 as a student intern at BMW, before working at DaimlerChrysler AG (which then became Daimler AG) from 1999-2016.
He has led several procurement teams throughout his career, including at a global level.
6. Kazunari Kumakura - Chief Officer, Purchasing Group
Company: Toyota Motor Corporation
Employees: ~380,000
Founded: 1937
Kazunari is the Chief Officer of the Purchasing Group at Toyota. He transformed the way manufacturers interact with their suppliers, by paying higher prices to those providing the parts. This was put in place to encourage better working conditions across Tier 1 suppliers in Japan.
He became the Purchasing Chief in 2020, bringing with him the determination to make supply chain improvements. Through his supplier price hikes, Toyotaās suppliers could hire more workers, afford factory improvements and strengthen Toyotaās network.
5. Monica Genovese - Chief Purchasing Officer
Company: Stellantis
Employees: ~248,000
Founded: 2021
Stellantis is a leading global vehicle manufacturing company, with products including Chrysler, Jeep, Peugeot, Citroƫn and Fiat.
Since 1995, Monica has worked at Fiat, which became a subsidiary of Stellantis in 2021. Her time working within Fiat and Stellantis has seen her grow in leadership throughout supply chain operations and purchasing.
Since starting in the Stellantis brand, Monica has overseen the global management of the purchasing division across the various Stellantis brands. Since 2025, she has been Chief Purchasing Officer of the entire company.
4. Liz Door - Chief Supply Chain Officer
Company: Ford Motor Company
Employees: ~171,000
Founded: 1903
As Chief Supply Chain Officer at Ford Motor Company, Liz is responsible for the strategic direction of Fordās global purchasing and supply chain operations. She oversees an annual purchase value of more than US$90bn and relationships with approximately 20k suppliers.
Prior to this role, Liz worked at General Motors for 15 years, where she made her way up to Global Purchasing and Supply Chain Director - Interior.
Throughout her career, she has demonstrated immense experience in procurement, operations and supply chain management.
3. Andreas Burkhart - Chief Procurement Officer
Company: Mercedes-Benz Group
Employees:~175,000
Founded: 1926 (as Daimler-Benz)
Andreas has worked at Mercedes-Benz for more than 30 years, establishing a career in the automotive company. He started off in the Freiburg branch in 1993, working in Commercial Vehicle Sales. Over the years, he has gained various leadership roles across marketing and communication.
In 2018, he became the Chief Procurement Officer, Indirect Material, where he oversees international procurement services.
Prior to his career at Mercedes-Benz Group, Andreas underwent training as a bank clerk before gaining his Diploma in Economics at the University of Hohenheim.
2. Dirk GroĆe-Loheide - Group Board Member for Procurement
Company: Volkswagen Group
Employees: ~679,000
Founded: 1937
Dirk GroĆe-Loheide began his career at Volkswagen AG in 1990, focusing on machine procurement. He quickly began to gain levels of responsibility and management, becoming the Board Member for Procurement and Production in 2007 in Hanover.
In 2023, he became a Member of the Extended Executive Committee and Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Brand. Within his role, he manages the procurement organisations of all the brands and regions within the Volkswagen Group.
He has international experience, emphasising his ability to lead diverse teams. Through this, he understands how the various regions work differently, helpful when overseeing the entire global procurement teams.
1. Jeffrey Morrison - SVP ā Global Purchasing and Supply Chain
Company: General Motors
Employees: ~162,000
Founded: 1908
Jeffrey has worked at General Motors for almost 20 years, building his career from Global Commodity Manager in 2006, to his appointment of Senior Vice President - Global Purchasing and Supply Chain in 2024. Throughout his career, he has led numerous teams to great success within GM.
Under Jeffreyās guidance, the GM teams have been implementing a range of AI tools to transform supplier visibility and risk mitigation, ensuring transparency and efficiency from the very beginning of their partnerships with suppliers.
Prior to his time at GM, Jeffrey held positions at Daimler Chrysler, Federal-Mogul and Ricardo Strategic Consulting.
He has a BSME in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration.
