Top 10: CPOs in Manufacturing
The role of a Chief Procurement Officer is more vital than ever. It's a job with huge expectations, from leading sustainability efforts to transforming global supply chains.
Across the manufacturing sector, countless CPOs work to ensure their companies maintain operational excellence while navigating complex international supplier networks.
Their roles are particularly crucial in an industry where supply chain resilience, raw material costs and production efficiency are paramount.
These leaders are shaping the future of procurement in manufacturing, driving value through strategic sourcing, supplier collaboration and smart factory initiatives.
Procurement Magazine has looked at the top 10 CPOs across the manufacturing industry today.
10. Lauren Richardson – Chief Procurement Officer
Company: Colgate-Palmolive
Revenue: US$19.5bn
Employees: 34,000
Founded: 1806
An innovative leader, Lauren has been the CPO at Colgate-Palmolive since 2016.
She has extensive experience building strategies and collaborating on operational plans, as well as in negotiations, process improvements and sustainable cost savings.
9. Thomas Gaengler – Chief Procurement Officer
Company: Mondelez International
Revenue: US$36bn
Employees: 91,000
Founded: 1923 (as Kraft Foods)
With a career spanning 25 years, Thomas Gaengler is a seasoned procurement professional.
He strives to work with suppliers and partners with comparably high standards of conduct when it comes to responsible sourcing.
Thomas fronts Mondelez International's efforts, which take a risk-based approach and pragmatic steps to prioritise human rights due diligence.
The procurement team at Mondelez uses Tableau to transform sourcing into a digital process. This allows it to connect 160 data fields and approximately 42 million transactions covering payments, purchase orders and invoices.
8. Anthony Long – Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer
Company: Stryker
Revenue: US$20.5bn
Employees: 52,000
Founded: 1941
Anthony is a global executive with over 25 years of experience in strategic sourcing, P&L management, global supply chain, sales and manufacturing for industrial, energy and chemical companies.
With a proven track record in Fortune 100 and entrepreneurial environments, he has led turnarounds and built procurement capabilities to become competitive differentiators.
With experience in organisational transformation, leading diverse, global organisations toward achieving corporate goals and delivering positive impact against profitability, business growth, working capital improvements and cost reduction.
7. Natas Vidmar – SVP and Chief Procurement Officer
Company: AstraZeneca
Revenue: US$45.81bn
Employees: 89,900
Founded: 1999
Natas is a passionate and versatile leader, a procurement professional for 25 years.
Proud of her career path, Natas is an agile worker and problem solver who is focused on people and their growth. Natas joined AstraZeneca in 2023 as CPO.
6. Jean-Yves Krummenacher – Global Chief Procurement Officer
Company: Danone
Revenue (approx): US$30.75bn
Employees: 88,520
Founded: 1919
Delivering breakthroughs and a competitive advantage in purchasing, the circular economy and the top line, Jean-Yves has been an experienced procurement professional with Danone for almost 11 years.
Jean-Yves has been the food and beverage manufacturer's CPO since October 2020.
He has delivered breakthroughs and a competitive advantage in purchasing, the circular economy and the top line. Jean-Yves is an experienced procurement professional who has been with Danone for over a decade.
5. Stephen Cobham – Chief Procurement Officer
Company: Sanofi
Revenue: (Approx) US$46.43bn
Employees: 86,088
Founded: 1973
Stephen is a transformational leader with a track record of driving growth, performance and capability building in c-suite roles across businesses and functions in global pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
Currently, Stephen is the CPO of the pharmaceutical manufacturing company, Sanofi.
4. Lisa Martin – Chief Procurement Officer
Company: GSK
Revenue: US$38.6bn
Employees: 70,000
Founded: 2000
Lisa Martin has been a transformative leader in GSK's procurement function, driving significant changes to align procurement with the company's overall business strategy.
Working as the figurehead behind the company’s strategic sourcing efforts and procurement of all its purchased goods and services at GSK while taking charge of GSK’s real estate and facilities portfolio, which entails 265 sites and 36 million square feet.
While leading the way in its third-party risk management. Before her time at GSK, she worked to overhaul Teva Pharmaceuticals’ Procurement function, where she made US$1bn in savings ahead of schedule.
In 2013, Lisa was awarded the J. Shipman Gold Medal for her service to the supply management profession.
3. Klaus Staubitzer – CPO & Head of Supply Chain
Company: Siemens AG
Revenue: (Approx) US$ 86.52bn
Employees: 320,000
Founded: 1847
Klaus Staubitzer has been with Siemens for over 25 years, serving as CPO since 2014. His career at Siemens began in 1996, encompassing roles in procurement, process consulting and strategic marketing.
Klaus holds a PhD in Economics from Universität der Bundeswehr in Munich and serves as an Advisory Board Member for Procurement Leaders. His extensive experience and academic background have been instrumental in shaping Siemens' procurement strategies.
2. Thomas Udesen – Chief Procurement Officer
Company: Bayer
Revenue: (Approx) US$42.30bn
Employees: 101,369
Founded: 1863
Thomas Udesen, Bayer's CPO, boasts a distinguished 30-year career in procurement. He joined Bayer in 2014 after roles at The East Asiatic Company and Johnson and Johnson. Thomas is also the co-founder of The Sustainable Procurement Pledge (SPP), which aims to embed UN Sustainable Development Goals into procurement practices by 2030.
At Bayer, he leads the global procurement strategy, focusing on process optimisation and enhancing supplier relationships. Under his leadership, Bayer joined the Together for Sustainability initiative and the Science Based Targets initiative, committing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Thomas emphasises the power of procurement professionals to drive positive change, advocating for action over innovation.
1. Willem Uijen – Chief Procurement Officer
Company: Unilever
Revenue: (Approx) US$66.2bn
Employees: 127,000
Founded: 1929
Willem Uijen, Unilever's CPO since 2022, oversees purchasing from over 52,000 suppliers. He champions sustainable sourcing initiatives and leverages technology to optimise the supply chain.
Willem's approach focuses on empowering his team and adapting his leadership style to drive value through competitive buying, innovation and supply chain resilience. Sustainability is integral to procurement decisions, focusing on achieving net zero emissions and using recycled plastics.
The 'Partner with Purpose' strategy encourages responsible innovation and mutual growth with suppliers. He prioritised competitive buying to fund brand investments and intervening in the wider value chain.
He sees addressing climate change and social cohesion as key challenges and initiatives like regenerative agriculture aim to reduce emissions and improve sourcing resilience.
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