Top 10: Strategic Sourcing Leaders in the US

Strategic sourcing has evolved from a cost-cutting exercise into a critical driver of competitive advantage. The most accomplished sourcing leaders are transforming procurement functions into strategic powerhouses, leveraging advanced analytics, fostering supplier innovation and embedding sustainability throughout their supply chains. 

These professionals navigate geopolitical uncertainties, supply chain disruptions and digital transformation while delivering measurable value to their organisations.

Procurement Magazine looks at 10 exceptional leaders who are redefining procurement excellence across diverse industries, demonstrating how strategic sourcing can unlock growth, resilience and long-term value creation in an increasingly interconnected global marketplace.

10. Wayne Allan

Position: Chief Strategic Sourcing and Procurement Officer
Company: ASML
Employees: 43,395
Founded: 1984

As Chief Strategic Sourcing and Procurement Officer, Wayne guides sourcing and procurement at ASML, an organisation which has quadrupled in size between 2012 and 2021.

He helps the semiconductor supplier to navigate the short-term challenges, while continuing to build strong board-level relationships that will see it into the future. He is passionate about operational excellence and strategic sourcing, leading global initiatives that drive innovation, cost, quality, efficiency and sustainability improvements.

Prior to joining ASML in 2018, Wayne spent three decades with Micron Technology.

9. Sean Buhler

Position: VP, Pharmacy Strategic Sourcing & Procurement
Company: Kaiser Permanente
Employees: 223,883
Founded: 1945

Sean boasts extensive expertise in pricing strategy, financial planning and analytics, not to mention a proven track record of driving measurable financial value through data-driven insights, cross-functional collaboration and strategic innovation.

As a functional and organisational leader, Sean specialises in building high-performing teams and developing talent across pricing, FP&A and strategic analytics functions. 

His background spans pricing leadership, healthcare strategy, SaaS contracting, financial forecasting, M&A integration and SOX-compliant financial controls.

8. Karl Johnson

Position: Vice President of Strategic Global Sourcing
Company: Citi
Employees: c. 229,000
Founded: 1998

Karl is a results-driven leader specialising in commercial construction, supply chain optimisation and operational transformation. 

He excels at identifying process improvements and cost-saving opportunities while building collaborative, high-performance teams across all organisational levels.

Karl’s approach combines analytical rigor with strategic relationship-building, serving as a trusted advisor who drives measurable change through clear direction, risk mitigation and operational excellence.

7. Kristi Sorbello Frank

Position: VP Strategic Sourcing & Business Operations
Company: Novo Nordisk
Employees: 77,349
Founded: 1923

Kristi is a strategic sourcing executive who brings a distinctive marketing mindset to procurement transformation. 

As VP of Strategic Sourcing & Business Operations at Novo Nordisk, she specialises in elevating procurement and operations functions by building diverse, high-performing teams that blend seasoned procurement expertise with cross-functional talent.

Her leadership approach centres on aligning sourcing strategy with broader organisational objectives while cultivating strong partnerships across the business and supplier ecosystem. Through strategic communication, analytical rigour and collaborative problem-solving, Kristi consistently delivers measurable value and operational excellence.

6. Drew Gattuso

Position: Vice President Strategic Sourcing
Company: Securitas
Employees: 336,000
Founded: 1934

Drew is an accomplished leader in strategic sourcing, procurement and operations, specialising in transforming decentralised functions into high-performing revenue generators. 

He has built sourcing departments from the ground up, delivering average cost savings of 31% while creating new revenue streams. Drew has established an industry-leading supplier programme and generated US$16m in additional revenue. Known for building partnerships over transactions, he leads with trust, accountability and collaborative change management.

5. Jovelyn Larson

Position: Vice President, Strategic Sourcing
Company: Wells Fargo
Employees: 217,000
Founded: 1929

Jovelyn is VP of Strategic Sourcing at Wells Fargo, bringing expertise in process optimisation, supplier partnerships and contract excellence. She excels at leading cost-saving initiatives and developing high-performing teams. 

Having previously assumed leadership roles at Huntington National Bank and Medtronic, Jovelyn is recognised for delivering strategic roadmaps that enhance productivity and drive business performance.

She serves on the Board of the Twin Cities Institute of Supply Chain Management and is committed to mentoring and non-profit work.

4. Lainie Suárez Butler

Position: Vice President, Strategic Sourcing and Procurement
Company: Bristol Myers Squibb
Employees: 34,100
Founded: 1887

Lainie is VP of Global Procurement Corporate Functions & Services at Bristol Myers Squibb, leading teams managing more than US$4bn across technology, HR, finance, law and corporate affairs, as well as EU and Japan markets. 

A strategic sourcing executive with deep expertise in supplier relationship management and procurement strategy, she has surpassed third-party synergy targets for the pharmaceutical industry's largest integration and designed multi-generational global category strategies.

3. Karoline Dygas

Position: VP, Strategic Sourcing and Procurement
Company: Nordstrom
Employees: 55,000
Founded: 1901

Karoline leads strategic sourcing for at least US$3.5bn in non-merchandise spend at Nordstrom on an annual basis. 

With more than 20 years of global sourcing experience, including leadership roles at Starbucks and Walgreens, she has transformed sourcing operations – delivering US$100m in annual hard savings and implementing robust category strategies across capital equipment, services and store development. 

Karoline drives digitisation through source-to-pay systems, champions supplier diversity and sustainability initiatives and has established enterprise-wide third-party risk management programmes.

2. Mark Grabski

Position: Vice President, Cloud Supply Chain
Company: Google Cloud
Employees: c. 37,000
Founded: 2008

Mark is a strategic and results-oriented leader with deep expertise in procurement, strategy and supply chain management.

As VP of Cloud Supply Chain at Google Cloud, he leads organisational transformation initiatives and manages multi-billion dollar spend categories with strong financial acumen and collaborative leadership. 

Mark is advancing Google's procurement strategy to decarbonise its global value chain, exemplified by long-term clean energy agreements that drive sustainability goals while supporting regional energy transitions. His approach demonstrates how strategic sourcing can bridge the gap between climate commitments and measurable action.

1. Craig Cowman

Position: President of Biopharma Solutions and Strategic Sourcing
Company: Cardinal Health
Employees: 57,700
Founded: 1971

Craig is President of Biopharma Solutions and Strategic Sourcing at Cardinal Health, leading teams that support pharmaceutical manufacturers through regulatory approval, product launch and commercialisation. 

Having spent more than 30 years at Cardinal Health, he brings extensive management experience and strategic perspective across the healthcare value chain.

Previously serving as Executive Vice President of Global Sourcing, Craig oversaw enterprise-wide strategic sourcing and supplier management for pharmaceuticals, medical products and indirect goods and services. He has been instrumental in shaping sourcing strategies for brand, generic and consumer health products while developing pricing and selling strategies for the Pharmaceutical Segment.

Beyond Cardinal Health, Craig serves as executive sponsor for the veterans and military advocates employee resource group, sits on the board of The National Veterans Memorial and Museum and the HDA Research Foundation (past chairman) and serves as Vice Chairman of Red Oak Sourcing. He holds a bachelor's degree in marketing from The Ohio State University.