Buyers are growing up too

11th April 2015 |   Paul Myles

David Noble

David Noble, CEO at CIPS

While most areas of business have changed in recent years, none has seen as dramatic a revolution as procurement and supply chain management, argues David Noble, CEO at CIPS.

Speaking exclusively to the International Journal of Sales Transformation, Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply chief executive officer David Noble explains that the profession has had to change dramatically to keep pace with the sheer complexities of modern business relationships. “I don’t think there’s another profession that has changed so dramatically over the last 10-20 years and I’ve worked 30 years as a professional buyer before taking over the running of the Institute.”

He says: “It used to be a very cost- and results-driven environment. That’s not to say that element is not there still but what really has changed are the complexities of the role and the degree of risk associated with it. Supply chains around the world have become far more volatile and people are far more aware and raise comments on malpractice in supply chains, particularly with the influence of social media.”

Strategic thinking

Noble stresses that the key weapon in the modern buyer’s armoury is the strategic thinking necessary to understand how their actions can even influence the creation of new businesses. He says: “Today’s role goes further because some activities we are now seeing include strategic procurement becoming heavily involved in setting up new companies by segregating their spend in the right way to encourage these start-ups.