Q. HOW IS THE COE BRINGING SUPPLIERS AND INTERNAL R & D TOGETHER TO DRIVE INNOVATION?
» We set up a dedicated team for supplier-enabled innovation called New Product Development( NPD) Procurement. These are people with a category background, working on cross-functional project teams with R & D, Commercial and the wider project team, embedded in a project’ s daily activities from beginning to end. It isn’ t an easy journey. You need every function around the table, and R & D and Commercial teams to align on when and how to brief a supplier and understand the importance of providing timely feedback to suppliers. We launched our Kenvue supplier management programme in 2024 to govern relationships more intentionally and unlock innovation, resilience and value at scale. The NPD team also connects the dots within procurement itself – working on a new shampoo innovation, for instance, means engaging packaging, chemical and ingredient teams together. It’ s a connector role we were able to fund partly because our location strategy unlocked the value to create it.
Q. HOW DID YOU MANAGE THE TIMING SO SAVINGS FUNDED NEW STRATEGIC ROLES WITHOUT CREATING BUDGET GAPS?
» Our operating model combined centralised strategic capabilities with execution in global hubs, enabling scale, cost efficiency and a cost-neutral operating budget.
procurementmag. com 105