Daniyar Zhantilessov , Global Head of Procurement at Exness , delves into building a world-class procurement team , the role of mentorship , and digitalisation
Daniyar Zhantilessov , Global Head of Procurement at Exness , delves into building a world-class procurement team , the role of mentorship , and digitalisation
Exness is an international , award-winning multi-asset broker founded in 2008 . With a deep understanding of traders ’ needs , the company provides accessible , stable , and reliable brokerage services through the use of modern trading and investment technologies .
Heading up its procurement function is Daniyar Zhantilessov , who with over 12 years of experience across diverse roles in various markets , has acquired strong knowledge in the procurement field .
“ My career journey so far has led me to my current position as Global Head of Procurement at Exness ,” says Zhantilessov , who has a finance degree and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply Chain Management ( CIPS ). “ When I joined Exness at the beginning of 2020 , I started as a Procurement Manager and built the procurement process in the company from scratch . This earned me numerous promotions over the years , until I became the head of the department .
“ Within my role , I have enhanced procurement productivity , devised effective sourcing strategies , and implemented bestin-class procurement processes . I am also responsible for vendor risk management , due diligence , and process optimisation .”
The road to procurement Zhantilessov ’ s career started at a juncture where he had to choose between a role as a financial analyst or a procurement specialist in the banking industry . As he explains , he chose the latter . “ I like to connect and interact with people , so I felt it was a more fitting career . Despite excellent knowledge of finance , which also enables me to do my current job best , I prefer working with people instead of numbers .
“ The procurement sphere has allowed me to maximise my skills and use them properly ,” Zhantilessov adds . “ It is an integrated part of my life and approach at large , to constantly compare and select the best value things price / quality wise .”
This approach even applies to things like family holidays . “ I am the one investigating everything about our destination ,” Zhantilessov laughs , “ from the best sights to the best restaurants , a full comparison of accommodation options , constantly checking reviews online and asking friends and acquaintances what their own experience was .”
All of this shows how seriously Zhantilessov takes the procurement world . “ Procurement is my passion and part of my life ,” he says . “ Our job allows us to meet many different people and build strong relationships and networks worldwide . From my point of view , it is one of the best fields to realise your negotiation and communication skills and make significant cost savings for the organisation .
“ We have a definition of five rights in procurement : right price , right quality , right time , right place and right quantity . This is my approach in my professional and personal life too .” procurementmag . com 81