LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT
OVERCOMING THE BIGGEST PROCUREMENT CHALLENGES
John Dickson was Chief Procurement Officer at AstraZeneca during the height of the pandemic and knew early on in his working career that procurement was where he belonged
WRITTEN BY : NEIL PERRY IMAGES : ASTRAZENECA
At the outset of his career , as part of a graduate trainee programme with the Yorkshire Electricity Board in the UK , he spent time in the purchasing department , where he found he enjoyed the excitement of the bidding process .
From those early beginnings Dickson has landed a succession of prestigious roles at world renowned companies , including Rolls Royce , BP , and most recently , as Chief Procurement Officer at AstraZeneca .
Procurement career challenges Through his long career Dickson has experienced the modernisation and digitisation of the procurement sector , and has had to overcome onerous challenges along the way . He says one of the biggest challenges is communicating the value of procurement to colleagues across one ’ s employer .
“ Gaining recognition for procurement is always a challenge ,” he says . “ Everyone generally believes they can do the job of procurement professionals because outside of work we are all buyers . Yet corporate procurement is very different from personal spending . But this challenge comes with the territory , and I actually see it as one of the attractions of the job .”
24 November 2023