THE PROCUREMENT INTERVIEW
“ I want to be careful with the word, because it’ s perhaps an unusual one, but I think I’ m a little bit of a junkie. I like procurement. I’ m so passionate about it that I thought I could let it go, and couldn’ t”
Kai Nowosel Chief Procurement Officer The Adecco Group
He orchestrated the massive operation required to update 1,600 bank branches with new technology, handled the shift from an IBM OS / 2 environment to a modern Windows setup and managed the commercial transition from owning assets outright to utilising a strategic leasing environment.
This passion for disruption followed him throughout his career, which included a brief stint in the pharmaceutical sector before a staggering 18-year tenure in management consulting. He admits to“ hating business as usual”, preferring instead to challenge the status quo, wake up with new ideas and establish a strategic North Star for organisations. However, he remains grounded about the limits of corporate buzzwords.
He says“ I’ m careful with the word‘ transformation,’ because it sometimes has this tendency of solving world hunger, and I’ m just a procurement guy. I’ m not solving world hunger.”
The player-coach philosophy As a self-described“ alpha animal” and a leader who knows where he wants to go, Kai has learned to balance his strong vision by creating a safe environment where teams can openly challenge his thinking. He is a strong believer in reverse mentoring and ensuring colleagues treat
26 October 2026