A little over 25 years ago, I landed my first role in purchasing—and found my passion. Initially, my roles involved purchasing standard off-the-shelf products, but it was when I became involved in manufacturing and industry—where production lines depended on incoming materials and bespoke products—that I truly hit my A-game.

I always wanted to delve deeper than my colleagues—to learn how products were manufactured by visiting suppliers’ facilities and seeing the end-to-end process. I worked closely with suppliers to improve product specifications, lead times, and costs, examined logistics and inventory data, and constantly sought ways to enhance the supply chain while ensuring flexibility to adapt to demand changes.

I bored my children by explaining things like how a plastic bottle is made compared to its cap. They would test me on different items, then roll their eyes as I explained their manufacturing processes.

After 20 or so years of buying goods, (with a couple of years in production planning / buying thrown in for good measure) I added maintenance services and capital projects to my skill set. Procuring services was a new discipline for me, but I quickly became adept at managing supplier relationships while meeting the company's demands.

After COVID, I began considering my next career move. I felt my operational purchasing experience could be valuable in a strategic role, so I transitioned into procurement—an adjustment for an adrenaline junkie like me! Over the years, I noticed that smaller businesses without internal procurement resources often faced disadvantages when negotiating with larger companies. Many had signed contracts without fully understanding the terms and conditions, leading to significant financial losses, which could have been avoided had they got the right advice before completing the contract.

In 2022, I established AB Procurement, feeling it was time to leave the corporate setting and bring my expertise to the market—making procurement advice and services more accessible to those who need it most.