Ep 78: Empowering Procurement to Create Broader Value feat. Brian Chaplin

Modernizing procurement organizations from tactical to strategic takes more than new technology and upgraded processes. The individuals on the team will need to embrace change as well. Whether it is through improved relationships with internal stakeholders and key suppliers, or distributed authority to generate ideas and make decisions, everyone has a role to play.

In this episode of The Sourcing Hero podcast, Host Kelly Barner welcomes Brian Chaplin, Director of Global Sourcing for Medline Industries. Brian has experience managing indirect procurement in manufacturing-centric industries like CPG, aerospace, and energy. He changed jobs during the pandemic, moving into healthcare distribution at a very interesting time in the industry, and has been working to formalize his team and modernize procurement operations since.

In this conversation, Brian talks about his international team’s journey towards strategic, value-oriented procurement:

• What it was like taking a role in healthcare during the pandemic, one that requires him to manage a remote team
• His vision for how Medline procurement can expand the value they deliver to all North American operations
• Positioning the value proposition of procurement in a sales and marketing driven organization
• The need for relationships building with suppliers, and how the team is pulling them closer while still emphasizing quality and performance