Len DeCandia sheds light on how the combined strengths of data and technology alongside reframing procurement’s role in building elevated supplier relationships has worked for Johnson & Johnson, and enhanced their COVID-19 responsiveness.
DeCandia believes true enterprise-wide diversity can be driven through procurement, and he’s emphatic that supplier diversity can affect real community change. It just takes a bit of innovation and a real commitment to collaboration.
With a direct line of sight through the value chain, DeCandia describes how procurement has the opportunity to help their organizations make the transition from disjointed and disrupted supply chains to a more collaborative and innovative partnership with suppliers to help weather the next significant global event.
Show host Stephany Lapierre takes listeners into a deep-dive of Len DeCandia’s leadership experience and his team’s learnings through a global pandemic. Through this episode you’ll learn:
- How procurement teams can evolve to an influential, enabling function of the business and not just a cost-savings service
- Why procurement should be teaching budget owners how to manage supplier relationships to get the most value from suppliers
- How to make supplier diversity a company-wide initiative and not just a “procurement thing”
About Len DeCandia:
Len DeCandia is Global Chief Procurement Officer at Johnson & Johnson. Len rejoined Johnson & Johnson in 2014 after a previous tenure from 1982 to 1996. As Global Chief Procurement Officer, he is responsible for all global procurement policies, including supplier base strategy development and practices such as relationship management and functional headcount. He also serves as a member of the Johnson & Johnson Enterprise Governance Council (ESG Focus) and as Executive Sponsor of the second largest Employee Resource Group at J&J, the Alliance for Diverse Abilities.
He spearheaded an enterprise-wide digital functional transformation from a decentralized procurement system to a center-led model, covering all categories of spend for Johnson & Johnson globally. He also led the deployment of the world’s largest cloud-based procurement technology, which processed more than $50 billion in spend for a $5.2 billion cost savings in the first three years. In his tenure, Len has also led the global expansion of the diverse supplier/citizenship program, increasing impact spend by 70%.
Len DeCandia was Chief Procurement Officer and Senior Vice President for Estée Lauder from 2009 to 2014, and Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Management, at AmerisourceBergen from 2004 to 2008. Len is the founding chair (2002) of the Rutgers University Center for Supply Chain Management, and he is currently the Vice Chair of the Advisory Board at the Rutgers Business School.
Links:
Stephany Lapierre, CEO & Founder, TealBook: website | twitter |LinkedIn | YouTube | instagram
Len DeCandia, Global Chief Procurement Officer, Johnson & Johnson: website | LinkedIn
Additional Resources:
