• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, May 21, 2019

As part of an effort to transform the procurement process into something more than a “cost killer,” the World Federation of Advertisers has created a new Global Sourcing Board.

The board is tasked with helping to realign corporate procurement practices as they apply to marketing more toward investment and growth goals, along with the usual cost-savings mandates.

Agency executives often complain client reviews are frequently “procurement driven,” by which they mean clients are focused on the cost of their ad agencies at the expense of quality and service.

The new Sourcing Board is the latest step the WFA has taken to address the issue. Last year, it surveyed senior marketing procurement executives and found that 92% of those polled felt the internal perception of their value and performance could be improved.

WFA also recently launched an initiative called “Project Spring” which looks at ways to bring more a more investment- and strategy-focused approach to the procurement practice. Among other things, the initiative is reexamining metrics and benchmarks companies use to evaluate CMO performance.

“The WFA sourcing board will be a great vehicle to drive change and shape the new face of global marketing procurement,” said Barry Byrne, senior global procurement director, sales & marketing, Adidas and co-chair of Global Sourcing Board.

Tracy Allery, associate director, global sourcing, marketing agencies, Mondelez, shares co-chair duties with Byrne.

Others on the board include:

Jennifer Mclachlan, Director, Brand Building Purchases, P&G 

Tuomas Anttila, Director, Global Marketing Procurement, Unilever

Janelle Orozco, SVP Global Marketing Procurement, Diageo 

Myriam Benichou, Global Marketing Sourcing Director, L’Oréal 

Christopher Kredo, Sr. Strategic Sourcing Director – Global Marketing & Sales, Mars

Michael Pues-Tillkamp, Head of Marketing Procurement, IKEA

Ekaterina Agafonova, Global Strategic Sourcing Director Commerce, Heineken 

Jose Gonzalo Bisquerra Mora, VP Marketing & Sales, Global Procurement, GSK 

Magid Souhami, Global Sourcing Director, General Mills 

Alex Morse, Procurement Manager – Media, Nestlé