JOHN FREEL
Venice,FL
Summary
Experienced professional and leader with a proven track record of driving impactful change. Skilled in implementing strategic initiatives and improving operational performance. Recognized for collaborative team leadership and adaptability to evolving business needs. Accomplished in executing sourcing and procurement plans to support overall business strategy. Proficient in applying best practices in strategic sourcing and procurement systems to deliver optimal value in the marketplace. Analyze enterprise data and long-range forecasts, monitor processes, and provide recommendations to achieve goals. Expertise in maximizing supplier relationships by driving competition, optimizing service levels, creating innovative solutions, and ensuring diversity, compliance, and sustainability.
Overview
23
23
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Procurement
Transamerica
02.2020 - Current
- Leadership position for sourcing and procurement function with oversight of supplier diversity, procurement analytics, procurement and expense processes and systems, and contingent labor sourcing and operations
- Created companies first supplier diversity program
- Authored charter, obtained executive support and sponsorship, and built registration process, website content, and reporting analytics
- Improved procurement processes and expanded Ariba system, including data quality, sourcing, supplier lifecycle, and risk management
- Created business analytics and sourcing intelligence for procurement leadership, business unit leaders, and corporate clients
- Expended sourcing and knowledge tools for market intelligence, risk monitoring, and functional training
- Implemented competence model including training curriculum and development tool
- Created and implemented spend control tower for 3 business units to review and approve spend and sourcing strategies
- Supported data and process documentation for internal and external compliance regulators and oversight
- Improved contracting process compliance and documentation through Ariba
- Project leader for initiatives included in company-wide Reset, Transform, and Sustain program for Ariba optimization, Supplier Risk Management, Employee Technology usage, and Travel expense reduction
- Developed high-performing teams by providing mentorship, guidance, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Implemented cost control measures through disciplined budget management and spend analysis, optimizing resource allocation for maximum return on investment.
- Championed procurement best practices throughout the organization by providing training and support to stakeholders in areas such as contract management, supplier selection, or risk mitigation.
- Enhanced supplier relationships through regular communication, collaboration, and mutual goal-setting for long-term partnerships.
- Implemented emerging technologies to enhance procurement operations including e-sourcing platforms and contract automation tools.
- Reduced supply chain risks through thorough vendor assessments and continuous monitoring of performance metrics.
SVP, Global Procurement
THE NORTHERN TRUST COMPANY
04.2012 - 08.2019
- Leader of global sourcing and procurement team with oversight of strategy development and management of $1.1B spend area with $70M financial targets
- Categories included Technology, Managed Services, Corporate and Professional Services, Contingent Labor, Facilities and Travel
- Developed and executed a Procurement roadmap to build team, tools, and capabilities needed for a sustainable procurement function
- Delivered business results including bottom line savings of $75M, working capital improvement, supplier performance (quality and delivery) and continuity of all materials and services
- Continuously measure and develop supplier performance with respect to KPIs, contractual obligations and service level agreements
- Presented and discussed strategy and initiative progress with senior business leaders.
- Develop and implement strategies to enable global spend leverage and competitive pricing, quality, delivery and risk management with the supply base
- Influenced organizational change initiatives that resulted in significant improvements in workplace efficiency and employee satisfaction.
- Develop and maintain effective supplier relationships to promote supplier innovation and investment and develop suppliers aligned with company values and operational goals including supplier diversity
- Identify and develop new/current suppliers globally who have the capacity and capability to meet the cost, quality and service needs of the business
- Understand competitive trends in key geographic markets and for alternate materials or services to ensure competitive supply solutions
- Hired and managed employees to maximize productivity while training staff on best practices and protocols.
- Delivered exceptional customer service by implementing best practices and fostering a culture of accountability within the organization.
- Established a culture of continuous improvement, leading by example to drive operational excellence across the organization.
- Strengthened relationships with key stakeholders, fostering trust and collaboration across the organization.
- Identified opportunities to improve business process flows and productivity.
- Developed measurement tools, dashboards, and reports to track metrics on adoption and effectiveness of initiatives.
Director of Supply Chain
Ascension
08.2009 - 09.2011
- Sourcing Leader for CIO Organization and eSourcing procurement function projects
- Established and lead execution of sourcing strategies for key spends in Information Technology, including Hardware, Software, Telecom, Professional IT Services, IT Support Services and Contract Labor
- Partnered and collaborated with all operating companies in order to effectively leverage scale, simplified the supplier base, reduce total cost of ownership, and create value in the Information Technology area
- Automated Source to Pay processes including tool selection (Coupa), policies and governance
- Ensured strong involvement with all Information Technology commodity areas and understanding of Information Technology market dynamics to gain intricate knowledge of supply chain strategies and leverage points for each area
- Worked with the Chief Supply Chain Officer, Chief Information Officer and other leaders of the operating companies on strategic initiatives; provided ongoing leadership for these initiatives
- Developed business analytics and reporting for targeted areas of responsibility
- Developed strong relationships with suppliers for improved collaboration and procurement outcomes.
- Continuously upgraded knowledge of emerging trends in the field of Supply Chain Management leading to proactive decision making.
- Implemented cost-saving measures, resulting in significant savings without compromising quality or service levels.
- Created a resilient supply chain by diversifying suppliers and assessing potential risks.
Director of Procurement
Sara Lee Corporation
07.2001 - 07.2009
- Manager for the IT and HR global sourcing team
- Project leader for eProcurement design, sourcing, contracting and implementation
- Managed IT and HR procurement group including Contingent Workforce with $600MM in annual spend and over $50MM in savings
- Leader of global IT procurement team based in Utrecht, Netherlands
- Worked with internal business partners to understand requirements for goods or services and ensure those requirements are met in vendor proposals and vendor selection
- Created sourcing strategy and lead internal teams through objective evaluation processes for selecting solutions or service providers (RFQ, RFI, RFP, scorecarding, onsite presentations/demos)
- Established overall Procurement e-Sourcing Services Strategy inclusive of technology, work process, business process outsourcing and delivery
- Lead the procure-to-pay team for Global Procurement to implement Ariba and SAP across all global locations including P-Card process
- Lead the negotiation and contract management of large-scale, enterprise-wide technology and outsourcing agreements
- Negotiated all hardware, enterprise software, infrastructure services, as well as SaaS based applications
- Managed contingent labor program team, MSP, and VMS, partnered with all levels of stakeholders (clients, business leaders, HR, Legal, Internal Audit, Finance, etc.) to efficiently and compliantly execute
Education
Master of Science (M.S.) - Management Information Systems
DePaul University
Chicago, ILBachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Supply Chain Management
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MISkills
- Strategy Development and Execution
- Procurement Automation and Systems
- Organizational Design
- Senior Leadership Communication
- Business Process Design
- Value Creation
- Supplier Diversity & Sustainability
- Supplier Contract Management
- Procurement Process Improvement
- Supplier Relationship Management
- Negotiation expertise
- Strategic Sourcing
- Sustainability Initiatives
- Category management
Timeline
Director of Procurement
Transamerica
02.2020 - Current
SVP, Global Procurement
THE NORTHERN TRUST COMPANY
04.2012 - 08.2019
Director of Supply Chain
Ascension
08.2009 - 09.2011
Director of Procurement
Sara Lee Corporation
07.2001 - 07.2009
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Supply Chain Management
Michigan State University
Master of Science (M.S.) - Management Information Systems
DePaul University
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