Chief Purchasing Officers and Chief Supply Chain Officers are under pressure from CEOs, CFOs, COOs, and CIOs to reduce costs, select the highest quality suppliers, and ensure on-time delivery. That is a heavy mountain to climb when systems are antiquated, talent is poor, organizations are under-funded, and they are viewed internally as a function, not a strategic partner.I overcame these challenges as a leader responsible for IT Sourcing, Procurement & Supplier Management (SPSM) and then advised executives in similar roles. Success is based on partnerships between Suppliers, SPSM, and Internal Customers. At Gartner, I advised clients on their SPSM strategy. My clients included retailers, consumer goods manufacturers, government agencies, and universities. I've helped clients reduce purchase costs, design Supplier Management offices, and up-skill talent. I assisted clients to develop Supplier performance scorecards and codify Sourcing processes and methodologies.I launched a Supplier Management Office at Express Scripts, a Fortune 20 company since acquired by Cigna. My team and I covered $750M in Supplier spend and, at the CIO's request, took on IT Sourcing for large deals. We led Sourcing of outsourcing partners, eventually covering 5,200 external employees in India and the Philippines, and then negotiated $420M in multi-year contracts. We created a third party risk model and a Supplier performance management program.My teams and I are successful because:• We gather clear requirements from internal customers. • We do not burn bridges during negotiations. Instead, we create foundations for long-term strategic partnerships.• We earn our internal customers' respect and get a "seat at the table" to anticipate future needs for Sourcing goods and services.• We segment Suppliers from most strategic to transactional vendors.• We treat strategic Suppliers as partners, not as foes. • We utilize category management to make smarter decisions when selecting Suppliers.• We develop performance scorecards and provide direct feedback to Suppliers.• We solicit innovative ideas from Suppliers – based on our needs, not on a glossy brochure.• We celebrate successes with our Suppliers.In addition to my success in Sourcing, Procurement & Supplier Management, I have strong business acumen. Armed with an MBA from Wharton, I managed a $17M line of business at Gartner with annual revenue retention of 90%. I have worked globally in Europe and Asia and am comfortable across cultures. My management span has exceeded 100 people.