Tom Acton Email & Phone Number

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

Hired to work on the NEOM project in Saudi Arabia for the world’s largest procurement consultancy. Being a Procurement Lead on the NEOM project involves:Conducting multiple RFPs and single source procurement requests at any one time on both goods and services, involving a wide range of projects. Examples range from sourcing design services worth up to SAR 30m, to printing services for a few thousand dollars.End to end contract tendering, from receipt of the procurement request to award recommendation and contract negotiation/completion.Key stakeholder management, whether that is internal departments/budget holders or suppliers being sourced from.Requirement to meet exceptionally tight deadlines.Training of new team members to ensure they’re fully trained and understanding of NEOMs systems and processes.

Birmingham, United Kingdom

ATS are a national garage retailer with over 250 centres across the UK, nationally renowned for being as- sociated with tyres, a category worth over £80m. Leading this category was my first taste of retail category management, thus building on my B2B category management experience from Jewson. Some of my keyresponsibilities included:Building working relationships with key suppliers such as Pirelli and MichelinWorking closely and collaboratively with Commercial and Marketing colleagues to execute category plansPreparation of monthly category and market presentations that bring insights to life, presented to the wider business and with supplier partnersEnsure the wider team accurately sets up, manages and follows all administrative procedures to convert consumer demand into sales through product availability and deliveryEnsure that all administration relating to cost prices and supplier details are accurately maintained, and all account and invoice queries are dealt with in an efficient and timely mannerDrive supplier negotiations to maximise profits on branded products, ensuring that all suppliers are meeting requirements on margin, marketing support and delivery performanceWorking closely with the Supply Chain team to ensure all stock is in the right place at the right time, taking account of lead times and supplier requirements. Also being proactive in dealing with any is- sues arising including dated stock, slow-moving stock and poor supplier performanceStart-up, progression and delivery of projects, notably the large scale electric vehicle (EV) project across a multi-million pound and multi-site organisationUse of market data and internal performance sales data to inform future decision making.

Coventry, United Kingdom

Having been given the exciting opportunity of being promoted to Trading Manager for Doors, Joinery and Flooring, I have grown into the role and made the category my own. Understanding how to promote my products to our customers, develop sales, and gain market share as well as an edge over my competitors are all part of trying to grow a multi-million pound category.A key part of the role involves managing multiple key suppliers and building relationships. This can range from trying to develop a particular supplier's business, negotiating and leveraging support to implement sales and marketing strategies, and working with key stakeholders such as Operations, Marketing and my Buying Manager to ensure these strategies are implemented and succeed.

Coventry, United Kingdom

Having moved from a public sector to a private sector entity, this naturally brought with it different chal- lenges thus requiring different skills. My role within the Category department involved operating under both plasterboard and insulation categories, providing assistance to both Category managers. My responsibili- ties included:Daily use of spreadsheets to analyse sales out data on multi-million pound categories, as well as purchase data from suppliersSupplier relationship management (SRM) involving meetings and daily communication with numer- ous suppliers to ensure the effective running of both categoriesConducting tenders with suppliers to achieve the best price, availability and service possible for goods.Achievements and skills:Development of Excel skills, SRM and category managementTeam work with Category managers and communication with internal stakeholders and depart- ments.

Birmingham, United Kingdom

Joining one of the largest and most highly respected public sector organisations in the UK as a Medicines Buyer required learning diverse skills for an extremely tasking role:Use of SAGE finance system to solve drug queries and order £100,000+ worth of medicinal drugs daily.Prioritise work between the team based priorities and my own, e.g. drug recalls requiring all buyers to remove recalled drugs from warehouses to return to suppliers.Supply chain management requiring constant communication with suppliers and warehouse stores relating to new drugs and supply of current medicine.Engage in Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) to source alternative products when current drugs are unavailable.Achievements and skills:Development of skills in supply chain management, inventory control and buyingCustomer/patient care to ensure goods arrive in a timely and efficient mannerTeam work and communication with other departments and organisationsICT skills and SAGE

Watford, United Kingdom

Working for Europe’s largest off-price retailer (annual turnover of £2 billion), my key accountabilities included:Detailed analysis of sales data reports/spreadsheets ensuring that men’s knitwear was shipped across the UK, Netherlands and Ireland in a timely and cost-effective way.Use of Excel skills such as developing pivot tables in order to make unreadable data into useable information, and disseminating useful information to my team.Working with colleagues from other service areas (notably logistics and store teams) to ensure shipping of goods to correct stores at correct times in order to maximise sales.Achievements and skills:Grounding in procurement, buying and negotiationCommercial awarenessCustomer focusTeam working/relationship building and communication skillsAdvanced ICT and Excel skills

Birmingham, United Kingdom

Part of a team responsible for a range of customer service and administrative tasks, supporting a diverse and multi-cultural student population of thousands, including:Reception/call handling and providing information and advice to students on a wide range of issues, including student entitlements and general information regarding studentship and future further education courses.Weekly reporting to management, including feedback/analytics on service performance of the entire department.Achievements and skills:Communication skills – listening to and diagnosing customer issues and providing accurate online, phone and face-to-face resolutions whilst still achieving operational KPIs.Diversity awareness – developing understanding of and empathy with the issues faced by a diverse student population with many students having disabilities, varying first languages, differing religious or cultural requirements; all adding a complexity to service delivery.Partnership skills – many enquiries required liaison with external bodies, including the Police and examination boards as well as other college departments.Organisational skills – utilising the ‘Unit-E’ customer management system to track enquiries and monitor service as well as compare my own performance to the values and ethics of the college.

Ba Geography, Geography, 2:1

Activities and Societies: Christian Union, Geography and Football society.As a student, I took it upon myself to take part in both.

Cips Level 4, Pass

Gcses And A-Levels, A Levels, B, C, C

Studied GCSEs and A-Levels.