Larger organizations with a global footprint often have a chief supply chain officer. Sometimes they are called chief sourcing or materials management officers. Smaller companies usually have a chief procurement officer. By whatever name, these executives have similar responsibilities.
"I expect our head of sourcing and materials management to provide a strategic perspective on the markets we deal with, identify and mitigate supply-related risks, lead change internally and work with our supply base to identify and contribute their best ideas," says Kevin Crutchfield, CEO of Alpha Natural Resources, an $8bn coal producer based in Bristol, Virginia. "That means contributing to the major areas that drive value creation: revenue enhancement, cost reductions across all areas of spending, working capital improvements and better capital project development and execution."
