5 Minutes With...Stuart Manning

In this series of articles, we will spend 5 minutes with each member of the Fujitsu Global Supply Chain Unit Leadership Team. We'll find out how they started their careers, what makes them tick, their views on Procurement, and what they do to relax.

Stuart Manning is the Director of Fujitsu's Digital & Cloud (including Software and IT Services) Category.

How did your career in Procurement begin?

I began working on an IT helpdesk for a Pharmaceutical company taking IT orders for end users which I’d log and pass onto a buyer.?We’d have procurement come in from head office to negotiate frameworks with our suppliers and I’d wonder what it as they were negotiating and talking about.?I wanted to be part of the deal!?So that piqued my interest and I’ve been in procurement ever since with plenty of deals to talk about!

What is toughest challenge that you have faced in procurement and how did you overcome this?

I’ve lead many large projects in my career and the challenge is always managing all of the stakeholders; within the procurement management chain, within the business management chain and within the suppliers management chain.?Clear & concise communication is key.

What priorities do you see for Procurement?

At a micro level - within IT we need to speed up our procurement cycles with less focus on line by line requirements and more focus on proof of value driven by meaningful outcomes. We need to align governance with the requirement for Agile.?We need to place more focus on outcomes rather than just cost.

What goals have you set yourself within the next year in Procurement??

IT is changing all the time.?I need to keep learning to be able to have relevant conversations with the business and keep supporting Fujitsu to achieve its goals. I want to broaden my knowledge on sustainability and measuring it both personally and in the workplace.?

If you wrote a book about your career so far, what would you title it? Why?

Don’t Panic! Which was the phrase on the cover of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I’m told I’ve a calm way of dealing with problems.

Where is somewhere you would like to travel that you haven’t been to before?

I’m easily pleased with sunshine and warm water.?I make myself sound like a flower, ha-ha!

What do you do to relax?

My new thing is bike packing.?Pack a tent, sleeping bag and minimal essentials onto a bike and going cycling for a few days in the countryside or near the coast.?Cycling and camping is a great combination and really invigorating.