WFA names Kredo and McLachlan as new co-chairs of Sourcing Forum

Christopher Kredo, VP Procurement for Global Demand at Mars, and Jennifer McLachlan, VP Brand Building Purchases at Procter & Gamble, have been named as co-chairs of the WFA’s Sourcing Forum and Sourcing Board. 

Together, they will lead WFA’s efforts to provide sourcing teams at member companies with access to best practice that enables them to ensure their brands get the most value out of their investments, while at the same time further WFA’s work to reposition procurement as a driver of company growth rather than a seeker of savings.

Kredo has spent 13 years at Mars and leads the Mars global procurement team responsible for transforming media, content, commerce, insights and marketing technology to unlock growth through partnership with strategic agency relationships. Prior to Mars he worked at Amazon for seven years.

McLachlan has been at P&G since 1998, starting as a Purchasing Manager. Since 2005, she’s been working on Brand Building Strategic Sourcing, and was appointed VP in 2015. She joined the WFA’s Sourcing Board at launch in 2019.

The pair take over from Tracy Allery, Director, Marketing Procurement Business Partner, Nestlé, and Barry Byrne, Global Senior Director, Employee Value Proposition, adidas. Allery will continue to play an important role on the board, which also includes:

• Ekaterina Agafonova, Global Strategic Sourcing Director Commerce, Heineken;
• Myriam Benichou, Global Marketing Sourcing Director, L’Oréal;
• José Gonzalo Bisquerra Mora, VP, Marketing & Sales Global Procurement, GSK
• Sarah Phillips, Head of Marketing Procurement; Diageo;
• Michael Pues-Tillkamp, Head of Marketing Procurement, IKEA; and
• Liliya Rechitsky, Senior Director of Procurement, Best Buy.

WFA’s Sourcing Forum and Sourcing Board have led a global reappraisal of the role of procurement in marketing in recent years via Project Spring, which has sought to encourage practitioners to move from a cost-cutting focus into a more advisory and strategic function for the marketing team, helping to establish the fundamentals of what constitutes great marketing procurement. Under the new leadership, the board aims to take that vision forward by focussing on how to make these fundamentals common practice in as many businesses as possible. 

“The transition from cost cutting to strategic partners is one that all companies need to make if their sourcing teams are to add maximum value. We’ve already outlined the benefits as part of Project Spring but now we need implement a clear roadmap of actions. Christopher and Jennifer will help our members translate the vision into real action for our members. Sourcing can have a huge positive impact well beyond procurement, providing metrics and targets and strategic advice in areas ranging from diversity to sustainability,” said Stephan Loerke, CEO of the WFA.

“Procurement organizations around the world have been driving value for their businesses in categories from raw materials to logistics to facility services where the key value levers have been price, quality and on time delivery. Marketing procurement organizations can take marketing and sales categories to an entirely new level by driving the right work with the right partner at the right price, and in this equation cheaper does not always mean better. Sophisticated marketing procurement teams in many big companies have joined together in the WFA to drive a mindset shift in the industry to deliver value where it matters… growth,” said Christopher Kredo, VP Procurement for Global Demand, Mars, Incorporated.

“The Sourcing Board has been a great way to come together against the common mission of advancement of the Sourcing discipline broadly across industries. The delivery of Project Spring and multiple other events and initiatives are driving common language and standards and helping new marketing procurement organizations earn a seat at the table and mature organizations thrive leveraging shared best practices. I’m excited to take on the role as co-chair as we move from “1.0 to 2.0” and help procurement professionals unlock even bigger opportunities for their companies through programs in areas like equality and inclusion, performance management, and people/capability. Leveraging our unique role and skillsets, we are well-positioned as a key amplifier of value for the agency-client relationship now and in the future,” said Jennifer McLachlan, Vice President, Brand Building Purchases, Procter & Gamble.