Procurement Professional is the official publication of CIPS Australasia

Collaboration needs tactful leadership

14 Dec 2009

Source: SupplyManagement.com, 7 December 2009

Joint buying groups must be chaired by a peacekeeper to succeed, according to the chairman of a hotel procurement consortium.

Speaking at a conference held by consultancy Prestige Purchasing in London last week, Ray Shannon, chairman of the Mayfair Buying Group, said competing personalities must be controlled to secure the best deal for all parties.

The group has nine members, including Radisson Edwardian Hotels and Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts, and a combined spend of £50 million.

Shannon said: “When you have eight or 10 people, some are quiet and others are bullish and like to be heard. It’s important you have some mechanism to keep things on line. I’m that mechanism in the Mayfair Buying Group, the peacekeeper.”

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