New CHAIR for CIPSA Steering Group

18 Oct 2010

David Henchliffe, Chief Procurement Officer at Santos in Adelaide, is to succeed John Tondut, from WA Govt – DTF, as Chair of the CIPSA Steering Group with effect from 1st January 2011.

David will serve a two-year term as Chair, with Phil Weir, the manager of the NZ Government Procurement Development Group, remaining as vice-chair. The appointment was announced at the 33rd meeting of the CIPSA Steering Group yesterday in Melbourne.
 
The CIPSA Steering Group comprises 18 people that form an advisory body to guide CIPSA - the peak procurement body - on the professional agenda and ensure its relevance to the region’s professional needs. The Steering Group’s terms of reference and membership are listed on the CIPSA website, and the group meets quarterly for it half-day meetings – usually in Melbourne.   
 
Current Chair, John Tondut, stands down as part of a regular rotation policy for the Chair’s role and for its members. He will remain on the group as an SG member however.

CIPSA Managing Director Jonathan Dutton said, “John has done a superb job as Steering Group Chair and proved  a very steady hand on the tiller during a challenging period for the profession as we have sailed through the GFC. We are grateful to John for all his hard work and commitment - on behalf of both CIPS and the profession. He has also been instrumental in forging closer links between CIPS and the public sector community, including the APCC and its members.” John succeeded previous Chair, Bill Aukett 2006-8, and the inaugural Chair Jim McGuire 2004-6.

David Henchliffe added, “I am delighted to be stepping up to the role of Chair after serving on the Steering Group for the last two years. There are many new challenges facing the profession and I believe CIPS has an important role to play as the peak body in helping both procurement people and their organisations to build their capability to meet these new challenges.”
    
Last October the group appointed the Young Buyer of the Year, Marissa Brown from BAE Systems in Adelaide, to the Steering Group for a one year term. Marissa brought the Gen Y perspective to the group and specifically researched how Gen Y could be more attracted to a career in the profession. This year’s Young Buyer of the Year, Susannah Malcolm of Queensland Government Chief Procurement Office has also been invited to join the CIPSA Steering Group for one year, to replace Marissa.