Martin Simper
Chief Procurement Officer for Liberty Procurement Services
Martin Simper, Chief Procurement Officer at Liberty Procurement Services, has overseen the radical transformation of procurement at the company, from an internal department to a customer-facing service provider. It has been a significant challenge in terms of technology, process and culture, but one that is already delivering results.
Liberty Global is a leading global telecommunications company and has been a key player in the telecom and media industry since its formation in 2005 through the merger of Liberty Media International and UnitedGlobalCom.
The business operates primarily in Europe, providing television, broadband and telephony services across countries including the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland and Poland.
Martin has three decades of experience in the industry, having got his break in procurement leadership early in his career in publishing, before moving to Polestar, Norwich Union, Vodafone, Virgin Media, Telenet and Liberty Global.
After leaving university early, he found himself at the mail-order publisher, Grolier, where he moved through departments before stepping into purchasing, where he was given a huge opportunity by the CEO.
Martin recalls: “I popped into his big spatial office and he said, ‘congratulations, you're now running all of our procurement. You're going to purchase all of our books, you're going to run our supply chain, you're going to do all of our printed literature.’ I think I was probably about 20 or 21.”
He adds: “The best advice I was ever given was don't do a job for money. Do a job because of the opportunity and the challenge.”
After three years in Belgium at Telenet as Vice President of Procurement, he returned home to the UK to take on his current challenge at Liberty Global in London.
When Martin joined Liberty Global, he encountered a partially-centralised procurement organisation. His assessment of its performance was pragmatic, admitting that some areas were achieving better results than others. This situation placed the procurement operation at a crossroads. Martin set about answering the question of what the strategic importance of procurement was to Liberty Global moving forwards and it was clear that either all of procurement should be passed back to the different operating companies under the Liberty Global banner or they needed to look to do something completely different within Liberty Global.
Martin has seen a great many changes in the art of procurement in his years in the sector, but believes there are underlying skills that are essential for any professional wanting to be successful in the field.
“Ultimately, procurement is a people business,” he says. “So, if you like people, then that is the right business to be in.”
“I think if your customer feels you’re listening to them you're reacting and you're providing them with solutions in a procurement landscape, you'll always do pretty well.”
As well as a focus on making sure his procurement operation maintains a strong sense of customer centricity, Martin is equally focused on the people working within his team.
“A good day will mean that I've been able to actually inspire people myself,” says Martin. “I love mentoring. Leadership is massive in any organisation. I try to surround myself with people who are like-minded, with that human belief you can come to work and be yourself. You can have your say in an open environment.”
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