New era of procurement and supply management for business and organisations in all sectors is hailed in the region

A special  one-day event held earlier this month called Building Procurement Capabilities in KSA, was held in the Sofitel hotel in Khobar, in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia to celebrate the success of Saudi Arabian nationals in procurement and supply management and for discussion about the challenges for the profession in the region. 

More than 80 attendees met with Group CEO, CIPS David Noble, CIPS MENA General Manager Sam Achampong and Diya Nasereddin Country Manager - KSA. CIPS has been active in Saudi Arabia since 2013 and in the MENA region since 2011. Since then, there have been increasing demands from a number of organisations and sectors to register for the  CIPS corporate award  programme and not only receive a professional internationally-recognized qualification but to use CIPS expertise for their business.

Both David Noble and Diya Nasereddin introduced the day to the attendees and gave updates on the latest practices and the growth in CIPS memberships in the MENA region which has now reached over 4000  members in four years. These members have stayed engaged as part of the global community of around 118,000. 

During the day there followed a talk on CIPS and Procurement excellence in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council)  by Waleed Al Saeedi, Fellow of CIPS and also Head of Procurement and Contracts at Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority. A panel discussion about opportunities and challenges in procurement and supply management in KSA followed where attendees could ask questions relevant to their own business and sectors.

The day also included an introductory speech on procurement in KSA, given by Ehab Zain AlAbdeen , the General Manager of Rolls Royce SAL.

David Noble, Group CEO, CIPS said: “This is a fascinating region for global business and we are pleased to have strong contacts and so many active members in the region.

“There are many challenges and opportunities faced by procurement here. For instance, the re-introduction of Iran into the global economy, the opening up of supply chains across the region with an increased flow of goods in and out will mean change will be momentous.

“We must be certain that procurement and supply chain practices are robust, fit for this new world, and operate with efficiency and efficacy as these significant trade and investment opportunities arrive. We will do all we can to support our members and anyone who has the responsibility and accountability to manage supply chains in the region.” 

Diya Nasereddin,  Country Manager - KSA said: “There is a growing number of entities within Saudi Arabia who see the increasing value of CIPS providing qualifications, training and practical procurement and supply chain solutions to support personal career development but also make a big difference to the organisation they work for.

“This personal development opportunity is particularly important in the region as   procurement and supply management training and qualifications are not available from academia in the MENA region. CIPS offers training and opportunities to fill this gap and gives individuals the background and knowledge to use CIPS procurement solutions for their own challenges.”

At the end of the day,  36 procurement professionals were handed certificates of achievement for their studies on the CIPS corporate award programme, practitioner level, from David Noble and Sam Achampong.Advanced practitioner programmes will also be available.

This is one of a range of events organised for the region, listed on the CIPS MENA website http://www.cips.org/en-me/events---middle-east/ [].