Expana presents Agri-Food for Thought, the podcast series for agriculture and food professionals.
On today's episode, we welcome Malcolm Harrison, an international board-level executive with expertise in general management, operations, procurement, and sales. He has worked in diverse business environments across Brazil, China, France, Gulf states, the UK, the US, and West Africa. A veteran and engaging leader, Malcolm has always sought to improve business performance through growth and efficiency. He has a track record of quickly identifying gaps and opportunities for continuous improvement, developing strategies in complex environments, and building and leading high-performing international teams to deliver results. Malcolm has 40+ years' experience in the consumer goods sector. He began his career at Mars, where he spent 10 years. He later served as divisional CEO at Rexam plc, global chief procurement officer for AB InBev and for Nestlé. He was also a board member of Britvic Soft Drinks. Malcolm is also on the Expana Revenue Advisory Board.
Drawing from this extensive background, Harrison outlined how procurement has transformed through three distinct market phases. The last five years have marked a watershed moment, as the simultaneous shocks of COVID-19, the Ukraine war, and rising geopolitical tensions finally elevated procurement from operational function to strategic business partner. He discussed the evolution of the modern procurement professional's role which requires both technical skills (AI, data science, analytics) and behavioral competencies (communication, relationship management, strategic thinking), as well as topics such as crisis management, cyber crime, and what's in store for the future.
