The 90th anniversary of a worldwide institute has been celebrated in style near Stamford.
More than 100 staff attended the party for the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), a non-profit professional body providing training and education for people working in buying and selling roles.
CIPS is based in Church Street, Easton-on-the-Hill, but has offices around the world including Australia and New Zealand, South Africa, Ghana, MENA, America, and has 164,000 members in 160 countries. It employs around 150 people on the site in Easton.
Group CEO Malcolm Harrison said: “Our profession and its remit have grown substantially over the years.
“The globalisation of supply chains has created opportunities, innovations and efficiencies and placed greater demand on the need for professional skills as recent events have shown how fragile supply chains can be, putting resilience on every CEO’s agenda.
“We have remained relevant throughout the years supporting members at every stage of their careers through whatever challenges they have faced.”
The organisation started in 1932 as the Purchasing Officers’ Association.
In the same year, the Olympics was hosted by Los Angeles, Sydney Harbour Bridge opened, the Mars bar was launched, the neutron was discovered, the first ever solo transatlantic flight was made by Amelia Earhart, the BBC’s first programmes aired and petrol was a penny a litre!
The 1950s saw growth in membership at CIPS up to 5,000, with 43 branches and groups in the UK and overseas.
The code of ethics was developed in the 1970s which was an important step for CIPS to gain the Royal Charter in 1992.
International donor funded work and the CIPS foundation working with Action Aid have continued to make a difference.
This public good work is core to the organisation’s existence and Royal Charter as the firm remains committed to improving procurement standards, but it is also improving the lives of people in some of the poorest parts of the world.
Through its Community Fund work, CIPS has also supported homeless and food charities in Stamford and has committed to 90 hours of volunteering to support community
projects.
