The profile of the procurement profession “continues to grow”, the CIPS Excellence in Procurement Awards ceremony was told.
Malcolm Harrison, group CEO at CIPS, told revellers the awards had been described as the “equivalent of the Oscars for the procurement community”.
“However I am not Chris Rock and I would ask you not to do a Will Smith tonight,” he joked, referring to the now-famous slapping incident that took place at the Oscars.
Against the backdrop of the energy crisis and supply disruption, Harrison said buyers had “risen to the challenge and demonstrated the true value the profession brings”.
“There have been some outstanding achievements,” he said.
Commenting on CIPS’s 90th anniversary this year, he said: “Now more than ever it’s important to invest in talent.”
Speaking at Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane, London, Harrison said people had attended from countries around the world including Germany, the US, Turkey, the UAE and Australia. “This is a fantastic profession and one people increasingly hear about,” he said.
However, writer and comedian Mark Watson, who compered the evening, admitted his knowledge of procurement was limited. “I really don’t know what it is,” he said.
He reminded the audience there could only be a select few winners and people should manage their expectations.
Watson described how this was instilled in him by his father when he said: “‘Would you rather Father Christmas didn’t exist or your mum is dead? Good news then!’
“That is what you call expectation management.”
Watson said the last thing he had achieved was just before the pandemic when he was “voted one of the sexiest Jews on Twitter”.
“I was number 38 – a little bit disappointed. It’s nice to be called a sexy Jew even though Twitter is quite a limited subset – and I’m not Jewish. I’m looking forward my sexiest muslim nomination next year.”
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