CPOstrategy sits down with global procurement and technology leader, Nedra Dickson, Interim President and CEO, WBENC, to explore why small businesses are the most undervalued force in global supply chains – and how empowering them can unlock innovation, resilience and economic growth on a global scale…
In the world of procurement, conversations often circle around cost savings, risk mitigation and supply chain efficiency, often leading towards a bias – the bigger the supplier, the better the supplier. Yet for Nedra Dickson – a procurement and technology leader with a global track record working for companies such as Accenture – these discussions are missing a vital thread: the transformative role of small businesses in shaping economic resilience, innovation and community prosperity.
In her view, procurement leaders hold a unique lever for change. By strategically integrating small and diverse suppliers into their sourcing mix, they can not only strengthen supply chains but also contribute to healthier economies.
“If I look at this on a global scale, it is about creating jobs around the world. That’s the common denominator. Let’s create jobs and drive an economic impact,” she tells us.
A true visionary
Few procurement and supply chain leaders have made as lasting an impact as Nedra Dickson. A seasoned executive with over two decades of experience across technology consulting, operations management and procurement sourcing, Dickson has built a reputation not just for managing billions in spend, but for reshaping how global companies think about supplier diversity and sustainable procurement.
As a former Managing Director at Accenture, Dickson held two vital roles. On one hand, she led Accenture’s Global Supplier Diversity and Sustainability Programs across 20 countries. On the other, she managed Europe Procurement Operations across 30 countries, overseeing more than $2.5 billion in procurement spend. Balancing these dual responsibilities required the kind of strategic vision, operational precision and people-centred leadership that have defined her career. “Profitability and responsibility can go hand in hand. Supplier diversity isn’t a side project. It’s good business.”
Her impact at Accenture is perhaps best illustrated by the expansion of the firm’s award-winning Diverse Supplier Development Program (DSDP). What began as a focused initiative to mentor diverse businesses evolved under her leadership into a global model of success. With tailored curricula designed to help small and diverse businesses grow and integrate into multinational supply chains, the program extended across the US, Canada, UK, South Africa, Ireland and India. Plans for further expansion into Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Mexico followed in 2021, underscoring the program’s influence and Nedra’s vision for inclusive growth.
Dickson’s vision is all about changing the very fabric of procurement. By embedding supplier diversity and sustainability into the DNA of global business operations, she has demonstrated that profitability and responsibility can coexist and that small businesses lay at the heart of her vision.
The perception problem
For all their potential, small businesses face stubborn misconceptions in procurement circles, according to Dickson. “People hear ‘small business’ and assume you’re just giving them work. That couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Nedra sees a curious bias in corporate culture: startups are embraced as disruptors and innovators, while small businesses are judged as if they were fully scaled enterprises.
“Leaders understand startups – they expect rapid scaling, they expect an IPO or acquisition,” she says. “Some startups aren’t even profitable yet, but they’re still seen as valuable partners. Small businesses, meanwhile, are held to the same standards as established corporations, which is unfair.”
The result? Many large corporations overlook suppliers who could deliver competitive pricing, fresh ideas and unique capabilities simply because they don’t fit neatly into the procurement template.
Risk models – often designed for large, well-established companies – compound the issue. Procurement teams default to incumbents because it feels safer. Large corporations are seen as having deeper pockets, better insurance and more capacity to absorb failure. “In a crisis, small businesses can pivot far faster than an 800,000-person organisation.”
The pandemic drove this point home. While many multinationals were still convening committees to assess disruptions, small suppliers were reconfiguring processes and retooling operations overnight. The resilience of small businesses isn’t just operational either. It’s economic. They have a disproportionate impact on local hiring and community development, which in turn supports global supply chain stability.
“Small businesses are ten times more likely to hire within local economies,” Dickson reveals. “When you strengthen a local economy, you fuel the broader economy. That stabilises your customer demand and your workforce…”
I