Tamra Pawloski, Head of Global Leveraged Procurement and Corporate Real Estate at Corteva Agriscience, talks process automation, talent development and how to drive continuous improvement while managing more than $3bn in spend…
Leaders in today’s procurement sector face an ever-shifting landscape fraught with new challenges and mounting responsibilities. In light of shifting geopolitical pressures, souring economic conditions, and the worsening effects of the climate crisis, staying competitive requires constant evolution and agility.
The strategic value of procurement has gained greater attention too. And so the expectations placed upon the function have also increased.
“When you get down to the root of it, the biggest challenge is that change is constant. If you stay still then you’re not going to be competitive,” reflects Tamra Pawloski, Head of Global Leveraged Procurement and Corporate Real Estate at Corteva.
Pawloski joined Corteva in November 2019, shortly after the organisation was spun out from Dow Chemical subsidiary, DowDupont, combining the strengths of Dupont Pioneer, Dupont Crop Protection and Dow AgroScience into a new agriscience enterprise. Corteva is the only major agriscience company completely dedicated to agriculture.
A wealth of experience
Pawloski was no stranger to procurement, having spent over two decades in various leadership roles in procurement for Chubb, Avaya and Telcordia prior to a role in IT asset management at AIG. And so Pawloski joined the multi-billion-dollar-generating Corteva as Global Procurement Director Indirect Materials, IT and Corporate Services. It’s a role that combined her stellar expertise in both procurement, tech and leadership.
Pawloski was initially asked to take on the software and technology side at Corteva from an indirect sourcing perspective, covering Corporate Services, Professional Services and Technology, which translated to around $2bn in spend.
Initial aims and objectives
During her time at Corteva, she has helped shape the company’s approach to procurement as a newly independent organisation. In doing this, Pawloski has navigated the increasingly complex procurement landscape. She has driven an ongoing digital transformation within the function at Corteva, while cultivating the necessary cultural shift to support it. Over the past four years, her role has grown to encompass all of Corteva’s leveraged procurement and logistics. Pawloski now manages over more than $3bn in spend.
“Success in procurement is rooted in people, process and tools,” she explains. “All too often, people only invest in the process and the tools and leave the people out in the cold without the support they need. I always make sure to invest in people,” she says. “We’re investing in technology and adopting new digital tools. Plus, we’re implementing new processes and both supporting and pushing our people to excel and grow.”
