This month SmartProcurement profiles Riccardo Benedetti from Hulamin.
| Full name | Riccardo Danilo Benedetti |
| Position | General Manager: Head of Procurement |
| Your organisation’s procurement expenditure | Approximately R12-billion p/annum |
| Who does P & SM report to | The CFO |
| Private sector or public sector | Private sector (JSE Listed) |
| Core business activity of the enterprise | Manufacturing Aluminium. Hulamin Rolled Products produces flat rolled aluminium products – foil, sheet and plate – for its customers in regional and international markets across the globe. Hulamin Extrusions focuses on customers in the Southern African regional market. In our Containers business unit, we manufacture rigid foil containers which are supplied into the food industry domestically and internationally. |
| Number of people in your P & SM organisation | 9 direct reports and a total of 44 P & SM staff in the organisation |
| Management motto | Keep moving forwards, don’t be too hard on yourself, and be authentic in everything that you do. |
| Personal motto | Be Authentic. Connect. Find your Purpose, and align it to the work you do. The rest will follow. |
| Professional bodies membership | CIPS: MCIPS (Chartered) |
| What is your vision for P & SM | To elevate the profile and value delivery of Procurement, benefitting all stakeholders. Unlock step change in value delivery through People and Systems. |
| Personal best achievement | Firstly, being a good husband and father. Then, being privileged to lead Hulamin’s Procurement roadmap and growing the teams and individuals that make it all happen. |
| Most important commodities | Metals, lacquers, rolling oils, gases, capex, packaging, MRO and services including logistics |
| The person that has had the biggest influence on your life | My wife, Barbara |
| The person that has had the biggest influence on your career | It would be unfair to merely single out one. There have been many. Mostly my team mates. |
| Person you would most like to meet | Dalai Lama in Nepal, high in the Himalayas. |
| What do you like most about your job | Having the responsibility and great privilege to lead people, and influence continuous improvement to deliver on a wide variety of challenges and opportunities across the entire business, and in many industries, with countless suppliers. |
| Is there anything you dislike about your job | I am told that I am not good at corporate politics! |
| Businessperson who has impressed you the most | There are a handful of great CPOs and Procurement Pros. |
| Favourite quote | I tell you, deep inside you is a fountain of joy. Deep inside your centre core is
truth, light, love. There is no guilt there, there is no fear there. Psychologists have never looked deep enough.” Ravi Shankar |
| Your favourite South African organisation | Hulamin |
| Your favourite global organisation | Oxford University |
| Your philosophy about life | I enjoy Buddhist philosophy.
Life is a journey, not a destination. Look forwards, and be in the moment in order to enjoy the ride. |
| Favourite reading | Procurement blogs, podcasts, LinkedIn posts. Yes, I am a little obsessed with growing my knowledge in procurement! |
| Favourite music | Alternative rock and Grunge such as R.E.M and Pearl Jam. |
| Favourite sport | Ballroom and Latin dancing (watch in awe; I have 2 left feet!). |
| Favourite website | www.linkedin.com |
| Hobbies | Chess |
| Car | Prefer trains! |
| Married | Yes |
| Children | 3 boys and 1 girl |
| Twitter handle | What’s Twitter ?! …Never appealed to me |
| LinkedIn handle | https://www.linkedin.com/in/riccardo-benedetti-mcips-chartered-a0a80a10/
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