This month, we sit down with Gerardo Aguilar, Global Head of Indirect Procurement at Syngenta Group.
A brief summary of what your company does and your role
Syngenta Group is a leading science-based agtech company. We help millions of farmers around the world to grow safe and nutritious food, while taking care of the planet. My role in Syngenta is to lead the Global Indirect Procurement function.
How did you start working in procurement?
Like most of my peers of a similar age, I discovered procurement along the way. My background is in industrial engineering, so I started working on efficiency programmes in factories. But in the 2000s, with the increased importance e-procurement tools, I joined Philips in the Netherlands to support the implementation of their e-procurement tool as an internal consultant. After that, I never left the function and have worked in procurement for more than 20 years for different multinational companies.
What has been the biggest highlight of your career to date?
The opportunity to work with so many talented people from different nationalities and backgrounds. Every single role that I had in my career has allowed me to interact with strong leaders, great colleagues and knowledge experts from whom I learnt a lot, and thanks to them I was able to grow not only professionally but also as a person.
Please could you tell us a little bit about the Procure360 Project and why you’re excited about it?
Procure 360 it’s our one-stop-shop data analytics platform that we have developed internally via a cross-functional team in the last 6 months. It can answer queries going from Purchase Orders, Invoices, Payment Terms, Sustainability, eCatalogue penetration, Market Intelligence, etc. The platform was identified last year as a non-regret move as part of our IP Strategic Roadmap 2027. Today we have launched the first version of the tool which applies to all indirect procurement categories. The next steps will be to continue expanding the functionalities of the tool while making sure teams feel comfortable with it to support discussions with their stakeholders.
If you could spend a day in the life of another profession, what would it be and why?
I would choose a Sales Manager. It would be interesting to experience, from the other side, how they approach negotiations. I believe it would give me more insights to drive better outcomes.
Outside work, what helps you feel like the best version of yourself?
For me is very important to find time to disconnect and exercise. I don’t have a single activity that I do all the time, I rather prefer to have different options and depending on my mood to choose one. One day it could be running on another it could be cycling or tennis – and some days just watching a movie is enough!
Before we go: what would you like to impart to our readers?
My message to the readers will be to make sure that they feel proud of what they do. It is very important for us to understand how we are adding value to the business with our day-to-day work. At least for me, that is what keeps me going.
Connect with Gerardo on LinkedIn!
