Executive Summary
February has confirmed what January first signalled: the Supply Chain hiring market has decisively re-opened.
This acceleration is being driven by the operational impact of delayed hiring. Companies are returning to market to secure senior leaders capable of stabilising operations, driving resilience, and preparing organisations for upcoming digital and structural transformation. Companies must be proactive in evaluating their succession plans as movement increases, and candidates are beginning to see more and more opportunities.
We expect hiring momentum to continue through the remainder of Q1, with appointments cascading down into Director and Senior Director levels as newly appointed leaders build out their teams.
This Month’s Takeaways
Year-over-year, February saw a 250% year-on-year increase in senior leadership moves. With 28 moves recorded this month, as compared to 8 this time last year, February has reinforced the strength of demand for Supply Chain leadership. Chief Procurement Officer hiring remains a standout theme, accounting for a significant proportion of senior appointments this month.
Consumer, Food, Industrial and Life Sciences businesses have driven a large share of the activity, with a number of high-profile moves across North America and Europe.
- 3M: Paul Gallagher appointed Group President, Enterprise Supply Chain, from General Mills
- Orkla Foods: Karen-Marie Katholm joins as Chief Supply Chain Officer, from AkzoNobel
- Nutrafol: Mark Fratamico joins as Chief Supply Chain & Operations Officer, from Henkel
- Revlon: Mario R. joins as Chief Operating Officer, from his role as Chief Supply Chain & Logistics Officer at CVS Health
- Stora Enso: Marie-Pierre GOYENETCHE joins as Chief Procurement Officer, from Opella
- McDonald's: Steve Katzfey joins as CVP, Global Supply Chain, from his role as Chief Procurement Officer at Stanley Black & Decker
- nVent: Mellinda Devese joins as Chief Supply Chain Officer, from GE Healthcare
- Vantage Data Centers: Alicia Ruckteschler joins as Chief Procurement Officer, from her role as CPO of Equinix
- Sourcability: Sam Stephens appointed as Chief Procurement Officer, from Rebound Electronics
- Bajaj Electricals Ltd: Rahul Pundir joins as Chief Supply Chain Officer, from his role leading Product Supply for Japan at Procter & Gamble
- Berner Food & Beverage: Edward Jones joins as Chief Supply Chain Officer, from Emmi
- Hormel Foods: Will Bonifant joins as Chief Supply Chain Officer, from The Hershey Company
- Humantra: George Munjas joins as Chief Operating Officer, from Lintbells
- E-marine PJSC: Ehab Khairat joins as Chief Procurement Officer, from Liquid Intelligent Technologies
- Lucid Motors: Neil Marsons appointed as Chief Supply Chain Officer, from his previous role as Group Chief Procurement Officer at Rolls-Royce
- Feel Good Foods: Darrin Mueller appointed SVP, Operations, from Fever-Tree
- TriMark USA: Scot Bernstein joins as Chief Supply Chain Officer, from Mohawk Industries
- KOROZO GROUP: Kaan Dikmen joins as Chief Supply Chain Officer, from Eczacıbaşı Topluluğu
- Starbucks: Heather Ostis exits her role as Chief Procurement Officer for an unannounced opportunity
- FMC Corporation: Nirav Mehta appointed as Chief Procurement Officer, from Estée Lauder
- Euronics HU: László Szabó Szabo joins as Chief Procurement Officer, from Arrow Electronics
- Applied Digital: Gerald (Jerry) Gross joins as EVP, Procurement, from his previous role as Chief Procurement Officer at Lenovo
- ArianeGroup: Anne Quillon joins as Chief Procurement Officer, from Naval Group
- AXA Group: Claire Romain joins as Group Chief Procurement Officer, from Renault Group
- Merlin Entertainments: Emma Twomey joins as Chief Procurement Officer, from Sky
- Concentric AB: Aidir Parizzi joins as Chief Procurement Officer, from Rotork
- SSE plc: James Allen joins as Chief Procurement Officer, from GKN Aerospace
- TABACALERA USA Inc.: Antonio Gutierrez Hidalgo joins as Chief Operating Officer, from ITG Brands
Regional Snapshot
North America has maintained a very strong pace through February. The US continues to lead activity, supported by increasing movement in Canada and Mexico. Mexico remains a key hub for manufacturing leadership and shared services across logistics, customer service, purchasing and procurement. Activity is being driven by both large multinational organisations returning to market after inactivity in H2 2025, and continued demand from Private Equity portfolio businesses executing transformation agendas.
Europe has also seen sustained momentum. DACH and Benelux remain the most active regions for senior Supply Chain and Procurement leadership, with Switzerland showing a modest year-on-year increase. France has seen a significant uptick in activity, while Iberia and Eastern Europe continue to attract investment into Centres of Excellence and Shared Service operations. The UK remains relatively subdued at executive level, although mid-level hiring has increased. Given how unusually quiet 2025 was, we expect European hiring to continue at pace as organisations work through a backlog of delayed leadership appointments.
Asia Pacific remained steady through February, with many hiring programmes scheduled to accelerate post-Lunar New Year. We expect increased activity across Southeast Asia, alongside continued demand in Singapore and Hong Kong for critical Supply Chain leadership roles. India continues to stand out as a hotspot for manufacturing, planning and CoE leadership, particularly in Chennai and Pune.
The GCC continued to strengthen as a strategic regional hub, with some organisations relocating Emerging Markets or AMEA leadership into Dubai and other GCC locations. However, with recent geopolitical events considered, it is highly likely there will be a pause in hiring for the coming months until geopolitical events are stabilised.
Functional Hiring Trends
As hiring accelerates, several skillsets are becoming increasingly constrained:
- Procurement leadership remains firmly in the spotlight, with exceptionally high levels of CPO hiring across Q1. Demand is also increasing for Procurement Excellence and Digitisation leaders as organisations prepare for AI-enabled transformation roadmaps.
- Plant Directors and Plant Director-1 talent remain in critically short supply, driving salary inflation, higher relocation packages, and increased retention challenges. Competition is particularly intense for leaders with strong manufacturing credentials, language skills and local market knowledge.
- Shared Service Centre leadership is once again a top priority, particularly across Mexico, India, the Philippines, Eastern Europe and Iberia. Leaders with experience designing, transitioning and scaling shared service models are in high demand.
- Digital Supply Chain and IBP transformation leaders are increasingly sought after as hiring freezes lift and organisations prioritise end-to-end planning and execution capability.
- Customer Service and Customer Supply Chain leadership demand remains strong, driven by renewed focus on cost-to-serve, working capital optimisation and cross-functional collaboration.
- Transformation and M&A-experienced leaders continue to be highly attractive, fuelled by sustained Private Equity activity across multiple sectors.
Outlook for March
The first half of Q1 has marked a clear turning point for the Supply Chain hiring market. While uncertainty persists, organisations are no longer willing to delay critical leadership appointments. We expect demand to continue rising throughout 2026, not only for C-suite Supply Chain leaders, but for the teams beneath them.
Companies should proactively review succession plans, leadership benches and retention strategies to ensure they remain competitive in an increasingly active market.
If you would like to discuss these trends in the context of your own organisation, explore specific regional insights, or have any further questions, please feel free to reach out.
Thank you for reading!