Rising against the challenge with Kobu Kotaraju

The impact of COVID-19 had put immense strain on procurement teams across the world, but there are leaders who rose against the challenge; they kept supply chains moving and shifted their strategies to stay afloat.

Kobu Kotaraju, Deputy General Manager, International Procurement Office at Samsung C&T Corporation was awarded the 2020 Procurement Leader of the Year at the CIPS Asia Supply Management Award.

What distinguished him as a leader? His tenacity to deliver innovation, value creation, supplier relationship management and efficiency.

Kobu shares his top tips and experiences to our ProcureCon Asia community.

What contribution have you made during the procurement journey that is most meaningful to you?

My 35 years of procurement journey filled with many contributions and it is not easy to single them out. Specifically, my contribution has been in the area of strengthening relationship with stakeholders, achieving procurement value for the organization, and receiving positive acknowledgment from stakeholders.

What are your top 3 overall tips for procurement leaders?

i. Be authentic and sincere in understanding stakeholders challenges & walk the talk in resolving stakeholders' pain points.

ii. Communicate often and communicate early; be it good news or anticipated challenges. No one like surprises.

iii. Be laser focus on stakeholder relationship management; procurement value delivery is not about savings alone. 

What kept you and the team going through the tougher times?

I am blessed to have a very supportive C-suite management and also a very cohesive team. The single most important objective of delivering value to stakeholders, has kept my team driven to succeed. The recent COVID-19 situation has been one of the toughest and most challenging situations for my stakeholders in terms of manpower and resource constraints across the supply chain. My team and I banded together and converted these challenges into opportunities; resulting in recognition for the procurement team's contributions to the organization.

How does winning the award impact you and your organization?

This award is a great testament to my relentless pursuit of delivering value to my present and former employers. It also motivates me to push further the boundary of procurement’s involvement and it’s value to my stakeholders.

As we wish Kobu the best in 2021 and look forward to his trail blazing career successes, we would like to encourage YOU to send in your entry for the CIPS Excellence in Procurement Awards 2021!