Talent at National Grid
Leah Fry
Supplier Development Manager
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Leah Fry
Supplier Development Manager
National Grid is a fantastic place to work – a lot of people have come up through the ranks, but equally we’re bringing new, fresh blood, which, I think, is giving us a new sense of working.
The team within Global Procurement is great – we all get on really well and we have fun together. We have varying peaks and troughs in workload, and we do have to work in a very collaborative way. Everybody at times just has to ‘muck in’! There is a really great sense of unity in how we work together and how we support each other.
A lot of our tasks are around buying opportunities. Probably 70 per cent of our efforts are around running tenders, managing suppliers and managing our relationships within the business. There’s a big emphasis on inclusion and diversity – which is really important and one of the things we want to have a look at in our supply chain, as well, going forward.
Our relationships with our suppliers are also really important - it’s great putting contracts in place but unless, within our business and within the suppliers’ business, we work in the right way we’re never going to deliver the benefits that we identify upfront. Procurement is increasing its profile within our organisation. It’s increasing its credibility, and we can only do that by having the right people, processes and technology in place.
At National Grid we have ongoing training and development. As part of Global Procurement’s transformation we’ve got a concentrated effort, so, over the next 12 months, everybody will have a lot of training – not just on how to buy, and making sure we’re buying in the right way, but also on some of the softer skills. Everybody has a development plan and, on an ongoing basis, we encourage people to develop themselves – their skills, their experience, their knowledge – and will give the support that’s necessary to do that. People are the success behind whatever we do.
I just think it’s a fantastic organisation. I’ve only ever worked in one company because it’s so great. I’ve got a lot out of it personally – I’ve had a fantastic career path and it’s just a brilliant place to be!