Former Olympics Head of Procurement returns to private sector

A familiar face in the procurement industry, Gerry Walsh, has been appointed to the prominent role of chief procurement officer at infrastructure services company Amey. Mr Walsh is the former head of procurement for the London 2012 Olympics, a high-stress, high-stakes position. Amey executives are confident in Mr Walsh’s ability to serve the company and streamline their supply chain. In an interview with purchasing and supply resource Supply Management, Mr Walsh said: “The Olympics showed what the power of procurement can be and how much value it can provide to an overall organisation.” His work for the 2012 Olympic Games was highly praised by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS), who said: “He has developed and led a world-class procurement function that has achieved outstanding results to deliver the games that will be remembered for, among other things, being the most sustainable ever.” Mr Walsh has previously held executive procurement positions at American Express and Associated British Foods. In addition, he’s succeeded in prominent planning, logistics and operations roles at Electrolux, Proctor and Gamble and Rank Hovis McDougall. Mr Walsh has even been recognised by CIPS, who awarded him the prestigious title of Procurement and Supply Chain Management Professional of the Year in 2012. As such, he’s well qualified to take on his new role at Amey, a company that works closely with public and private sector clients to deliver well-organised, effective and efficient services. His duties at Amey will require him to manage a procurement and fleet team of approximately 150 people, as well as an annual expenditure of about £1.5 billion. He will also oversee the merger of Amey with Enterprise, a newly acquired infrastructure service firm. Thanks to the recent acquisition, Amey now boasts revenues of £2.3 billion per year. Mr Walsh said he took the role because he felt that Amey was “serious about procurement.” Working primarily out of the company’s headquarters in Oxford and London, he aims to bring a sense of urgency to the firm’s procurement department. Cast UK is one of the country's leading professional level purchasing recruitmentconsultancies. Fill your next vacancy with us today!