Welcome to Procurement News, part of our ongoing aggregate news series covering recent supply management headlines and trends pertinent to Chief Procurement Officers and other procurement leaders. Contact us with your news story here.

Procurement Executive News

Retail Industry Veteran Shawn Curran Joins Under Armour as CSCO

BALTIMORE — Under Armour announced that retail industry veteran Shawn Curran has joined the company as chief supply chain officer, reporting to the president and CEO Stephanie Linnartz.

The company stated that Curran spent his 30+ year career at Gap Inc., where he most recently served as Old Navy’s Chief Operating Officer, overseeing over 44,000 associates across 1,200+ stores and managing end-to-end operations, inventory management and sourcing.

At Under Armour, Curran will oversee end-to-end planning and go-to-market, product sourcing, manufacturing and quality, global vendor base management, distribution and logistics, global customs and trade, warehousing, and sustainability.

According to Linnartz, “We are so excited to welcome Shawn to Under Armour as our new Chief Supply Chain Officer. With over three decades of experience, Shawn is a retail industry powerhouse who comes to Under Armour at this critical time with the breadth and depth of experience that we need to optimize the backbone of our business, the supply chain, to ensure that our consumers get the right products, at the right price, at the right time.”

Curran added, “It is an honor to be part of Under Armour, an iconic brand born out of a passion and maniacal focus on making innovative products that empower people to achieve their goals. I am excited to collaborate with the talented Under Armour team to enhance our supply chain ensuring our consumers get the very best experience and highest quality products.”

Read the full announcement here.

Orveon Global Taps Richard Jones as CSCO

NEW YORK — Orveon Global, a global personal care product manufacturer, announced the appointment of Richard Jones as chief supply chain officer.

The company stated, “With over 30 years of operations experience in consumer goods and 20 years concentrated on the beauty industry, Rich has lived and worked in the UK, Europe, and the US, bringing a comprehensive strategy to our team and help us #FaceForwardTogether.”

According to Jones, “I am very excited to join Orveon and return to the beauty industry, to be a part of the journey to create a values centric, innovative, and entrepreneurial Collective. I am looking forward to transforming Orveon’s global supply chain into a competitive advantage with all our associates and partners, to service our customers, distributors, and consumers.”

Read the full article here.

Christopher McNutt Joins Focus Brands as SVP Supply Chain

ATLANTA — Focus Brands®, parent company of iconic brands including Auntie Anne’s^®, Carvel^®, Cinnabon^®, Jamba®, McAlister’s Deli^®, Moe’s Southwest Grill^®, and Schlotzsky’s^®, announced that Christopher McNutt has joined the company as its new senior vice president of supply chain.

Jim Holthouser, CEO of Focus Brands, stated, “At Focus Brands, we’ve invested in platforms, tools and resources to support our brands’ ability to grow. More importantly, we’re investing in the right talent to build industry-best technology and supply chain capabilities,” said Jim Holthouser, CEO of Focus Brands. “The addition of top-tier talent like these three individuals to our organization ensures continued success for our brands and franchisees.”

According to the company, McNutt will be responsible for overseeing the supply chain, distribution, logistics, and quality assurance functions for all seven brands in the Focus Brands portfolio globally. This role is responsible for strategic planning and directing all aspects of policies, objectives, and initiatives for each supply chain function to ensure adaptable and scalable solutions.

He will lead the supply chain team in creating even more value for brand franchisees, identifying and capturing synergies across all brands, leveraging combined purchasing power, and providing shared capabilities.

McNutt brings more than 20 years of experience in pricing, logistics, and supply chain to Focus Brands. A trusted advisor in the industry, he serves as Treasurer on the National Restaurant Association Supply Chain Expert Exchange Board.

Read the full announcement here.

GNRC Appoints Vinoth Kumar Group CSCO

NORTH EAST INDIA — GNRC, formerly known as Guwahati Neurological Research Centre, announced the appointment of Dr. Vinoth Kumar as group chief supply chain officer. Prior to joining GNRC, Kumar held leadership positions at Apollo Hospitals Group, Global Health Health City, KIMS Health, and Jehangir Hospitals.

The Express Healthcare (EH) News Bureau reported that “Kumar is a seasoned healthcare supply chain management professional, an innovator, author, researcher, medico-legal expert, disaster management specialist, and a sustainability advocate.

“He holds the distinction of being the first healthcare supply chain management professional in India to be awarded the Level 3 (Highest) Badge, “Qimpro Certified Qualitist,” by the Qimpro Foundation. He has pioneered the innovative concept of 4D MUSIC Model for achieving healthcare sustainability, earning him the “Best Innovator Award” and “Sustainability Champion Award” in healthcare.

“He is recognized for his expertise in sustainable patient-centric supply chain adopting CQO approaches, health technology assessments, and lean six sigma concepts.”

Read the full article here.

Renault Groups Appoints Jérôme Gouet VP of Procurement

BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT, France — The Renault Group announced that Jérôme Gouet will be taking over as vice president of procurement platforms A, C, D, LCV and Renault brand, becoming a member of the Renault brand management committee.

Gouet reports hierarchically to François Provost, Renault Group Chief Procurement, Partnerships and Public Affairs Officer, and functionally to Fabrice Cambolive, CEO of Renault brand.

The company stated that Gouet joined Renault in 1994 as a buyer and has over 25 years’ of experience in purchasing in Europe and internationally. He successively held the positions of purchasing manager in Latin America (1998), supplier account manager (SAM) plastics raw materials (2003), then cockpit module (2006), before being promoted to supplier account officer (SAO) in 2010, defining the Alliance Purchasing strategy for Seats.

Read the full announcement here.