Winners 2018

Purchasing

Purchasing Nominees

Julia Woodhouse, Ford

Julia Woodhouse, Ford

Woodhouse was promoted to her senior global role, based in Cologne, in 2016, having previously being based in Michigan from where she headed up worldwide purchasing for powertrains and drivelines. Her current job, reporting to Burt Jordan, vice president of global purchasing, is a crucial one as Ford looks to save costs by switching to modular architectures that can be applied across a range of vehicles. She moved to the powertrain job in 2011 after an earlier spell in Cologne, working as director of programme purchasing for Ford of Europe. Prior to that she was in the UK and Sweden, finding ways to merge purchasing between Ford and its then premium brands, Jaguar Land Rover and Volvo. Woodhouse joined Ford as a graduate trainee after leaving the University of Southampton with a degree in history.

Helen Hoar, Ford

Helen Hoar, Ford

Hoar’s UK-based role is to work with suppliers for the purchasing of parts for engines and gearboxes globally, a job she has held since 2010. Prior to that she focused purely on petrol engines. Hoar’s career started at Ford after she graduated from the University of Birmingham with a degree in manufacturing engineering and commerce in 1995. She started out as a buyer for interior trim at the firm, before moving in 1997 to the role of quality engineer for the Focus launch.

Samantha Fletcher, Ford of Europe

Samantha Fletcher, Ford of Europe

Fletcher’s senior position in Ford of Europe purchasing has a strategic, forward-looking remit, including looking at how Ford builds partnerships with its suppliers. She’s based in Dunton, UK, and reports to Werner Puetz, vice president of purchasing for Ford of Europe. She also manages teams based in Romania and Germany, where Ford builds many of its cars. Fletcher joined Ford in purchasing as a graduate in 1989 with a BSc in economics and business economics. Her first managerial role was in 1994, reporting to directors in both product development and purchasing in order to improve processes and relationships between the two areas.

Louise Reynolds, JLR

Louise Reynolds, JLR

Reynolds was promoted to her very senior position within JLR’s purchasing operations last year, having joined the firm in 2013 as purchasing manager. She now reports to Dave Owen, global purchasing director for production and aftermarket. Her role within electrical is crucial given the speed with which companies like JLR are moving toward electric power, and it comes after impressing within interiors purchasing, where she focused on seating, instrument panel and cockpit supply. Reynolds moved to the company from construction firm Balfour Beatty, which she joined in 2011 after 11 years working in purchasing for Tata Steel. She joined there straight after graduating from Durham University with a BSc in physics.

Carol Jeffrie, Nissan Europe

Carol Jeffrie, Nissan Europe

Jeffrie is based in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, from where she leads a team of 14 and is responsible for the performance reporting of Nissan Europe’s purchasing team of 220 staff across western Europe. She also oversees cost reduction reporting for west Europe and Russia, regions that spend more than £6 billion each year. She reports to Derek Keys, general manager for purchasing planning control.Jeffrie has been with Nissan for 23 years, joining the Sunderland plant as a graduate controller in the purchasing team. She then worked for Nissan Europe in a supply chain management function, responsible for inventory management and powertrain teams.

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