ANURAG PANDEY
Category Manager - IT & Telecom
Dubai
Summary
IT Procurement Professional with 14 years of experience in strategic sourcing, category management, and contract negotiations across state-owned enterprises and multinational corporations.
Expertise in cost optimization, supplier negotiations, and large-scale technology procurement for ERP, cloud services, IT infrastructure, and enterprise applications.
Industry experience across Soverign Funds, FMCG, Pharma, IT & ITES, Manufacturing, BPO, Healthcare, Oil & Gas, Telecommunications, and Mining.
Currently leading IT procurement strategy for state-owned entities and government departments for the Government of Ras Al Khaimah.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
4
4
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Category Manager - IT & Telecom
Investment & Development Office -RAK
09.2022 - Current
- Managed AED 150 Mn in IT spend for FY24 across 15 business units and government departments, achieving ~15% cost savings across multiple IT subcategories while reducing out-of-contract purchasing by ~50 percentage points annually, through strategic sourcing and supplier consolidation.
- Developed and executed IT category strategies across Enterprise Applications (SAP, Oracle), Productivity & Collaboration Tools (Microsoft, Salesforce, DocuSign, ServiceNow), Industry-Specific Applications (Ports, Educational Institutions, Free Zones), and IT Infrastructure including Servers, Storage, and End-User Devices (Laptops, Desktops, Printers).
- Build techno-commercial business cases to drive modernization and strategic upgrades for ERP solutions (SAP, Oracle), cloud adoption (AWS, Azure), and Managed Security Services, ensuring cost efficiency, scalability, and security.
- Drive procurement for strategic initiatives across IT subcategories ensuring alignment with business objectives.
- Manage supplier negotiations and multi-year agreements, leveraging strategic sourcing to achieve cost savings and value creation.
- Lead contract management and negotiate non-commercial terms (SLAs, liabilities, data security, compliance) to safeguard organizational interests while ensuring vendor accountability.
Category Manager IT (EMEA & APAC)
Cargill
12.2020 - 08.2022
- Developed and executed category strategies for IT services and IT infrastructure across EMEA & APAC, driving cost savings, operational efficiencies, and process improvements.
- Led high-value sourcing initiatives, collaborating with senior executives to ensure alignment with business objectives and successful category strategy implementation.
- Managed key supplier and stakeholder relationships, actively monitoring supplier performance to deliver targeted outcomes and enhance category value.
- Led sourcing initiatives for multiple ERP modules across regions, managing procurement projects for various IT services vendors.
- Spearheaded IT infrastructure projects, including network cabling, global end-user requirements, and telecom initiatives across the region.
Technology Category Buyer
Anheuser-Busch InBev
11.2019 - 12.2020
- Supported global strategic sourcing for IT infrastructure, cloud, telecom, security, compliance, and digital workplace solutions.
- Managed sourcing initiatives across Belgium GHQ, Switzerland HO, Americas, and India for spend ranging from $200K to $2.5M, with an annual spend of $20M.
- Executed category strategy and performed risk assessments to drive cost optimization and compliance.
- Led strategic sourcing with cross-functional teams, including SMEs and regional/global procurement.
- Managed key supplier relationships, fostering collaboration and innovation.
IT Strategic Sourcing Analyst
Novartis Healthcare Private Limited
06.2017 - 11.2019
- Lead Global Strategic Sourcing Initiatives
- Working with Global Category managers & country stakeholders to standardize and source for company is high spend & strategic categories
- Consolidate, standardize and execute requirement for high spend categories like Media, Market Research, Meeting congress & events, Contingent Labor & fleet
- Defining Sourcing Strategy and aligning with business stakeholders to provide clear understanding of project outcomes
- Managing project execution, while maintaining stakeholder confidence and timely delivery of Project Plan
Strategic Sourcing Associate
WNS Global Services
09.2016 - 06.2017
- Handling strategic sourcing & contract management projects in marketing, IT software & hardware, WPR category for a software MNC
- Providing support for North America region, handling multiple projects (4+) at a single time
- Tacking of the contracts which are about to expire and check with the Business whether that has to be renewed or not
- Draft, review and negotiate contracts to support a team of sourcing professionals in the execution of supplier transactions in partnership with the lines of business and other stakeholders in delivering transactions globally (US, EMEA)
- Partner with the onshore sourcing team to understand the project requirements, complete the contract review and/or draft, collaborate with the line of business and legal team, and participate in the negotiations, as required
Manager Strategic Sourcing & Contract Management
Mjunction Services Limited
05.2012 - 09.2016
- Managed end to end strategic sourcing projects including business requirements gathering, supply market analysis, spend base lining, deal sizing, Sourcing strategy, RFX (RFI, RFP and RFQ) design, build and response management and building selection criteria
- Liaise with Technical department in matters relating to Material / Services specification
- Review PRs received from user Departments, Gather Information about Material / Services to be Procured
- Prepare Vendor Panel, Raising RFQs, Handling quotations receiving process
Education
B-Tech - Metallurgy & Material Engineering
National Institute of Technology
Durgapur 05.2008 - 04.2012
Certification on Customer Focus, Process Improvement & Time Management - undefined
Harvard University & Tata Management Training Center
08.2013 - 02.2014
Skills
IT Procurement & Strategic Sourcing
Supplier Negotiations & Contract Management
ERP & IT Infrastructure Procurement
Software Licensing & Subscription Agreements
Cost Optimization & Spend Management
Cloud & Security Solutions (AWS, Azure, IBM)
Category Expertise
- IT Hardware (Laptop, Desktop, Network Switches, Printer, Server, Security Surveillance System, IP Phones, etc.)
- Technology Security
- Compliance
- Asset management
- Workplace
- Data Cloud
- Telecom
Industry Experience
- Sovereign Wealth Funds
- FMCG
- Pharma
- IT ITES
- Manufacturing
- BPO
- Healthcare
- Oil & Gas
- IT & Telecommunication
- Mining
Timeline
Category Manager - IT & Telecom
Investment & Development Office -RAK
09.2022 - Current
Category Manager IT (EMEA & APAC)
Cargill
12.2020 - 08.2022
Technology Category Buyer
Anheuser-Busch InBev
11.2019 - 12.2020
IT Strategic Sourcing Analyst
Novartis Healthcare Private Limited
06.2017 - 11.2019
Strategic Sourcing Associate
WNS Global Services
09.2016 - 06.2017
Certification on Customer Focus, Process Improvement & Time Management - undefined
Harvard University & Tata Management Training Center
08.2013 - 02.2014
Manager Strategic Sourcing & Contract Management
Mjunction Services Limited
05.2012 - 09.2016
B-Tech - Metallurgy & Material Engineering
National Institute of Technology
05.2008 - 04.2012
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