CHETAN GAWAND
Category Sourcing Manager
Thane (West)
Summary
Diligent Strategic Sourcing Manager with proven ability to optimize procurement processes and negotiate favorable contracts. Successfully led cross-functional teams to drive cost savings and streamline supplier relationships. Displayed strong analytical skills and strategic thinking in complex sourcing environments.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
3982
3982
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Language
Work History
Category Sourcing Manager
General Mills, Inc.
03.2024 - Current
- Company Overview: General Mills, Inc. is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded consumer foods (FMCG) with an annual turn-over of $16 Bn sold through Business -2- Business and retail stores. GEMS (Global Emerging Markets) spend $127.79 MM across where categories managed are Starches and Value-added Ingredients (VAI) spend of $20 MM like Chemicals, Emulsifiers, Hydrocolloids, Phosphates, Modified starches etc.
- Sourcing for India, Middle East covering GEMS (Global Emerging Markets) development and planning.
- Understanding the category ingredients functionality, benchmark certain HIGH Spend and visit Core suppliers to build a long-term business relationship.
- Execute the supplier negotiation strategy through Request for Price (RFP) E-auction as per category OR material Spend.
- Lead contract implementation with a compliance as per globally defined policies
- Lead execution of projects to support Source to Pay (S2P) strategic roadmap to achieve business $HMM targets.
- Strategic communication with regional OR global suppliers in alignment with cross functional teams to drive commercial & technical $HMM - exploration to develop alternate source.
- Project prioritization and implementation to achieve timelines of the business and Sourcing objectives that are defined.
- Governance on ingredients supply managing supplier relationship to mitigate any business risk to achieve global SLA’s.
- Lead Project charters to action plans for developing and qualifying alternate source considering the market dynamics, inflations y-o-y and alignment of the business for a change management to achieve commercial HMM $750K and technical pipeline of $600K – Received GEMS award in June’2025.
- Monthly category overview to align with leadership on HMM $aving’s ($1.28 MM TVC), RISK callouts, projects (New OR on-going) and strategic decision for an short-term and long-term of market dynamics.
- Building a strong long-term supplier relationship considering market inflation y-o-y, understand different cost-driver’s, build a strategic plan, mitigate any risk and explore alternate source development to benefit the organisation.
- Securnate tool to standardize the on-boarding supplier process as a GLOBAL standard process building a SOP for GEMS standardization and governance.
Consultant/Operations Analyst
General Mills, Inc.
09.2016 - 02.2024
- Category and Buyer Support/Initiative - Onboarding systems tasks, provide strategical support to operations and leveraging/sustaining E2E standards and Execution i.e Forecast/SP/MMO/MRB tools, Freight analysis, Contract Management process, New & Disco’d Products working with cross-functional teams, New Vendor set-up and Inventory/Waste Tracking.
- Facilitate and educate stakeholders on S2P tools, Taxonomy, Spend Classification and RFP support.
- Facilitate Acquisition/Divestiture Support i.e Liberté Canada, FSTG, HHSS – Globies Award (2018, 2020 and 2024).
- Determine expectation of the process and customer satisfaction working with the Supplier, internal stakeholders and A/P on the process, payment terms and Taulia execution & support. Facilitate and Lead Vendor/Stakeholder’s through new vendor set up, Escalation for key stakeholders (PSS, AP, Plants etc) and Supplier Change & Performance Management (switching suppliers) considering Risk Management (deliveries, contracts, inventory).
- Deliver Process Improvement with the identified RCI, working as a team with the cross-functions to provide a HEALTHY and SUSTAINABLE process including the training support - Bill & Hold process across Direct Sourcing.
Assistant Manager
General Mills, Inc.
01.2011 - 08.2016
- Any issues related to procurement to ensure Internal as well as External stakeholders are provided with the level of quality work and solutions for resolving the issues implementing best standard practice.
- Contract’s, Order’s send to External stakeholders with accuracy 100 % for getting right and required information of the plant requirements.
- Contribute resolving Blocked Invoices and Claim’s on Quality Notifications as agreed between Internal and External stakeholders to support the team Key Performance Indicator (KPI).
- Provided cross-functional Sourcing information within Supply Chain and broader GBS audience in Minneapolis with more opportunity areas in operations.
- Implemented Condition Records (C3PO) to capture the incremental charges impacting the cost of materials and First Pass Quality (FPQ) to standardize the best practice in Sourcing through Supply chain.
- Develop Process Map’s (VSM), One Point Lesson (OPL’s), Job task Analysis (JTA) and Epiplex documents for the team capturing the critical process.
- Transition of the procurement to pay (P2P), Blocked Invoice (BI’s) to a 3rd party Capegemini leading with the best standard practice. Appreciated by the Leader’, Global Director’s with an achievement of “2014 GLOBIES” award.
- Appreciated by the Leader’, Global Director’s on leveraging the process by providing visibility on the Contract and Quality management. (Service Excellence Award).
Client Service Representative (CSR)
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
04.2007 - 12.2010
- Company Overview: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) – a pyramid model with The Dow Chemical Company (TDCC) working as an Client Service Representative (CSR) for Raw Material & Packaging (RM&P) – Operate.
- Any issues related to procurement, to ensure Internal as well as External stakeholders are provided with the level of quality work and solutions for resolving the issues in compliance with defined SLA and Global work process.
- Order’s send to External stakeholders with accuracy 100 % for getting right and required information of the plant requirements. (Goal for 2010 – Spot order accuracy is 95%)
- Ensuring correct and required inputs in SAP – R2 system in compliance with expectation of internal stakeholder’s (i.e Planners, Accounts Payable, vendor Coding Team, Quality Assurance, Finance & Sourcing) as well as External partners (i.e Suppliers) to streamline the cross functional process.
- Adhere immediate front-line support to stakeholders for handling requests or queries with prompt resolution.
- Contribute to profitability of company ensuring payments are made as agreed between Internal and External stakeholders to value credibility of the company.
- Process improvements were implemented for streamline DOW India – Purchasing/Operate process
- Appreciation receives from Functional Leader, Work Process Leader (WPL) OS&C Europe and Sourcing Manger for savings USD $122K (Three & Four Star).
- Process improvement for streamline of DOW Polyurethane System was facing with a Global vendor, identified RCI in the global work process & implemented solution’s improving better communication’s to avoid any issues related to the material availability and shutdowns of plant’s in Europe. (Five Star Award). Appreciated by Sourcing Manger, Functional Leader, and Global Supply Chain Leader.
Purchase & Stores Officer
Advy Chemical
03.2001 - 04.2007
- Company Overview: Advy Chemical is an ISO 9001:2000 certified and a 100 % export oriented pharmaceutical firm which manufactures “Bulk Immunodiagnostics Reagents”. A sister concern of M/s. Bharat Serums & Vaccines Ltd. which is the Eight largest pharmaceutical (Biotech company in India). Advy Chemical is having a manufacturing unit located in Thane and a headquartered at Mumbai.
- Implementing an ISO 9001:2000 system in Purchase & Stores function.
- Vendor audit (Regular or New supplier) for Bulk chemicals and regular products.
- Vendor list representing at least 3 vendors for specific Bulk chemicals, Packaging materials and consumable items.
- Maintaining and Controlling purchase inventories as per yearly budget represented to TOP Management on basis of the requirement of Functional Heads.
- Responsible for all the documentation work to comply the ISO standards.
- Maintaining stores department for issuing materials to the departments.
- Maintaining and updating daily purchase & GRN (Goods Received Number) statement which is submitted to A/c’s.
- Maintaining Monthly stock statements.
- Cost Saving Benefits:
- Negotiating with suppliers for Bulk items on basis of yearly consumption.
- Meet M.I.S requirements of Top Managements and compliance of Internal checks/controls to track various costing heads.
- Licensing and purchase of specific imported raw material/equipment’s under scheme’s for exporters framed by D.G.F.T (Director General of Foreign Trade). India i.e E.P.C.G (Export Promotion Capital Goods) & D.E.P.B (Duty Entitlement Pass Book).
Logistic & Distribution I/c
Advy Chemical
03.2001 - 04.2007
- Company Overview: As an executive in Export division which were marketed in America, Asia, and European countries.
- Implementing an ISO 9001:2000 system in Logistic and Distribution function.
- Forward inquiry from the customer’s for products received from Marketing Department to C.T.O/Production H.O.D’s and for execution of order’s (Sample/Commercial).
- Preparing “Export related document’s, Label’s etc.” to facilitate easy regulatory clearance by the importing country.
- Co-ordinate with Marketing and production H.O.D’s for application/procurement of Veterinary Certificate (Certificate of Animal Quarantine) for both U.S and European countries (EC. No. 1774/2002).
- Maintaining customer-wise data for Samples/Commercial shipments.
- Maintaining the targets set by Top Management for Marketing.
- ISO 9001 : 2000 Documentation:
- Added advantage to my profile as one of the key persons for implementing ISO system:
- Assist M.R for ISO 9001:2000 documentation.
- Implemented a system as per ISO 9001:2000 standards by designing formats for cross functionals.
- These formats & SOP’s were approved by TUV, overseas customer’s like Bayer, Randox, BioRad, Cliniqa and Roche.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Botany
Mumbai
Thane, India 04.2001 - 01.1999
H.S.C -
Mumbai
Thane, India01-1993
S.S.C -
Mumbai
Thane, India01-1991
Skills
Cost analysis
Strategic sourcing
Logistics management
Supplier relationship management
Category management
Transition plans
Supply chain optimization
Supplier performance
Additional Qualification
- DNIIT curriculum for Professional Diploma in computers (NIIT, Thane)
- MsOffice course from EDP Institute (Govt. Recognized)
Expected Salary
INR 35 Lakhs Negotiable
Timeline
Category Sourcing Manager
General Mills, Inc.
03.2024 - Current
Consultant/Operations Analyst
General Mills, Inc.
09.2016 - 02.2024
Assistant Manager
General Mills, Inc.
01.2011 - 08.2016
Client Service Representative (CSR)
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
04.2007 - 12.2010
Bachelor of Science - Botany
Mumbai
04.2001 - 01.1999
Logistic & Distribution I/c
Advy Chemical
03.2001 - 04.2007
Purchase & Stores Officer
Advy Chemical
03.2001 - 04.2007
H.S.C -
Mumbai
S.S.C -
Mumbai
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