ProcureMentor’s founder and CEO, Masego Khutsoane, is an accomplished leader in indirect and technology Procurement with a wealth of experience across multiple industries. ProcureMentor is a procurement consultancy that provides advisory services to C-level Supply Chain and procurement officers, as well as coaching and mentoring for high-performing teams. Masego is convinced that successful value creation in the supply chain is largely reliant on two factors: a company’s willingness to embrace the digital future and a well-optimized supply chain built on strong collaborative partnerships with suppliers.

Below are highlights of the interview conducted between World’s Leaders and Masego Khutsoane:

Describe who you are as a person, inside and outside of the workplace.

I am a facilitator at heart, I facilitate conversations, connections, clarity of purpose, and contracts.

Outside of work, I am a mom, a wife, a daughter, and a friend. I am strongly rooted in my faith, and I enjoy traveling.

Describe your background and what did you do before you started/joined the company?

I have had the privilege to work with South Africa’s best companies and experts over the last 20 years. My expertise ranges from supplier relationship management (SRM), stakeholder management (through operating level agreements), client relationship management (CRM), driving cost containment and operational process efficiencies, as well as positively impacting company policies, strategies, and the bottom line through strategic sourcing standards.

I have held various positions of responsibility with the following industry leaders:

• Johannesburg Stock Exchange
• Woolworths Financial Services
• Absa
• Nedbank

My last corporate role was as a divisional head in a software as a service (SaaS) IT company. I managed a portfolio of clients and products, formulated robust strategies, and developed divisional business plans. I had the task of ensuring that there is a clearly defined product roadmap, creating a low-effort development and maintenance environment, and improving client engagement levels. It allowed me to delve into conversations with industry leaders around roundtables and seek sustainable solutions on cloud storage strategies, IoT, master data integration, and incident and access management. I have since ventured on my own to run my own advisory and consulting company called Procurementor.

Tell us about the inception of the company. How did it all start?

Procurementor was born out of a need to advocate for women in procurement, provide procurement consultancy services, establish a forum to discuss the impact of mentoring programs, and assist with driving mentoring programs within the industry and in general. We target organizations searching for opportunities to reduce operational inefficiencies and increase their potential for success when sourcing products and/or services, while ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements. Technology is at the forefront of all our engagements to ensure either a competitive edge or introduce one in the value chain. We seek to inspire, engage, and transform the procurement landscape.

What has made you successful? What do you value?

I value a consistent, thorough, and systematic work ethic. I strive for excellence in everything I do. I believe that how you do one thing is how you do everything. I believe in hard work, consciously and consistently learning, networking, and communicating as much as possible about what you do.

Which are the major services of the company and how do they the company to get ahead in the competition? What value-added services does the company provide?

We provide procurement consulting services, mentorship, training, and workshops for corporations and events such as Women in Procurement.

We have over 50 years of expertise, we collaborate with well-known industry giants on our projects, and we offer something unique through our speaking engagements and workshops that really sets us apart.

What are the most important aspects of a company’s culture? What principles do you believe in and how do you build this culture?

Success is not a solo sport. You can only really go as far as your team. I believe that teamwork makes the dream work.

Principles we believe in are transparency, integrity, honesty, and empowerment. I have set up weekly check-ins with my team, monthly meetings, and quarterly review sessions. All sessions require different inputs and outputs.

• Weekly is mainly about meeting deadlines and work commitments.
• Monthly review sessions as well as planning sessions for the month ahead.
• Quarterly, we get to celebrate, discuss what’s working and what’s not, as well as any challenges we may have encountered and how best to resolve them.

This has created a culture of transparency and closeness and empowered the team to do what needs to be done.

What is the significance of innovative ideas in the company? 

Innovative ideas keep the team engaged and interested, this also translates into our newsletter and events, which capture the essence of trending issues and topics that are relevant and top of mind.

Give us your opinion on; do organizations rely heavily on individual heroics or team processes.

Sadly, on individual heroics, particularly in SA. This is due to the types of work that most people get to do and are exposed to. Teamwork is not celebrated as much. This is problematic in instances where the team’s culture and texture is impacted by the collective and not just by one person. If you rely heavily on one person, it creates a culture of bullying, nepotism, fraud, and toxicity.

What are your responsibilities as the founder and CEO of the company? What is the happiest part of your daily routine?

I work on the business and am currently in the business as well. The happiest part is landing a paying corporate client and seeing the work you have put in come to fruition. Each day honestly looks different, given the myriad of activities involved.

What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?

Be curious and never forget to ask why. Learn and understand the A-Z process of your division or department. Learn to differentiate between function and who you are as a person. This is because your job should not define who you are. Being an effective leader has more to do with personality, self-belief, and strong performance. Learn the art of communicating, listening, and people management.