Graham Leary

James Alistair LLC provides interim sourcing leadership and strategic procurement advisory for Global Consumer Products and Grocery Retail leaders, bridging legacy operations with modern, technology-driven sourcing models to drive immediate ROI. Recent Impact & Expertise: - Major Cost Recovery: Delivered >$30M in savings across 40 product categories for a national grocery chain. Interim Sourcing Leadership: Stepping into VP-level roles to partner with C-suite executives, transforming procurement into a high-performance engine of profitability. - Strategic Sourcing: Leading complex RFIs/RFPs and supplier contract negotiations to unlock bottom-line improvements. - Category Strategy: Sourcing and scale-up across private label, national brands, and contract manufacturing. - Modernization: Utilizing AI technologies and ESG-focused packaging strategies to accelerate sourcing productivity and supply chain resilience. - Capability Building: Upskilled client procurement teams to ensure long-term sustainability of implemented sourcing strategies. Learn more at: https://www.jamesalistair.com

Deployed as a subject matter expert on the Private Label Strategic Sourcing team, leading high-stakes procurement and category transformation for a national grocery retailer. Partnered with client leadership to bridge the gap between legacy operations and modern, high-performance sourcing models. - Major Cost Recovery: Delivered >$30M in savings across 40 product categories by spearheading end-to-end sourcing strategies, RFIs/RFPs, and complex supplier negotiations. - Supply Chain Resilience: Developed diversified supply sources and commodity management strategies to ensure scalability and speed-to-market for major product launches. - Sustainable Sourcing: Designed and implemented supplier engagement models that aligned packaging strategies with corporate ESG goals, significantly reducing environmental impact. - Capability Building: Mentored and coached client procurement teams on advanced negotiation tactics and project management to ensure the long-term sustainability of the transformation.

Authoring and reporting strategic industry analysis for the Private Label Manufacturers Association, focusing on the intersection of global economic trends and product innovation. I provide high-level reporting that helps 5,000+ member companies navigate the shifting landscape of domestic and international retail.

Spearheaded a total procurement transformation for a leading multi-banner retail enterprise, overseeing a $4B annual spend portfolio. Reengineered the sourcing function to transition from a transactional department to a high-performance strategic engine focused on margin expansion and supply chain resilience. - Financial Impact: Delivered $750M in annual savings by embedding a cost-focused culture and deploying advanced value-based negotiation strategies across 100+ categories. - Broad Portfolio Oversight: Managed end-to-end sourcing for Private Label, Indirect Spend (GNFR), Proteins, Produce, and National Brands, ensuring optimal price-to-quality ratios. - Private Brand Evolution: Directed sourcing and supply-base optimization for a company-wide private brands relaunch, significantly increasing store-brand penetration and profitability. - Operational Innovation: Realized a 25% cost reduction in generic pharmaceuticals by designing and executing a self-warehousing strategy that bypassed traditional middle-market markups. - M&A & Scale: Led procurement workstreams for major retail banner mergers and acquisitions, capturing immediate synergies and harmonizing supplier networks across 500+ stores.

Recruited to lead a rapid reorganization of the global sourcing and supply chain infrastructure, focused on building a high-performance team and diversifying the international supply base to support global manufacturing requirements. - Team Leadership: Reorganized and developed a cross-functional team of 50 sourcing and quality professionals across North America and Asia. - Supplier Management: Managed key global supplier relationships within a $600M annual spend portfolio, optimizing contract terms and performance. - Greenfield Expansion: Spearheaded end-to-end supplier selection for a greenfield facility in China, ensuring operational readiness and supply continuity. - Risk Mitigation: Identified and qualified alternative global providers to reduce single-source dependency

Led a team of 32 professionals managing a $1B spend portfolio for the North American region. Oversaw complex sourcing strategies across direct materials, indirect spend, and third-party contract manufacturing. - Supplier Relationship Management: Directed cost-out initiatives and supplier relationship strategies across the North American procurement function. - Supply Continuity: Managed a diverse spend portfolio, ensuring supply chain continuity for core CPG brands through strategic partnerships with contract manufacturers. - Process Optimization: Streamlined procurement processes across direct and indirect spend categories to improve organizational efficiency.

Headquartered in New York, directed the worldwide product sourcing strategy for Colgate's global toothbrush business, a key driver of the company's oral care leadership. - Network Optimization: Reduced global supply facilities from 27 to 15, achieving $20M in savings while scaling manufacturing and distribution for international markets. - Product Innovation: Collaborated with R&D and Marketing to launch innovative product lines, ensuring a competitive cost structure and high-quality supply base. - Supplier Management: Managed complex international supplier networks to support high-volume global demand.

Managed the global strategic sourcing and purchase of raw materials for the Home & Fabric Care divisions. -Oversaw worldwide raw material procurement for household brands, managing price volatility and global supply risk. -Developed long-term category strategies that leveraged Colgate’s global scale to drive significant value and material cost reductions. -Partnered with global manufacturing sites to harmonize supply standards and ensure production efficiency.