Neil Bowen

Greater Group is a multi-disciplinary retail agency delivering end-to-end design, procurement and build services to leading retailers across the world. As Global COO, I am responsible for managing all operations on an international scale.

As Greater Group’s COO Asia, I was responsible for all company operations across APAC, overseeing end-to-end design, procurement and build services for our Asia clients.

Based in Hong Kong and Shanghai as the head of the ‘Not for Resale’ sourcing division, I was tasked with leading a team of sourcing professionals to deliver the growth of direct sourcing in the region across multiple categories, including capital equipment, store construction, packaging and consumables. I was accountable for developing and executing the international sourcing strategy for Not for Resale in-directs. My responsibilities further included the assurance of factory compliance, quality, best price, supply chain and supplier performance, as well as the outsourcing of travel management services and IT infrastructure, including the establishment of a new office in Bangkok.

In this role, I was responsible for leading and directing the procurement category teams for IT services, software, hardware, telco and BPO in a challenging corporate environment with multiple trading divisions undergoing significant strategic change. I managed the development and roll-out of the ‘non-trade’ Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) program, the development of IT and BPO sourcing strategies and governance frameworks to create a platform for delivering outstanding results, as well as the management of strategic internal and external relationships across multiple categories and trading divisions within Woolworths

As manager of the IT Vendor Solutions Team, I led a team of 15 people delivering services within budget in complex environments across multiple trading divisions. Functions included procurement, contract lifecycle management, commercial negotiations, billing and vendor management across all IT and telco vendors.

In this position, I was responsible for tender management for IT projects, including ERP evaluation and selection. My duties also included negotiating and drafting contracts for services, equipment and software, balancing commercial considerations with the need to manage corporate risk and compliance, and liaising with business customers across Woolworths’ brands to ensure commercial and legal aspects align with their requirements.

As IT Buyer for AXA, I was responsible for negotiating and drafting IT contracts for software and hardware services.