Richard Pitcairn

Trusure is a practical procurement and supply chain consultancy set up to provide fast, flexible and low risk access to experienced support. Engagements run in short phases with fixed fees and a defined scope agreed before work begins. There are review points between phases where clients choose to stop, pause, or proceed. The work covers contract and spend visibility, sourcing and negotiation, supplier performance and resilience, and procurement foundations and systems implementation.

I joined Trojan Energy, an EV charging start-up, to establish the procurement and supply chain function and enable in-house production. That meant identifying, evaluating, and contracting key suppliers, setting up inventory for production components across a wide range of direct materials, from machined parts to electronic assemblies, and putting the right policies and tools in place to run it. I led procurement across direct and indirect spend, negotiating and managing contracts for strategic and critical suppliers and maintaining production inventory against the demand schedule. I assessed and mitigated supply risk through contract terms, backup suppliers, and inventory, and worked closely with engineering, technical, and production teams on new product development, sourcing injection moulders and casting suppliers, managing the associated tooling investments, and bringing new components into production. - Developed and launched the company's first procurement policy, running in-person workshops across all departments to build understanding of the function and how to work with it. - Led the selection of a supplier management tool, built the business case covering due diligence, risk, and compliance, and saw it through to implementation.

I was responsible for all UK and Norway procurement, across both direct and indirect spend, with a focus on supplier risk, contract management, working capital, and spend visibility. - Standardised procurement policies and processes across the UK and Norway, and implemented a new supplier and contract management system across the supplier base. - Project managed the optimisation of the procurement and inventory ERP, covering master data, purchase automation, stock mapping, and manufacturing capabilities. - Project managed a year-long property consolidation, including relocating the aviation operations and office facilities, taking it from business case through to delivery. - Proposed and implemented the outsourcing of low value procurement, consolidating suppliers through a consignment stock model, which improved working capital and reduced administrative burden.

My focus here was global manufacturing and logistics, supporting all of the group's operating locations. I ran strategic sourcing across the group, improved the manufacturing order process, strengthened supplier relationships, and led the procurement side of new sales opportunities. - Supported the company's decarbonisation strategy and led the procurement projects within it. The largest was sourcing a new electric forklift fleet, with parent company sustainable development funding secured for the supporting electrical infrastructure. - Sourced and onboarded new manufacturers in China, India, and Poland, working across fabrication and machining, diversifying the supply base, supporting regional demand, and reducing supply risk. - Led negotiations on a robotic automation project, managing commercial risk through the contract terms.

As a senior buyer, I had responsibility for supplier performance, contract negotiations, and continuous improvement. I built relationships across the business and supported the team's development.

I bought goods and services for projects and operations, running RFQs, supporting supplier relationships, and working closely with the expediting and accounts teams.

I supported key accounts, covering order management, supplier sourcing and negotiation, and stock control. Other positions held: Internal Sales / Contract Support (Oct 2010 to Mar 2011) Administrator (Apr 2008 to Sep 2010)