Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, Project management

Howard Christian (Chris) Toft

**** ********** ****** **, ********, Virginia 23139 804-***-**** **********@*****.***

PROCUREMENT / DIRECT MATERIALS CATEGORY MANAGER

Highly accomplished at leading the development of supply base networks to meet the quality, price, innovation, risk prevention and compliance objectives of consumer products companies. Seeking combined work as an individual contributor and leader.

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

Global Category Management: Led the 3-year project for strategic redesign of a $120MM global flavor and ingredient supply base in support of the worldwide manufacturing expansion of the Marlboro Brand. Designed overall global and regional strategies, plus material-specific allocation and buying plans. Implemented the new supply base at over 20 factories. Exceeded all objectives, including security of supply, quality, and harmonization of detailed chemical purity specifications, social compliance and price.

Sourcing Leadership: Responsible for achieving at least $20MM of verifiable savings, plus avoiding incalculable monetary and reputational risk. Drove continuous improvements of supplier facilities via rigorous qualification, audit and corrective actions standards. Created sourcing decision support models, buying plans and KPI’s. Linked corporate plans and procurement objectives. Managed budgets. Mentored new-hires in sourcing methodology, supplier relationship management and stakeholder support.

Innovation & Creativity Support: Expert at engendering creativity between product developers & suppliers, while maintaining an appropriate level of commercial control. I have an effective base for leading departmental value engineering, productivity and continuous process improvement -- Engineering / MBA degrees , plus a product development background including familiarity with the patent process.

Compliance, Regulation, Diversity and Ethics: Over 25 years experience driving complex and sensitive projects at consumer products companies involving strict adherence to regulation, trademark protection, financial and relationship objectives consistent with corporate initiatives.

Broad Category Range: FDA-regulated flavors & ingredients (bulk high-purity solvents, cocoa, sugar, vanilla, compounded flavors, other botanical extracts, adhesives) , packaging structures, food process & packaging equipment, innovative direct materials, R&D contract manufacturing, product development services, brand-themed retail merchandise, direct mail fulfillment operations.

Specific Skill Areas:

Category Research Organizational Development Dashboards / KPIs

Supplier Negotiations Cost Reduction & Avoidance Team Building & Staff Selection

Contract Management Supplier Relationship Management Continuous Process Improvement

Cost & Risk Modeling Regulatory Compliance Issues New Product Development

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Altria / Philip Morris USA, Richmond, Virginia

Technical Procurement Manager (Emerging New Products) (2006-2009)

Marketing Purchasing Manager (Catalog and Incentive Programs) (2005-2006)

Flavors, Ingredients and Chemicals Procurement Manager (2001-2005)

Operations Procurement Manager, Product Components and Ingredients (1999-2001)

Senior staff Business Analyst, Direct Materials Procurement (1998-1999)

Senior Business Analyst, Direct Materials Procurement(1997-1998)

Selected Accomplishments:

Built & refined a procurement services model that embedded strategic procurement staff into product development teams. Optimized innovation access, cost and cycle time. Commercialized products with projected annual direct materials savings of $14MM during early market expansion.

Identified suppliers to develop unique pharmaceutical-style thermoform packaging with resealable lidding, negotiated favorable IP positions and achieved prices 35% less than P&L cost goal.

Identified suppliers with technical leadership. Generated new product materials while retaining industry segment exclusivity. Achieved 37% savings on new product packaging, then extended these price concessions backwards to a core product to generate savings of $2MM/yr.

Howard Christian (Chris) Toft Page 2

Selected Accomplishments (continued)

Led Worldwide Ingredients Team consisting of regional procurement managers. Established category vision and strategies to ensure long-term, uninterrupted supply of 7 mission-critical liquids and bulk solid flavors. Established detailed buying plans involving >25 suppliers. Implemented allocations all the way into local plants.

Developed and implemented “Quality and Supply Security Mapping” across 300 materials and 70 suppliers with heavy emphasis on contingency planning & proactive intervention and correction.

Mapped geo-political risk, global safety stock run-out and force-majeure defense plans.

Led a series of global category RFI / RFP’s with emphasis on demonstrating strategic fit with the 5-year projected needs of stakeholders responsible for technical specifications, formulary shifts and allocation of country volume expansion and reductions. Modeled supplier stability.

Managed an emergency intervention into the adhesives supply chain involving capital investment and injection of company engineering resources.

Coordinated worldwide specification upgrades: Country of origin; GMO-free; vegetable based; ethanol-free, etc.

Managed a group of agents responsible for MRP, tactical buying and stakeholder review of supplier performance.

Fishburne International, Arden, North Carolina

Fishburne International was a small, family company that designed and produced custom hydraulic presses and heavy conveyors for textile and tobacco bales, looking to expand into new markets.

Marketing / Product Manager (1994 – 1997)

Selected Accomplishments:

New product marketing: refined, tested and marketed electronic equipment intended to prompt caregivers to administer and document the medication dispensing.

Priced and sold materials handling equipment with key account techniques in USA and China.

Restored sales to a major domestic account by adapting sales quotations to include special quality initiatives of the client.

R J Reynolds, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Assistant Manager, Marketing Promotions (1992-1994)

Marketing Promotions analyst (1990-1992)

R&D – Process & Product commercialization Engineer (1981 – 1990)

Selected Accomplishments:

Managed 3rd party catalog fulfillment operations for $60MM of consumer merchandise (1993)

Managed trend forecasting tools to manage a $60MM retail couponing program (1992)

Developed proprietary materials using spray drying, fermentation and extrusion (1986)

Designed, procured and operated a $10MM of food processing equipment to support development and test market introductions of products (1981-1986)

EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS

MBA Business Administration Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC (1990)

Bachelor of Science Chemical Engineering University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (1981)

Selected Professional Development Coursework

Managing for Motivation

EEOC Training

Leadership Development Program

Contract Development and Management

Pilot Plant Design and Operation

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