Young talent

Procurement manager Jessica Jones won the ‘Young Talent Award’ at the CIPS Supply Management Awards 2019.

Respected as a benchmark for excellence, a CIPS Supply Management award is the most prestigious recognition an organisation or individual in the procurement and supply chain profession can receive.

Rob Cooksley, Director of Procurement, endorsed Jessica’s submission, calling her a ‘trusted member of the team who delivers in an exemplary manner delivering substantial savings for Royal Mail Group across three categories – international air, automation and vehicles – and actively seeks opportunities to expand her skillset.’

The CIPS judges said: ‘Jessica demonstrates real passion for her job and a mature understanding of the areas in which the profession needs to improve. She is very self-motivated and pushes herself to improve. We were particularly impressed with her strong focus on business first, supported by the function. She also showed a good appreciation of how CIPS adds value to the profession.’

Jessica, who joined Group Procurement in January 2017 as a procurement manager within Logistics, said: ‘Specifically, my main responsibility has been managing the international air category supported by my International colleagues at HWDC (Heathrow Worldwide Distribution Centre). The way I describe what I do to friends and family, is that I purchase capacity on the aircraft your mail flies on when you post something overseas.

‘Group Procurement works in a way that seeks to upskill its people by inviting them to work in different teams. Over the last few years, I’ve had many opportunities to expand my skills and work in other categories, including automation and vehicles. What I’ve found really engaging is the number of ways to get involved in other areas.

‘Working in Group Procurement is incredibly interesting and engaging. The whole team is amazing. What I’ve been genuinely impressed by since joining the organisation is how much my confidence has grown as a professional, and this is a direct result of the sponsorship, coaching and support of so many in the team.

‘I’m also very lucky because the nature of my work means that I work with people across the business. When I think of “the team”, I also think of the people in International who I work with at HWDC. International is a really creative place with interesting projects and ideas in the pipeline. The huge amount of expertise at HWDC makes it a wonderful environment to learn more about the business, and everyone there is hugely supportive.

‘I can quite honestly say that I was astounded to win the Young Talent award, as I was convinced it was going to someone else. The application process was itself quite cathartic as it gave me the opportunity to reflect on my achievements and think forward about my career. I was incredibly happy when I was shortlisted.

‘The other surprise was how people responded to me winning. I thought that it might be a private achievement, one that very few people were interested in. However, nothing could have been further from the truth! My colleagues have been incredibly kind with the feedback they’ve provided and it has come from so many unexpected quarters, such as colleagues who I know through my network, but have not worked with directly. So, I’m doing a lot of gratitude practice at the moment!’

Jessica sits on a continuous improvement working group. She is involved in the Women’s network, and is an ally to the LBGT+ & Friends steering group. She also attends LEAD, a group to attract, retain and advance women in the retail and consumer goods industry in Europe.