When Katalyst Group (Katalyst) started to think about candidates to fill a senior level position leading strategic change in procurement, we immediately thought of Mayur Bawa. For the North American operations of a global steel company looking to improve purchasing compliance, Katalyst knew Mayur had the right skills and executive presence to lead the engagement. Understanding the client’s specific business needs and knowing Mayur’s skills and career interests, Katalyst readily recognized a promising fit.
Spending the bulk of his career in logistics, combined with a global mindset, Mayur was eager to make a difference in mitigating risks with the steel company’s North American processes. “I trusted Katalyst’s assessment of the client’s needs and recognized that I was in a place in my career where I wanted to take on a new challenge and learn new industries,” said Mayur.
The Client’s Challenges and Goals
After hearing about the opportunity from Katalyst, Mayur soon after met with the Procurement leadership and key stakeholders, where he highlighted his experience supporting procurement policies and purchase-to-pay procedures for a leading logistics company. Mayur’s background prepared him to take on the task of identifying gaps and weaknesses and developing a new set of standards, which ultimately were approved by executives and the leadership team for all of North America.
Ongoing Communication Sets Mayur up for Success
Katalyst believed in Mayur and invested in developing a non-transactional relationship and personal-driven approach by understanding the in-demand skills he had to offer. “What I appreciated more than anything else was Katalyst’s belief that every individual is unique, and how Katalyst put in the energy to identify not just quantitatively, but also qualitatively, what I could bring to the client,” said Mayur.
Contributions in New Role
In support of the North American operations, Mayur applied a global compliance mindset, cultivated while working for a large, multi-national organization leading the finance function. Equipped with these skills, Mayur effectively assessed the global steel manufacturer’s current state and refined policies and procedures with a particular focus on harmonizing the organization’s sourcing and procurement practices, while instilling compliant policies.
While on the project, Mayur served as a trusted advisor and project manager and was successful in effecting change in corporate procurement policies and revisions in purchase-to-pay processes for both indirect spend and steel sourcing. Along with his technical abilities, Mayur was also recognized for his soft skills to effectively communicate and align change with business leaders across North America, enabling smooth processes to monitor compliance with the new policies.
