Procurement Adventurer
Daniela Rocco
I was fortunate to work with Daniela on an exciting project for Mars who own the brand Bens Original. Through working together, it became clear that Daniela is a true adventurer in every sense of the word - her life's journey, resilience in the face of adversity and her ability to think through challenges to reach the destination. Here is her story:
What attracted you to Procurement?
My route to procurement started in Venezuela where I grew up. My family is highly educated: my grandfather was a doctor, my mum a chemist who forged a successful career in the 90s oil boom, and my dad a university professor specialising in reliability of electrical networks. They instilled in me an ethos to work hard and be curious. A role for Deloitte in Caracas working on transfer pricing and supply chain piqued my interest. Venezuela is rich in oil but poor in almost everything else so I was keen to work in international trade - a good way to improve the wealth of impoverished countries.
Tell us about your current role...
I am the global category manager for sourcing all the rice for Mars Food who own the well-known brand Ben's Rice. As rice is the hero ingredient for the brand, we need to get it right. There are lots of varieties and specifications of rice from a number of countries around the world which all have different characteristics. The role is truly transformational - as a result of climate change, security of supply has become much more challenging so we are having to de-risk our supply chains. Sustainability is really important for rice, especially on water usage.
What is your favourite procurement technique?
I like to partner with people closely, such as my technical colleagues. For example, I'll join the auditors on supplier audits as the flow of information is much freer than with the supplier's sales team! And I work closely with R&D as they have invaluable insights about what works and what doesn't.
Which procurement technique has Mars taught you best?
Mars is amazing at teaching its associates self-awareness. For example, with self-awareness an extrovert understands why an introvert needs space. As an extrovert I used to think introverts were weird! Now I get it. Having good self-awareness not only helps me get the best out of myself but also how to negotiate - you need to know your pitfalls.
How do you make change in a huge organisation like Mars?
Never waste a good crisis - amplify the magnitude of the crisis to a point where all your stakeholders realise they have no other option but to take a calculated leap-of-faith and make a wholesale change. Total belief - ooze confidence even if you have your own doubts. Grit in and persevere through choppy waters. Rather than shy from doubters, actively engage them.
Where's been your most interesting procurement adventure?
In itself, relocating from Venezuela to Europe has been a fascinating adventure. Latin America is very emotional - I'm well versed in dealing with hot-blooded suppliers balancing emotion with intellectual discussion! Latin American culture teaches you to never take life too seriously. Now living and working in Germany, I've had to adapt to a very different style. Prior to rice I was sourcing animal proteins for Mars Petcare - a really smelly job! - visiting rendering plants, collectors and slaughterhouses across Europe. Recently, I visited our American rice farmers. They're real businessmen - savvy, and you want to learn from them how they drive their businesses.
What's your current focus on sustainability?
We're doing a lot of work on the sustainability of rice, particularly water usage and carbon. We need to understand where the product impacts most whether it be environmental or social. For rice, it's all about minimising water usage - we are well on our way to achieving our 2025 target of reducing by 50% unsustainable water use. For me, sustainability makes you think about how businesses should be run in the future. If the supplier doesn't care about sustainability, they likely don't care about quality either.
What should the procurement community be better at?
We need to be better at the business aspect of what we do. A lot of the time we are so focused on cost, quality and service, that we risk becoming a one-trick pony. To take it to the next level, the procurement community needs to be even better at the end-to-end holistic business aspect - not just thinking about the cost of the rice but rather how the rice interacts in the overall product from field to shelf.