How to Lead Procurement Transformation with Craig Hill from Schroders | EP17

AD | This episode is sponsored by 1st Executive Ltd. How do you lead procurement transformation while giving your team the freedom to succeed? Craig Hill, Chief Procurement Officer at Schroders, shares the lessons behind a career built on change, transferable skills and developing people. From joining the army at 18 to building global supplier management at HSBC, Craig explains how discipline, curiosity and a willingness to try unfamiliar roles shaped his route into procurement. He reflects on the mistakes that taught him to stop controlling every detail, the realities of influencing across cultures and the broader responsibilities that come with becoming a CPO. The conversation also explores rebuilding after redundancy and putting people at the centre of procurement’s transformation at Schroders. Viewers will learn how to prepare for bigger roles without losing sight of family, personal values or the people they lead. IN THIS EPISODE • Turning military discipline into transferable business skills • Using procurement to understand the whole customer journey • Testing management responsibility before seeking promotion • Giving colleagues room to develop rather than doing their jobs • Understanding local decision-makers before driving global change • Delegating across time zones instead of trying to do everything • Preparing for a CPO’s responsibilities beyond sourcing • Rebuilding confidence and direction after redundancy • Choosing people and workplaces that match your values ▶ WATCH NEXT David Rowell on building capable procurement teams and leading without micromanaging:    • Leading with Purpose Under Pressure with D...   🎙 EXPLORE JOURNEY OF A CPO Watch all full episodes:    • Top of the Chain | Journey of a CPO   CHAPTERS 00:00 Episode highlights 00:27 Craig Hill and transforming procurement at Schroders 07:03 Military service, adventure and self-belief 15:20 Retraining for financial services and finding procurement 23:16 Why procurement opens doors across the business 27:47 Learning to manage without micromanaging 32:00 Building global supplier management across cultures 38:26 Three priorities for a new global role 42:53 Balancing a global career with family life 48:53 Becoming a transformational CPO at HSBC 53:15 What changes when you become a CPO 59:57 Turning redundancy into a new opportunity 01:05:45 Finding work and a culture you love 01:09:46 Hiring for curiosity and people skills 01:13:05 Outro ────────── ABOUT JOURNEY OF A CPO Journey of a CPO explores the careers, decisions and leadership lessons of procurement and supply chain leaders. Follow Procurato on LinkedIn:   / procurato   Visit Procurato: https://www.procurato.co.uk/ #JourneyOfACPO #ProcurementLeadership #StrategicProcurement #Procurato #Schroders