All Ninian Wilson articles
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Suppliers & SCM
Vodafone to add e& to mega RAN tender
Procurement collaboration would be another dimension in strategic alliance between Vodafone and United Arab Emirates-based e&.
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Operations
Arch Summit 2022: Vodafone picks Luxembourg for new, consolidated supply hub
Operator confirms move to meld regional warehousing centres into a single, digital-led management facility.
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Operations
Vodafone revs green fleet across Europe
VPC fleet is 30% electric, with plans to hit accelerator in the transition.
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Premium
Vodafone accelerates TechCo ambitions with Oracle deal
IT infrastructure modernisation underway as cloud transition picks up speed. Vodafone privately deploying complete Oracle Cloud Infrastructure capabilities as quasi-managed service, consolidating to three key European data centres. Jointly establishing Cloud Centre of Excellence.
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Suppliers & SCM
VPC’s Schultz readies new procurement venture
VPC Chairman maintains claim that ‘category management’ is dead.
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Operations
Strategic rise of procurement redefines role of the CPO
Complex ecosystems, new technology, sustainability ambitions, and supply chain risk mitigation are driving change in the procurement function. BT Sourced and Vodafone Procurement Company weigh in on how their procurement lives are transforming. Chief procurement officers need new leadership skills to succeed, says study. Ideal procurement professionals are like ...
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Strategy & Change
TMF’s Willetts: maintaining vendor status quo “dangerous”
Speaking to TelcoTitans, Nik Willetts, CEO of industry body TM Forum, outlined his perceptions of the state of digital transformation in the telecoms sector. Procurement-led vendor management needs to evolve towards partnership for digital acceleration. Hyperscalers can remain more friend than foe as operators seek new ways to differentiate ...
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Strategy & Change
Vodafone to overhaul supply chain ops
Warehouse consolidation and digitisation intended to bring greater transparency and control of purchases from China and other key marketplaces. New, digitised stock management facility planned for “small country in the middle of Europe”. Move comes with supply chain resilience and predictability at top of news agenda.
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People
Vodafone picks Microsoft exec to upgrade purchasing ops
Experienced US buying executive bulks up Vodafone Procurement Company’s supply chain leadership team.
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Suppliers & SCM
Smart shopping: Vodafone now using bots for buying
Vodafone Procurement Company says new autonomous platform switched on in June. Focus on extended reach and efficiency in long-tail buying. System could ultimately handle end-to-end sourcing for quarter of spend, unit suggests. Pega and _VOIS on enabler team.
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Suppliers & SCM
VPC’s Wilson praises Lenovo for help in pandemic crisis
Ninian Wilson impressed by Lenovo’s ability to meet “huge demand” for laptops when Vodafone call-centre operatives needed to work from home during lockdown. Extends existing Lenovo contract as reward: “when people help you in a crisis you don’t forget”.
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Suppliers & SCM
BT, Vodafone “actively pushing” procurement collaboration
BT and Vodafone procurement chiefs back Trust Your Supplier to bring harmony to telco purchasing. Vodafone eventually to “mandate” Trust Your Supplier use. Collaboration between operators key to simplification and digitalisation of the industry, claim Cyril Pourrat and Ninian Wilson.
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Strategy & Change
Group Technology toes line on “new-gen” plan
Top-down flavour to Tech 2025 initiatives as Group Finance (again) steals a lot of the Group Technology thunder, keeping ambitions in check with fiscal targets. Programme kept closely in line with Group leadership’s medium-term, twin-track ambition to refuel its commercial engine while keeping a tight rein on investment. Headline ...
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Suppliers & SCM
VPC’s Wilson says Tech 2025 bringing clarity
Wilson expects speedier decision-making, faster onboarding of new suppliers, and a stronger drive to standardisation across Group OpCos. Ericsson says it will be “happy” to pass on greater cost efficiencies to Vodafone. Swedish vendor targets African gains on back of tech reorg.
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Strategy & Change
DT, Vodafone push vendors to clean up emissions
Vodafone sends letter encouraging suppliers to step up support for its net zero emissions pledge. DT inserting stricter criteria into supplier assessments. Tackling climate change bringing commercial incentives for more fleet-footed telcos. Supply chain emissions an elephant in room for telcos as they talk up energy efficiency progress.
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Suppliers & SCM
Vodafone’s supply chain unit targets enterprises with ‘buying club’
New procurement service for enterprise customers and Partner Markets. Marketplace aggregates tail spend to control procurement costs.
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Strategy & Change
Vodafone’s hardball negotiator displays softer side
VPC’s Wilson says hard-wired, monolithic vendor deals stifling telcos and moving towards collaborative partnerships. Spend mix change seen as in post. Accenture held up as key strategic ally and early adopter of new model. Reality-check acknowledged: old school procurement seen as problem rather solution.
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Suppliers & SCM
VPC’s Schultz sets cat managers among procurement pigeons
Manifesto that value chain orchestration is the new procurement norm ruffles some feathers. VPC Chairman upgrades procurement to ‘primary provider of business insight and foresight’.
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Premium
Vodafone people moves: Group SCM “succession planning” underway
Tolga Tomruk takes SCM Networks Director role, leading relationships with established equipment vendors and the ‘open’ challenger set. Safaricom follows up consumer-centric shift with new CTIO. VodafoneZiggo taps rival KPN for mobile networks lead. Musical chairs on Vodacom Group’s Board of Directors.
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Venturing & Investments
Tomorrow Street opens door to Block Gemini
Vodafone Procurement Company hoping to reap rewards after Block Gemini’s incubation and initial pilot. Third startup added to the innovation hot-house in just over a month, joining Quantexa and GeoSpock.