McCafferty said that when he started in the role two years ago he discovered that the approach to procurement was "very inward-facing, while the rest of the organisation was focused primarily on the customer". 

 

"This difference in our focus represented a lack of alignment, so my priority has been to change the thinking across the three teams under Procurement's umbrella," he said.

 

Broadspectrum chief financial officer Vince Nicoletti said that McCafferty had up-skilled and lifted the capability level across his team and enforced process discipline by implementing appropriate technology and system solutions. 

 

"Kevin and team have also driven commercialisation of procurement and supply chain services into Broadspectrum's contracts with clients," Nicoletti said.

 

Broadspectrum has been Woodside Petroleum's offshore maintenance contractor for 20 years on the North West Shelf and has now mobilised a workforce to deliver a five-year operations and maintenance contract on Inpex' Ichthys LNG project, including the central processing facility.

 

Broadspectrum has a renewed focus on technology and local content since being bought out by Spanish diversified multinational Ferrovial, opening up a training centre in Darwin along the way.

 

The CPO of the Year award highlights the importance of the CPO role in organisations by recognising a remarkable commercial leader who is making a demonstrable difference to business results, having regard to the circumstances of different industries, budgets and the diversity of procurement team size and experience.

 

The 2017 judging panel comprised of Metering Dynamics group manager Sharyn Scriven, Chandler Macleod Group CEO Michelle Loader and Impact Spender founder Matt Perfect, and chaired by The Source general manager Tony Megally.  

 

The Faculty's founding chair, Tania Seary, said that the significant change projects undertaken by McCafferty highlighted how modern procurement teams were driving business innovation by putting the end-customer and shareholder value first.

 

"By enabling procurement leaders to drive cultural change internally, Broadspectrum has achieved both bottom-line company benefits, as well as delivering true business and commercial partnering, in a remarkably short period of time."