Q&A

Supply Management, Jan 31, 2008

MATTHEW WEBSTER

Marketing category manager, procurement, Virgin Atlantic Airways

What does your job involve?

Setting up contracts for Virgin Atlantic's marketing suppliers.

How did you get into purchasing?

As a Unilever management trainee, sourcing was the discipline I enjoyed the most and it went from there.

What surprised you most about the profession?

How hard it is to find good purchasing people.

Best part of the job?

Meeting and working with some of the cleverest minds behind the world's best advertising campaigns.

Who is your purchasing mentor?

Jamie Hindhaugh, BBC's head of sourcing, is the most creative purchaser I've met.

What is your personal purchasing motto?

If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Any advice for other purchasers?

Work hard on your internal customer relationships, it's free and will pay back in no time.

Which song sums up procurement?

Suspicious Minds by Elvis Presley.

How do you like to relax?

Playing with my newborn son or if he's asleep, trying to reduce my golf handicap.

I'd like to end up as...

Procurement director at a worthy organisation.