EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Results-driven procurement executive and entrepreneur with 30+ years of leadership in Procurement, Operations, and Business Transformation. As Microsoft’s Chief Procurement Officer, managed $20B+ in annual addressable spend across 130 countries, led 250+ professionals, and delivered $8B+ in annual cost savings. Now leading two ventures—The Simms Group, a procurement advisory and fractional leadership consultancy, and Sivuno, an AI-powered spend intelligence platform. Co-developed the COPC Indirect Procurement Standard and Chaired its global governance committee consisting of Fortune 100 CPOs. Trusted advisor to C-suite executives, private equity firms, and procurement technology startups seeking to transform operations, integrate AI, and build high-performing teams.

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CORE COMPETENCIES

Strategic Procurement & Sourcing Leadership  •  AI-Driven Business Transformation

Fractional & Interim Leadership Roles  •  S2P Technology Evaluation & Implementation

Supply Chain Risk Mitigation & Supplier Rationalization  •  Capital Raise & Startup Advisory

Organizational Design & Change Management  •  Global Team Leadership

Contract Negotiation & Vendor Governance  •  Executive Coaching & Talent Development

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

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Founder & CEO  |  The Simms Group

Kirkland, WA  |  March 2020 – Present

• Founded a procurement consulting practice delivering Fortune 100 expertise through three transformation pillars: Leadership, Optimization, and Technology. Services include fractional & interim CPO leadership, AI tool evaluation, process assessment, and executive coaching.

• Partner with founders, CEOs, and private equity stakeholders to assess, design, and implement operational and supply chain strategies that optimize costs, reduce risks, and enable scalable growth.

• Advise procurement technology startups on product strategy, go-to-market positioning, and enterprise sales readiness, leveraging practitioner credibility and Fortune 500 network.

• Develop standards-based transformation methodology grounded in COPC Indirect Procurement Standards, which I co-developed and continue to co-chair through the global governance committee.

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Co-Founder & COO  |  Sivuno

Remote  |  2023 – Present

• Co-founded an AI-first spend intelligence platform that delivers 99%+ spend classification accuracy in minutes, solving the foundational data quality challenge that undermines procurement transformation.

• Lead client engagement, product evangelism, and strategic partnerships, positioning Sivuno as the data foundation enabling AI-driven procurement across the S2P landscape.

• Provide practitioner-informed product feedback to engineering team, ensuring the platform addresses real-world procurement challenges across spend visibility, category management, and supplier analysis.

 

Chief Procurement Officer  |  Microsoft Corporation

Redmond, WA  |  September 2013 – August 2020

• Orchestrated Microsoft’s global indirect procurement organization, owning $20B+ in annual addressable spend across 130 countries and leading 250+ professionals managing 60,000 suppliers across all spend categories.

• Delivered $8B+ in cost savings and exceeded all performance metrics.

• Architected and enforced a new enterprise-wide procurement operating model, driving 30%+ step-change efficiency gains through consolidation and centralization of procurement functions globally.

• Led the high-stakes integration of Nokia’s indirect procurement operations post-acquisition, unlocking an 80% efficiency gain and establishing a single, high-performing global platform.

• Co-created the COPC Indirect Procurement Standard and positioned Microsoft as the world’s first organization to achieve COPC Indirect Procurement certification.

• Set a new bar for procurement and leadership excellence, earning the IAOP Industry Best Practice Award and achieving a Leadership Excellence Index of 87% vs. a 68% corporate norm.

 

General Manager, Global Outsourcing  |  Microsoft Corporation

Redmond, WA  |  August 2006 – September 2013

• Managed outsourcing operations for Microsoft’s global contact centers and established the corporate BPO governance model.

• Directed supplier consolidation efforts, reducing costs by 35% and expanding service scope from 9 to 119 sites across 45 countries.

• Developed and implemented a proprietary Quality Management Framework, achieving COPC certification for contact center operations.

• Instituted governance models for supplier strategy, contract negotiation, and performance management across divisions.

 

Director & Senior Operations Manager  |  Microsoft Corporation

Redmond, WA  |  January 1995 – August 2006

• Held progressively senior leadership roles including Director of Global Outsourcing & Contact Centers and Senior Operations Manager for Global Fulfillment & Program Management.

• Built foundational expertise in large-scale operations, supplier management, and organizational transformation across global markets.

 

Senior Contract Administrator & Proposal Manager  |  Crane Aerospace (ELDEC)

Seattle, WA  |  July 1985 – January 1995

• Managed contracts for US military programs and led new-business proposal development (technical, management, and pricing volumes) for aerospace defense systems.

• Built early career in technical writing and engineering communications, establishing the systematic, process-driven approach that would define subsequent leadership roles.

 

INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP & BOARD ROLES

• Founder & Co-Chair, Indirect Procurement Council – Peer network of CPOs and senior leaders from Fortune 100 companies (Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Meta, Cisco) focused on best practices, benchmarking, and advancing procurement standards.

• Co-Chair, COPC Indirect Procurement Standard Steering Committee – Co-developed the industry standard for indirect procurement excellence; continue to guide its evolution and adoption globally.

• Executive Advisor, PRAAS (Praas.io) – Print-as-Service Start-Up

• Executive Advisor, ABRA  (helloAbra.com)– AI-first platform providing enterprises real-time insights

• Executive Advisor, Craft  (Craft.co) – AI-first Supplier Risk Management

• Board of Directors, Kirkland Performance Center (kpccenter.org) – Community arts leadership and governance.

 

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS

Bachelor of Science in Engineering – Scientific & Technical Communication

University of Washington, Seattle

COPC Indirect Procurement Certification – Co-developed standard; led first global certification at Microsoft

IAOP Industry Best Practice Award – Procurement Excellence

PADI Master Scuba Diver – Highest certification level for recreational divers