“Be true to yourself. Be true to your craft. Be true to your customer. What happens down the road is out of your control. Focus on what’s within your control, the rest simply doesn’t matter.”

– Peter Bolle, Former Senior Strategic Procurement Manager for Air Canada

Like many other professionals in the field, Peter Bolle didn’t set out to start a career in procurement. He was eager to work for an exciting company, and actually pursued multiple open positions at Air Canada just to get his foot in the door. Once he was in, his critical thinking skills and work ethic took care of the rest and he quickly found himself climbing through the ranks from an entry-level position to ones with increasing responsibility.

As a (now retired) Senior Strategic Procurement Manager for Air Canada, Peter got to see behind the scenes of a fascinating industry, learning how all of the different lines of business come together to make business and leisure travel possible.

In this episode, Peter discusses the following with Supply Chain Now Host Scott Luton:

· The amazing complexities of running a successful airline company that most travelers don’t even know about

· Why category management is still – or should be – one of the best approaches to strategic sourcing

· The importance of building strong relationships with internal stakeholders and suppliers by communicating constantly and addressing each day’s challenges together