Written by Mélissa de Roquebrune, Executive Director, The Sustainable Procurement Pledge
There are moments when it is worth stopping and celebrating.
Last week, on behalf of this whole community, I had the pleasure of joining CIPS (Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply) to present the Sustainable Procurement Champion Award, celebrating the people across our profession who are not waiting for change to happen. They are making it happen.
So let me start with a big CONGRATULATIONS to Zara Ferris, this year’s winner. A well-deserved recognition of someone whose contribution goes far beyond her day job and creates impact across the wider procurement community.
And there is something particularly meaningful about this award: it is chosen by procurement professionals themselves. Our Ambassadors cast their votes and made their voices heard. I got to experience that first-hand on the night, when person after person came to my table to tell me: we got it right.
Bravo, Zara.
Because sustainable procurement moves forward when people step up. When they challenge the status quo, ask the hard questions, share what they learn and bring others with them.
Leadership is not just a title. It is influence. It is action.
That is what we wanted this award, together with CIPS, to recognise: an individual living the principles of the Pledge and putting them into practice.
But there is something else we should remember. No one drives transformation alone. An award may have one name on it, but the impact behind that name is collective. It comes from colleagues supporting each other, communities sharing knowledge, and people across organisations choosing to collaborate rather than reinvent the wheel.
That is why the CIPS–SPP partnership matters. Together, we can recognise, amplify and accelerate the people doing the work.
And this award is also a reflection of where our profession is heading: more ambitious about what procurement can deliver, more collaborative in how we get there, and increasingly focused on impact, not activity for activity’s sake.
So let’s celebrate Zara. Let’s celebrate everyone nominated, everyone doing the work, and everyone helping move procurement forward. And then let’s get back to work. Because this is not the finish line. It is the start.
At SPP, our focus is clear: less talking about what needs to change. More sharing what works. More action. More impact. We have a lot still to do, and we will go further, faster, together.
