Jo Etchells

Joanne Etchells is a highly skilled and motivated procurement specialist with a diverse portfolio of completed procurements. Joanne joined Enigma Seven from East Midlands Railway where she held the position of Head of Procurement.

During her time with East Midlands, Joanne was seconded to West Midlands Trains as Head of Corporate to implement governance and process to transform procurement within the business. Joanne has developed policies, strategies, processes and compliance within the rail and education sectors.

Experience
Joanne started her career as a Business Transformation Officer in Local Authority before finding a passion for procurement and its ability to add value and deliver strategic direction. During her time in Local Authority Joanne delivered multiple projects, ranging from Public Health Services, transport, equipment to consulting services. Joanne then moved into the Higher Education Sector as Deputy Head of Procurement, specialising in High Value Manufacturing equipment. During this time, she worked with the Public Contract Regulations and the Defence and Security Regulations, ensuring confidentiality and innovation within the supply chain.

As Head of Procurement for East Midlands Railway, Joanne was responsible for the implementation of the Utilities Contract Regulations 2016, providing governance to the organisation, including creation of policies, strategies and processes. Joanne developed the team, recruiting specialists and achieving £3m in savings over a 12-month period.

In her most recent role of Head of Corporate at West Midlands Trains Joanne was responsible for the recruitment and structure of the procurement team, bringing in a Category Management approach with dedicated leads for Fleet, IT and Indirects. Joanne has been able to influence executives in the business and external stakeholders to redesign how procurement is viewed within the business ensuring procurement input at the business planning stage. Joanne has delivered workshop training on the Procurement Act across EMR and WMT guaranteeing the businesses are compliant when the regulations become live.

Leadership
Joanne is passionate, creative and strategic with her ability to transform procurement within businesses. Under Joanne’s leadership, teams have robust compliance procedures, secured savings and delivered strategic objectives for the business. Joanne’s strength is people management, building relationships with those around her. She has influenced stakeholders on strategic decisions at an executive level and gains buy in from the top down. Joanne is a strong character and able to challenge the status quo to maximise the benefit of the business.