MIDDLE EAST and Al Ghurair has been the group ’ s role in adopting new technologies that have been key in advancing the development of the procurement function .
“ Al Ghurair is one of if not the leading group using e-auctions , which is something we run hundreds of times a year ,” he says .
“ It has been key to our success due to the fact that many people didn ’ t believe it would work in this particular group or the Business Units , or even if it was applicable on this scale .”
E-sourcing and e-auctioning are now everyday practices across the whole of Al Ghurair in what Sammallahti describes as the “ standard way of negotiating ” for the group .
Start of something special For Sammallahti , being offered the opportunity of building and
developing the procurement function of a group so embedded within the very make-up of the UAE was one he simply could not turn down . Al Ghurair , through its nine different Business Units , serves communities all across the
UAE and globe , be it one of the largest trading houses in the world in food commodities , to supplying external cladding and glass for the tallest building in the world , the Burj Khalifa . Sammallahti has worked for over 17 years in procurement , with companies such as Nokia and Siemens , but he admits that it was the level of understanding and focus on procurement from senior management that was a turning point in helping him begin his journey with Al Ghurair .
“ During interviews I started to fully appreciate just how much of a dynamic and forward thinking
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