Synergy Dispatch: Theresa Metty -- Two for the Price of One

Posted At : May 3, 2007 9:13 AM
Related Categories: Conferences, Spend Management

When it comes to conference keynotes, it's not often that you get two speeches for the price of one (either as an audience member paying with his time or a vendor paying with their dollars). But Theresa Metty -- who happens to be louder without a microphone in a sizable auditorium than most speakers with one -- does not always adhere to convention (which is something I guess I should have expected from someone who has set land speed records on a motorcycle).

In Theresa's first act, our speed demon tackled "the war on complexity" in procurement. What was most insightful about this presentation were Theresa's ideas and suggested actions for making a savings and risk reduction difference through driving to standardization in both the direct and indirect materials areas. For her second act, Theresa described how Sarbanes-Oxley can -- and should -- become a rallying cry for procurement to step up to the executive table. Tomorrow morning, I'll tackle the first of these presentations. And on Monday, check back for my notes and thoughts on the second!

- Jason Busch

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I knew the name Theresa Metty when I worked at the IBM PC Company but never met her. I finally had the chance to meet her last year and I heard her talk about the importance of obtaining delegated authority from the Board of Directors to the CPO.

After her talk, I apologized to her for the 6 years I spent at PC Co fighting the directives of WW Distribution Procurement.

Come to think of it I really didn't apologize. I tipped my hat to her and told her I had no idea what I was up against.

# Posted By Tim Fairchild | 5/4/07 5:38 AM

I saw Theresa Metty commence a keynote presentation to a packed ISM conference in huge major convention center ball room, when a freak thunder storm took out power for a few minutes. Not only did she lose the mike, but she lost all lights and her PowerPoint as well. She never skippped a beat, projected her voice to the stunned, blacked out room and continued delivering her message on how Motorola was waging war against procurement complexity. As the room stayed dark she underscored as no pie chart could, that agility and the ability to respond to strategic uncertainties was metaphorical to the keys to a procurement strategy that relentlessly attacked complexity.

The lights came back on, but the undeniable fact was the Theresa had been the power in the room all along. It is gratifying to see that the industry continues to tap into her intelligence.

# Posted By Susan Griffin | 5/6/07 11:35 AM

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