James Banyard
Market Harborough,Leicestershire
Summary
Strategic, results-driven procurement professional with 10+ years' experience in manufacturing procurement across diverse categories, ranging from highly bespoke specifications to commodity items. Proven track record of delivering cost savings, supplier innovation, and step-change improvements across procurement functions. Skilled at building collaborative supplier relationships to ensure security of supply, drive sustainability, and deliver value beyond price. Thrive in fast-paced environments and excel at turning complex sourcing challenges into opportunities.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
9
9
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Raw Materials Manager
East Midlands Pharma
, Leicestershire
2024.04 - 2026.02
- Managed annual spend of £17 million across suppliers in UK, EU and Far East, optimising cost-effectiveness and supplier relationships.
- Delivered over £500k p/a in total cost reductions via targeted projects, competitive tenders and supplier negotiations.
- Managed all Procurement and Purchasing activity for a multi-site manufacturer.
- Improved supplier performance and product quality, reducing internal complaints and unlocking capacity to support business growth.
- Led SKU-level demand planning and inventory forecasting, advising the business on optimal stock positions to improve availability and reduce excess inventory exposure.
- Upgraded ordering and demand planning processes from manual repetition to a semi-automated ERP-driven workflow, aligning customer forecasts and historical demand to support scalable, system-led planning.
- Oversaw the logistics of in-bound shipments via sea, air and road freight.
- Managed documentation and facilitated audits to ensure regulatory compliance for pharmaceutical imports.
Buyer
Mission Foods
, Warwickshire
2023.03 - 2024.04
- Developed and embedded category strategy delivering double-digit deflation, improving OTIF and risk scores, and creating pipeline of transformation projects for sustainable packaging solutions.
- Lead Buyer for all Packaging categories across multiple UK production sites.
- Facilitated collaboration on packaging category initiatives throughout Europe.
- Created and implemented formalised vendor-management scorecard adopted across European business.
- Received 'Above and Beyond' award for contributions to successful high-profile product launch against tight critical path.
Procurement Co-Ordinator
Kanes Foods
, Worcestershire
2022.08 - 2023.03
- Implemented budgeting process to enable 18-month pricing forecast.
- Developed risk management strategy to minimise delays in product availability.
- Identified cost-saving opportunities within procurement process to reduce expenses.
Senior Procurement Analyst
Samworth Brothers
, Leicestershire
2016.03 - 2022.07
- Designed and implemented a centralised hub for analysis from twelve separate business units, creating tools for supplier selection and credit terms analysis.
- Delivered a step-change in Supplier Relationship Management through implementing a formalised supplier review and balanced scorecard, resulting in improved supplier performance and greater collaboration.
- Analysed supplier penetration, contributing to a 20% reduction in the number of suppliers across sites.
- Progressed from Purchasing Assistant to Group Procurement Analyst and then to Senior Procurement Analyst.
Purchaser
Inturn Trading Ltd
, Norfolk
2013.04 - 2015.07
- Worked closely with other departments to understand their procurement needs.
- Regularly reviewed supplier performance for continual improvement in service delivery.
- Tracked shipping and delivery times, rectifying delays or issues swiftly.
- Appointed Project Manager for a six-month secondment, leading a cross-departmental team to complete the project successfully.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - History
University of East Anglia
Norwich, Norfolk 2008.09 - 2011.06
A Levels - Business Studies (A), History (B), Physical Education (B)
Wollaston School
Wollaston, Northamptonshire 2006.09 - 2008.06
GCSEs -
Wollaston School
Wollaston, Northamptonshire 2001.09 - 2006.07
Skills
- Spend Analysis
- Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
- Supplier Value Optimization
- Negotiation
- Supplier management
- Predictive Cost Modeling
- Category Source Plans
- Cross-functional Collaboration
- Performance Management
- Stakeholder influence
- PIP projects
- ERP systems
- Coaching
- Mentoring
- Feedback Sessions
Affiliations
- Currently learning to speak German via Duolingo.
- Non-League football
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Raw Materials Manager
East Midlands Pharma
2024.04 - 2026.02
Buyer
Mission Foods
2023.03 - 2024.04
Procurement Co-Ordinator
Kanes Foods
2022.08 - 2023.03
Senior Procurement Analyst
Samworth Brothers
2016.03 - 2022.07
Purchaser
Inturn Trading Ltd
2013.04 - 2015.07
Bachelor of Arts - History
University of East Anglia
2008.09 - 2011.06
A Levels - Business Studies (A), History (B), Physical Education (B)
Wollaston School
2006.09 - 2008.06
GCSEs -
Wollaston School
2001.09 - 2006.07