Hi I am Paul Wilkins, Head of source to pay at the Co-operative Group and Co Chair for the Purchase to Pay Network.
WHERE WAS I 10 YEARS AGO?
10 years is long time when you work in the retail Industry, it’s a face passed ever evolving sector. It’s fair to say in that time I’ve had some great opportunities to learn how an organisation the size of the Co-op operates, and to develop my leadership skills at the same time. I have been fortunate enough to support the improvement of our Finance systems I’ve worked within our Food Retail Support Centre leading on making it easier for our Food Store Colleagues to service our customers, I returned to the Finance Shared Service department to head up our continuous improvement team before taking on my current role as Head of Source to Pay within our Business Services function at the Co-op. In my personal life, I’ve got married and become a dad to 2 beautiful children.
WHERE DO I SEE MYSELF IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS?
Planning for 10 years in the future isn’t easy. Medium term focus is on landing Source to Pay as a true business service function in the Co-op, making that step change from traditional Shared Services. In many cases this is built on consolidation of activity and deploying a greater use of technology especially in Robotics and AI so we can value back in to the organisation. If I could look back in 10 years on the S2P function in the Co-op as a leading example of how a successful S2P team in a business services function should operate I would be very proud.
WHAT DO I LOVE ABOUT SHARED SERVICES FORUM UK?
The shared service forum is a great platform for leaders in their chosen field to collaborate, share ideas and drive innovation across all sectors of UK business in an open and friendly environment. It also provides a great source of material for personal growth and development. Im really looking forward to helping the SSF members shape the next 10 years of P2P in the UK.
