Ion Munteanu

Owner of the Unified Communications & Digital Workspace category at Ericsson, managing a €5M+ annual spend portfolio across 30 countries in Europe and the Middle East, with key markets including UK, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, and the Balkans. Responsible for the full source-to-agreement lifecycle, from RFQ and supplier identification through to contract signature and ongoing performance management, with individual contracts covering up to 2,000 subscriptions.

– Manage senior-level relationships with global suppliers including Vodafone Global Enterprise, BT (British Telecommunications), Telefónica, HP, Ricoh, and Deutsche Telekom — engaging at Country Manager, Global IT Manager, and KAM level

– Deliver an average cost savings rate of 20% across all contract renewals and RFPs in the current fiscal year

– Lead multiple global RFPs focused on supplier diversification and cost consolidation, driving competitive outcomes across the category

– Serve as the team's primary point of contact for sourcing tools, templates, compliance rules, and source-to-agreement principles — the go-to expert for process and governance questions

– Lead end-to-end procurement processes: RFQ, supplier evaluation, negotiation, BCTC compliance review, contract signing and lifecycle management

– Spearhead digitalisation projects within the sourcing function; build and maintain Power Apps solutions, SharePoint workflows, and advanced reporting to improve process efficiency and visibility

– Leverage AI tools to streamline workflow, accelerate analysis, and improve the quality of sourcing outputs

– Advanced user of SAP Ariba, Microsoft Office (advanced), SharePoint, and Power Apps; act as internal champion for tool adoption and best practices

– Mentor, onboard, and oversee junior colleagues across the region, supporting their development and coordinating the team's overall delivery

– Engage senior internal stakeholders across business units and markets; consistently recognised for responsiveness, reliability, and collaborative approach

– Drive compliance with Ericsson's sourcing policies, actively assessing agreements against BCTC requirements and documenting deviations where required

– Developed sourcing strategies for key spend categories via RFP, with stakeholder-aligned cost benchmarking and supplier evaluation frameworks

– Built and maintained strategic supplier relationships; communicated performance outcomes and corrective action plans

– Conducted detailed compliance assessments against company core policies and procedures

– Performed market analysis to identify pricing trends and recommend value-adding category strategies

– Initiated and coordinated contract management activities with Legal teams at local and HQ level

– Mentored and coordinated local procurement team members on reporting, operational, and administrative tasks

– Led the Global Hardware Category, reporting directly to senior management

– Translated business priorities from senior stakeholder meetings into actionable procurement strategies

– Negotiated and managed complex contracts with global suppliers; identified and mitigated contractual risk areas

– Drove supply base optimisation and managed supplier selection end to end

– Performed both tactical RFQ and strategic RFP processes

– Provided advanced transactional procurement support, including purchasing, financial controls, and process governance

– Resolved procurement issues using deep subject matter expertise; drove process improvements and contributed to commodity objectives

– Liaised between engagement managers and staffing suppliers for Agency Contractor acquisition

– Created process documentation and training materials; maintained records and led audit readiness for the team

– Monthly closing and reporting on manufacturing costs, cost of materials, production costs, and sales for two Russian Federation tyre factories

– Performed variance analysis on costs, quantities, and prices; reconciled data across multiple systems

– Prepared integer and quality reports (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual) for four entities in the Russian Federation, reporting to directors and controllers

– Coordinated team activity and ensured all AP invoices were processed within SLAs

– Supported payment of non-resident suppliers in direct contact with banking partners