Fred Leeds holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Medical Technology from Shippensburg University, followed by clinical training at the Harrisburg Hospital School of Medical Technology. He later earned his MBA in Finance from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, adding a strong layer of strategic and financial insight to his scientific foundation.
He currently serves as Head of Indirect Procurement at Pernod Ricard, where since 2018 he has led a transformation of procurement into a strategic growth engine. Under his leadership, the function has shifted from a back-office necessity to a forward-looking business partner—unlocking value and strengthening the company’s competitive edge. Previously, as Global Head of Indirect Procurement at Innophos, he introduced governance models that brought transparency and control to MRO, IT and professional services spend. His earlier roles at Covance, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sage Guidance LLC saw him drive enterprise sourcing initiatives, align procurement with business strategy and deliver performance gains.
Building Sourcing Resilience in a Volatile World
Procurement begins long before a purchase order is placed. It starts with how a business identifies, qualifies and structures supplier relationships. Leeds understands this better than most. In a world where inflation, geopolitical tensions and supply chain shocks have become routine, he builds sourcing strategies that prepare the business for what’s ahead—not just for what’s in front of it.
Under Fred Leeds’s leadership, procurement becomes a system that runs with the clarity of a dashboard and the discipline of a performance team
At the core of his model is resilience. Leeds segments suppliers by risk, diversifies sourcing channels and introduces real-time monitoring that flags issues before they escalate. These design principles enable the business to shift gears without losing momentum. Whether it’s a delayed shipment or a regulatory shift, his sourcing systems respond with flexibility and control.
This foundation has been especially impactful in indirect sourcing, where categories like MRO, IT, travel and consulting often suffer from fragmented ownership and low visibility.
Innophos and Pernod Ricard, Leeds centralized these functions under a unified governance framework. The result was more substantial alignment between internal stakeholders, faster sourcing cycles and more transparent accountability. Leeds turns sourcing into a strategic function that balances risk, agility and long-term value.
Turning Procurement into a Performance Engine
Sourcing might set the strategy, but procurement brings it to life. Leeds approaches execution with the same level of precision and intent. He doesn’t view digitization as an end goal—it’s a means to create speed, accuracy and transparency across the purchasing lifecycle. From SAP and Oracle to JD Edwards and custom e-procurement platforms, he simplifies what was once manual and error-prone.
He applies Lean Six Sigma not as a slogan but as a discipline streamlining approvals, eliminating duplicate efforts and ensuring that processes serve outcomes, not the other way around. Under Leeds’s leadership, procurement becomes a system that runs with the clarity of a dashboard and the discipline of a performance team.
But no system works without accountability. Leeds embeds measurable performance at every step. KPIs reflect business goals, SLAs that track supplier consistency and scorecards that guide vendor relationships. Procurement is efficiently aligned, traceable and continuously improving.
And none of it happens in a vacuum. Leeds invests deeply in people, equipping his team with the tools, context and confidence to own outcomes. He bridges procurement and the business through clear communication and shared priorities. In the end, the accurate measure of procurement’s value isn’t just what it saves— it’s what it empowers the organization to achieve.
