Driving the SPP to the next level. Welcome SPP employee #2!

After the first 1000 days since the founding of SPP back in 2019, our initiative is on its way to become a more formalized organization. With the start of Melissa de Roquebrune as SPP’s first Executive Director in November 2022, we are now looking forward to welcoming our second official employee, Kathrin Decker! 

Kathrin is based in Germany and joined SPP on March 1st as Director focussing on SPP’s strategic set-up, governance and impact monitoring. She has more than 15 years of experience bringing together and supporting civil society organisations, local governments and businesses. She brings expertise in designing and implementing frameworks for governance, strategy and impact monitoring, evaluation and learning to SPP.

She told us in advance in an interview more about her professional career and her start at SPP.

Kathrin, please tell us a little bit about yourself and your professional background.

“Born in Germany, I have spent most of my professional career in the international NGO environment supporting a global coalition of civil society organisations to advance on their mission and stay true to their values. My driver is curiosity: I am interested in organisations and how they “tick” – to design structures that empower and channel energy towards positive change. I am bringing with me a diverse but mutually supportive range of expertise including collaborative strategy development, narrative impact assessment and shaping value-driven governance systems and processes.”

What excites you about SPP?

“The universal idea that every individual is an agent for change! SPP is a great example of how this idea resonates with and empowers professionals, academics and practitioners worldwide. But most of all, I am excited about the initiative’s focus on advancing sustainability in supply chains. Procurement processes are a key lever in advancing ESG in practice with a direct and multiplying effect on the business environment, societies and – ultimately – on the future of our planet. SPP is at the forefront to shift how companies are doing business and I am excited to become part of this initiative.”

What is your role at SPP?

“As part of the leadership team in the global office, it is my role to support SPP’s transformation from an organically grown initiative into an purpose and impact-driven organisation of one million committed SPP Ambassadors by 2030. I will focus on nurturing structures and processes that allow SPP to grow and sustain while keeping the energy and engagement high which makes SPP so attractive to its Ambassadors and Champions.”

What are your first steps in your new role?

“Getting to know the initiative and its people. I want to learn more first-hand what drives the people engaged with SPP, how engagement is happening in practice and where more formal structures would help to provide orientation.Obviously, the World Sustainable Procurement Day on 21 March is a great opportunity to see SPP in action. I am excited to meet and engage with many SPP Ambassadors during this event.”

Where do you see the impact of SPP? 

“Great question – and a question I will ask a lot in the coming weeks and months meeting the people of SPP. Impact – and building a shared understanding of how impact looks like in practice – is key to motivate, to mobilise and to empower each individual to contribute to the SPP mission. The impact of each Ambassador will differ depending on the context they are working in but SPP also aims to achieve more than the sum of its parts. Impact will be our guiding star.”

Please join us in welcoming Kathrin to the team and to our SPP community and connect with her on LinkedIn or reach out to her by email.