Driven by his passion for team and exceptional service, Adrian Lorenzin has found his calling with Sodexo Australia.
Adrian brings a wealth of supply chain management experience and a passion for negotiation and relationship building to his new role as Director of Supply Management and Tech Services.
“In every aspect, supply chain is an operation that is driven by people. They are our end customers, play an integral part in our daily function, and are the ones who drive our purchasing requirements,” he said.
Having studied economics at university, Adrian quickly realised that a career in corporate finance wasn’t a good fit for him. Securing a graduate role with Jetstar and working in commercial procurement is where he found he could really apply his passion for number crunching.
A move to a more operational role with Coles, focussed on ‘sheds, trucks and moving boxes, and taking calls at 6am’ provided a grounding in supply chain around logistics, warehousing, transport, sales and operations planning.
A budding supply chain relationship
These early days of managing costs, finding the best way to spend money, negotiating with suppliers, building relationships, and supporting internal stakeholders ignited a love of logistics and supply chain that he has carried for his entire career.
For Sodexo, our core business is providing high-quality fresh food on a mass scale, catering with the finest fresh ingredients. Getting it right is fundamental to Sodexo’s and our customers’ success,” Adrian said.
“As a business catering to thousands of residents every day in remote locations across Australia, Sodexo recognises that fundamentally, we’ve got to get the product there in full and on time.
“It’s my job to ensure consistent quality of products and services year-round across all Sodexo sites in Australia.”
Elevating teamwork
Rising to the challenge of keeping remote and rural locations supplied, Adrian knows he can’t do it all. This is where he provides value is in supporting the Sodexo supply chain team to succeed in their roles.
“My job is not to become an expert across all fields of our diverse operations,” he said.
My job is to ensure that we are continuing to succeed in our sustainable supply chain management, and that begins with giving my Subject Matter Experts the tools, forum, and support to advance our supply management.
“Having a devoted supply chain team means that every aspect of our client’s contract—from food to facilities management, accommodation servicing to retail—is met with both passion and ease, no matter where they are in Australia.”
Driving client value
Adrian is interested in Sodexo’s social requirements and the role supply chain plays in supporting their values including decarbonisation, sustainability journey and supporting local indigenous organisations.
We’re spending our money so that there is a social dividend for the communities in which we operate. We foster engagement through local sponsorships, Indigenous procurement partnerships, local hiring and skill development opportunities, playing our part in supporting a thriving and sustainable community for all,” he said.
As sustainability is increasingly becoming a priority across the supply chain Adrian is committed to listening to experts at Sodexo to help guide his team towards a Better Tomorrow.
“We’ve got fantastic people to explain to us the opportunity in front of us and then for me to work with the teams as a facilitate to deliver it”.
Sodexo are a leader in the industry and therefore Adrian knows they need to set a good example for smaller organisations.
“We can support them in understanding their carbon footprint and how it can impact the environment in the short and long term and how as an industry all organisations can work towards a Better Tomorrow,” Adrian said.
We need everyone involved and committed – from multinational organisations to the smallest of suppliers - every employee, supplier, subcontractor and client has a part they can play.
"Sodexo has set comparatively ambitious NetZero targets, and these goals will push the agenda across our supply chain and promote change with our clients.
“It’s a 2040 goal and you don’t start in 2035, you start now because it’s a significant journey,” he said.