ABOUT US
Women professionals meeting together
Our
Story
What’s better than one woman-owned procurement community? Two merging together. In November 2021, ITIVATE announced their acquisition of the highly respected community Global Women Procurement Professionals (GWPP). This organization is an information exchange and discussion platform providing a place for all women in procurement and supply chain to discover their voices and collaborate with others in the profession.
The Motivations behind the Collaboration
What started as a LinkedIn community, GWPP is now over 5,000 members strong, and a place where women (and the men who support them) can confidently express their thoughts and ideas on procurement and supply chain-related topics. Founder, Amanda Prochaska, says she developed the initiative to “help uplift women in procurement to live their best careers, improve themselves, and develop them as leaders.” She hopes they will obtain peace in their day-to-day lives and businesses through the collaboration and support they receive.
Amanda’s mission aligns seamlessly with Jessica Walther, CEO OF ITIVATE & GWPP, which is to provide even more access and support to leaders who want to advance their careers and their organizations through a people-first approach. ITIVATE’s focus on organizational mental health and success in the workplace relies on ground-up movements of women in a variety of professions pushing for change, such as GWPP’s procurement and supply chain-focused community.
Women’s Need for Support Revealed in the Roundtable Discussions
GWPP hosts round table discussions to facilitate real talk with smaller groups of women (and men) in the procurement and supply chain professions. The results, and the truths that came out during these discussions, represent the exact types of improvements ITIVATE is trying to make in corporate workplaces. Women discussed the fine line between being perceived as aggressive versus assertive. They spoke up about feeling uncomfortable at male-dominated social gatherings for work. They expressed the desire to achieve ultimate work/life integration, one of ITIVATE’s main missions to focus on the whole person, not just the employee.
Since merging, these round table discussions will continue through the help of company sponsors to help women formerly in both communities fully realize their potential as leaders, and people.
Exciting Projects to Watch For
GWPP and ITIVATE didn’t just partner so powerhouse founders and CEOs Amanda and Jessica Walther could hang out together more — though that’s on the agenda too. Instead, they’ve combined forces to create specific missions and a plan for uniting and empowering women in procurement and supply chain through their spheres of influence. Here are some of their upcoming initiatives and goals to look forward to.
The GWPP Book Club Series
This isn’t your grandma’s Tuesday morning book club. Leaders amongst the GWPP LinkedIn group have already started meeting to collaborate and the conversations are brimming with new ideas for leaders in all fields, especially women in procurement and supply chain and the men who hope to further empower them through equality in the male-dominated field. Book club conversations take place quarterly on Zoom and everyone leaves with concrete takeaways and tips they can try at work (and at home) on things like building morale, leadership self-care, success mindset, and career development.
Join us for our next meetup by registering for our next book club!
Safe Space Roundtables
It can feel daunting to have to show up to an all-male work function on a houseboat, where you are the only woman in a swimsuit, chatting about work and life with a bunch of men who sometimes just don’t get it. This is one of many topics that has come up in our safe space roundtables, hosted each month on Zoom. These conversations aren’t just a sit-and-get webinar, but a two-way interaction including real women in procurement and supply chain from around the world collaborating on some of the toughest topics they face in leadership and life every day. We have featured topics including, when to turn down a promotion, how to hire and develop high-performing teams, and promoting & communicating new ideas. We look forward to our future topics which include stress-free goal setting, how to be productive without burning out, and leading through diversity and inclusion.
1
Beyond the
Glass Ceiling
GWPP is a group of women and men who know that the status quo is not good enough for Procurement. Tired by what is considered ‘average’, GWPP seeks epic results for procurement through developing and attracting top women leaders in the industry.
2
Seeking Change
Through Understanding
Women increase the curiosity on teams and often create trusted, empathic relationships with suppliers, stakeholders, and often within the communities they work in. Yet GWPP is curious about why women hold 38% of roles in procurement overall.
3
Development in Community
GWPP is focused on attracting, retaining, and growing women in their current and future roles within procurement. Through live events, publications, and an online community, GWPP is an organization of women and men who want to move beyond common practices related to women and their roles in procurement.
Our Sponsors
