For Chris Heptinstall, procurement is like an intriguing puzzle always needing to be solved. And even after forty years in the business, he’s still up for the challenge. “Every day presents a new problem to overcome, a new solution to find – and I love that,” he says. Indeed, he jokes that he’s been in procurement for so long that when he started out, it didn’t even exist as a recognised profession. “There wasn’t really any such thing as procurement when I began working,” he explains. “We would use index cards to find out where we bought the components from last time, check the price and then send an order through the mail. I was a graduate trainee, and when the purchasing manager left, I thought that job would be a good fit for me. And I haven’t looked back.” Chris has been the Head of Procurement at Uniting, one of Australia’s largest not-for-profits, since 2019, but had previously worked at global heavyweights like IBM, Goldman
“One aspect of the job I enjoy is to sell what procurement does so other departments can see the advantage of our relationships.”
Sachs, and Macquarie Bank. “I loved the cut and thrust of the big deals, so I surprised myself by landing in a notfor- profit.” Initially thinking he’d be in the role for three years, Chris now can’t imagine leaving.
“I enjoy the culture so much. When you make savings for a corporation, it goes to the shareholders. When you make savings for a not-for-profit, it goes straight back into the business to help people who are vulnerable, and that just feels so much better.”
That sense of purpose only adds to the reasons he’s always loved the work of procurement itself. “Every day is different, and we interface with every single function in the business – sales, production, operations, legal, finance – and building a community of suppliers who are all pulling in the same direction,” says Heptinstall.
“One aspect of the job I enjoy is to sell what procurement does so other departments can see the advantage of our relationships and feel proud of our environmental and social contribution.”
Raised in Zambia with an upbringing he describes as “special and unique”, Heptinstall says his childhood self wouldn’t be too surprised at where he is now. “My father was a businessman, and I always knew I’d be in industry or commerce.”
What his younger self might not have predicted was that he would go on to write a popular crime thriller series with the profession he loves as its backdrop. It might seem an unusual parallel career, but for Heptinstall it has more in common with his day job than you might expect – natural curiosity, a skill for strategy, and a knack for managing complex relationships.
“The first book, The Sleepwalker Legacy, follows a procurement manager working for an unethical pharmaceutical company. It’s got geopolitics, office politics, gender dynamics, mystery – and it struck a chord.” It sure did – he is now writing the sixth book in the hit series, which is published under his pseudonym, Christopher Hepworth.
He writes on his daily commute and – ever the procurement professional – tracks his progress with a disciplined project plan. “I even have a volunteer project manager who regularly checks in on my milestones over lunch!”
Whether he’s plotting a fictional corporate takedown, guiding his team to reach their potential, or negotiating a real-world deal, Heptinstall approaches it all with the same mindset and the same enthusiasm. “I love it – I think it’s the best profession ever. For someone who enjoys solving problems and creating something effective and best practice, the sky’s the limit.”
