Alain Benmeridja, the CEO of GIS International

We recently spoke to Alain Benmeridja, formerly CFO of  GIS International from mid 2022 and from July 1^st 2023 took over the responsibility as CEO from his brother Marc, founder and currently Chairman of the Board.

I believe you are in a unique position after having been in the CFO position and now in the CEO position for the last 8 months. Can you tell us a bit more about your first “year“ as a CEO?

Alain:  “Firstly, I am pleased to share some background information on our financials. Our first non-audited financials for 2023 reveal some notable achievements including a strong growth in revenues. A clear testament to the dedicated efforts of our entire organization and the hard work put in by every employee.

How did you perceive your first 100 days ?

Alain: “My role as CFO and the pivotal role that corporate finance plays, as a barometer for the company’s overall health, helped to leverage my understanding of our priorities. Key areas for improvement were identified upon assuming the CEO position. One of my first strategic moves involved the repositioning of the Program Manager role to foster a more customer-centric organization. This shift – aimed at aligning our processes with customer needs- , is supported by innovative technological solutions.

My extensive interactions with our global workforce revealed a tangible sense of happiness, well-being, and pride in the work we collectively undertake. This experience provided some profound insights that became the catalyst for decisive actions.

Our emphasis on customer-centricity and the integration of technology into our processes is not just a strategic move to enhance efficiency; it is a commitment to stay agile in a dynamic market.

These strategic initiatives are poised not only to streamline our operations but also to position us as a more adaptive and customer-focused organization. As we navigate this journey of evolution, my unwavering commitment is to drive further our innovation approach, ensuring that our company not only meets but exceeds customer expectations. Together, we will continue to set new standards and remain at the forefront of industry excellence.”

And how did you feel after your first 100 days ?

Alain : “I have been working for over 30 years in several companies big and small but when I arrived at GIS International I really felt a sense of belonging. I felt welcome and was received with a great deal of warmth and this just after my arrival. The energy, the “can do” attitude, this was only the second time since I have been working in my long time career that I felt it. The right attitude and a true sense of belonging.

With pride and warmth also comes passion. I feel it and share it in all discussions with the team, the model of how we work is about passion and the people are passionate about what they do, they see how they can improve the business of our customers and how we work, how we as a company and as an individual can move forward.”

How will GIS International change under your leadership?

Alain: “My role is to use my experience and knowledge to guarantee continued growth at GIS International. GIS International has built up a good reputation, with solid revenues and an immense knowledge pool. I have been working to reinforce the GIS strategy and will put everything in place to realize it.

We don’t want to see ourselves limited to organic growth, we want to outperform the market and beat our competitors. In this strategy there are three axes that are fundamental.

Can you explain more about these 3 axes ?

Alain:” The first axe is Technology: This lies at the heart of our activities, the architecture we have in place gives us an indefinite capacity to expand and to meet many different needs from our customers.

For this we have a dedicated team that closely follows the progress we see in the market. A dedicated team of specialists that are passionate about further developing our skillset in Artificial Intelligence and data management.

Our current AI related projects will enable us to analyze data faster but also in a better way and this on a daily basis. We have a clear vision on the new technological developments and that is needed to remain a market leader. We use existing tools available in the market but select the best ones and then further develop these.

”Second axe is Processes: Processes are an essential component of our business, they help to improve overall efficiency. We have been analyzing all processes, are doing a complete revision and put in place a systematic maintenance of these. Having processes is one thing but keeping them alive and making sure they reply to evolving needs is critical. Our new Quality Manager Erwin Franssen is in charge of all processes. Focus here is twofold:

• Automate our transactions: Class C or tail spend transactions are all about a lot of transactions with low value. Here we need to further automate these transactions.
• Reduce the cycle time of all transactions: Reduce time to treat transactions, we supply services end to end so we can satisfy the needs of our customers, here technology as well plays a key role.

Technology and processes reenforce each other which brings us seamlessly to the glue between both of them: people.

People are the key element in all processes. Since joining GIS International, we have revisited our HR support on several levels.”

What do you see as the strategic focus of GIS International?

Alain: “The two key questions coming from our customers to which we need to reply , is “How can I manage the tail spend and Class C spend” and “How to reduce and control the total cost of ownership?” Once a customer has shown a willingness – or preferably even before – to externalize procurement, we need to be deeply involved and be like an internal service of our customers.”

We need to be the extension of the customer’s procurement team and need to become a valued partner for their tail spend/ Class C spend by doing better on all aspects”

So how is GIS different ?

Alain: “The big difference on the market is that vendors and distributors mostly have one portfolio which they want to sell, being in a “push” position. At GIS International we are in a different position: a “pull position”. We want to find the best sources / supplies on the market that fit our customers’ needs and offer this in the most cost efficient way.”  

We also need to better use our already existing global footprint, better use our local teams and our people on a larger scale.

How can we be that valued partner?

Alain: “We are at the hart of our customer’s business. Our sourcing/procurement function is critical as our go to market model is definitively category oriented. We can present a consolidated offer with better conditions for our customers, whether on a price level or on the total cost of ownership.

As our key asset, our Procurement engineering division allows us to offer a high value service to our customers, we can help him/her realize complex projects as we have a large team of people, all with a high level technical expertise and know-how: with an offering ranging from consulting to maintenance.

What are for you the key trends and challenges ahead?

Alain: “Sustainability is a topic that GIS addresses as an added value for our customers. First we work with EcoVadis so they support us with their sustainability performance database and the screening of supplier-specific documents and risk factors.

Secondly we have to take advantage of our global footprint, we need to use this to find new sales opportunities, new partners and new human resources. Moreover there is a clear need from our customers to support them wherever they move to or wherever they are present

Many thanks Alain, good luck with all actions and the focus on further turning GIS International into a global powerhouse in sourcing.