I am very confident that we will become the change drivers

Nitin Shankar Nagrale brings with him a rich experience of over 22 years during which he has been actively involved in managing procurement and supply chain procedures for key hotels like Taj Mahal Palace & Towers, Taj Lands End (The Regent Mumbai), Grand Hyatt Mumbai, The Westin Mumbai Garden City, Sofitel Mumbai BKC and the upcoming The Chedi Mumbai (formerly Radisson Blu Plaza Mumbai) Director Materials. He is working with Foodlink Restaurants India Private Limited as Vice President Materials since January 2017. In 2010 Nitin founded a forum for hospitality procurement professionals named Hospitality Purchasing Managers’ Forum. HPMF is first of its kind initiative in India which aims to provide a platform for the confluence of buyers from hotels, restaurants, catering, the airline industry and manufacturers and traders catering to the hospitality industry. Today HPMF has over 1300 members from over 975 organizations across India. He also has created a professional group on LinkedIn called Materials Management which has more than 55,000 professionals as members from different parts of the world. Nitin has received many accolades some of which include being awarded the Face of the Future by India Hospitality Awards 2016, Procurement Leader of the Year 2016 Award at Hotelier India Summit in June 2016 and Excellence in People Development Award from CPO Forum in July 2015.

Since its formation six years ago, HPMF has come a long way and today stands tall as the leading platform for the benefit of Purchase professionals. Has the journey been satisfying?

Nitin Nagrale: Yes it is! I am personally very happy that the HPMF has just been recognized in the industry but it is also looked up respectfully. Conceived in 2010, from the modest 3 members in the beginning of 2010 HPMF today is a global organization with over 1,300 members from the hospitality purchasing fraternity. What’s good is the belief of hospitality purchasing professionals in India that they are getting some value out of HPMF. Moreover, there is a big synergy among the industry professionals and most of us know many professionals by name now. HPMF has not just broken geographical boundaries but it has also created a family environment in the industry.

Has the vision of HPMF been achieved? What are the future plans?

Nitin Nagrale: The core objective of HPMF is to create a cordial network of professionals, share information and through it develop purchasing professionals. We have put one step forward in achieving our objective and have created a great momentum in the procurement field. But then there is a long way to go before we achieve the targets. Everyone is charged up and everyone is a part of the change. The industry is looking for a better tomorrow and I am very confident that we will become the change drivers.

There are several future plans like Training and Development of procurement professionals through specific functional certification courses, to bring in benefits of consolidated procurement across organizations, industry product standardization, obtaining a volume discount from manufacturers directly for the entire industry, improved professionalism in purchasing process, development of potential vendors by guiding and coaching them, implementation of green initiatives and participation in corporate social responsibilities.

Way Forward for HPMF Members:

• HPMF Annual Convention and Awards 2017 at Indiana Palace, Jodhpur
• Book on Basics of Hospitality Procurement written by 22 authors who are part of the industry working in different organizations as head of procurement
• We have already tied up with AHLEI, USA for Customized Education Course on Hospitality Procurement – CHPM certification. We will spread this to all the members of HPMF
• HPMF new interactive website
• Employment opportunities through websites
• Affiliation with Institutes and Universities
• International Tie-Ups with other associations
• Association with social causes

Advantages to Vendors:

• Access to the HPMF member directory
• Member Certification
• Vendor Approval and Certification
• Vendor Development Module
• International Tie-Ups
• Association with social causes
• A prudent choice with regards to time, efforts and quantum of exposure for showcasing existing and new products
• Rewards for following best practices in the form of positive recognition and endorsement
• Equal opportunity of representation, irrespective of size or volume of business

HPMF, as a forum has continued to gain popularity and created a platform which not only provides an opportunity for all members to interact, but also provides them with effective and easy to use tools which help them in their operations. Your thoughts.

Nitin Nagrale: The thought of HPMF itself is good! We felt we need to come closer, network and collaborate and that’s what is helping us to be popular. Our intentions are very honest as we want the profession to gain respect in the industry and through the help of all other members of HPMF every other member is gaining respect. It’s become easy to identify products and their sources which used to be a Herculean task before. Now there is no wall between us… only a phone call or an email gets the desired results without wasting any time. Social networking has helped us in a great way. We do not just have our own interactive website but we have HPMF Google groups, one common and various chapter wise WhatsApp groups. We post a lot of information about our activities on social platforms like Facebook and on LinkedIn.

We are building specific procurement related tools through our partners Foodlinked and these will make our job absolutely easy. Tools like Reverse Auction, Tendering, and Quote Management etc are coming in soon. I am also toying with an idea of creating an App for HPMF members; it will be the best thing for the industry in the procurement world and may be the first ever globally! Let’s see how it goes.

HPMF has created a platform which enables purchase professionals to share vendor information within a limited time frame with ease. Would you rate this as one of the most powerful tools in the hands of the purchase professionals? What are the additional benefits in store for the members of HPMF?

Nitin Nagrale: HPMF looks forward to creating a better purchasing environment by developing knowledge and expertise of hospitality purchasing professionals through education, guidance and use of latest techniques. Through this forum, HPMF intends to set up best practices in the industry so as to ensure overall long term benefits for the Hospitality industry. Knowing products and their sources is the main task in procurement. HPMF has taken off the inefficiencies and wastage of time by creating one platform. Earlier, people felt as if the other person has asked for a kidney when someone asked for a source of a product! But that is passé now and people have better approach due to HPMF. We have understood that the vendor base is same for the industry and sharing that information creates positivity in the whole system and is no more a secret! HPMF has already started linking procurement and supply, the vital ends of the procurement chain.

The members of HPMF will be a part of changed India as they will participate in below:

• Promotion of this important area of work and to foster a basis for best practices.
• Providing a sounding board for the change in this sphere and also to make comment and provide recommendations relating to relevant Law Commission, Government Departments and existing /proposed Legislation.
• Promotion of Sustainable Development and Green Initiatives.
• Encouraging procurement of high quality and high standard products to upgrade the overall standard of the organization.
• Promotion of training initiatives together with opportunities for those in purchasing / materials management professions to network and share experience and knowledge.
• Act as a reference point and sounding board for Government, the Law Commission and others on compulsory purchase issues and proposals.
• Utilization of collective procurement power resulting in increased profits and to benefit the overall Indian economy.

Educating your fellow members seems to be a key function undertaken by your Forum. What benefits does a well aware purchase professional enjoy when stepping out in the market for procurement?

Nitin Nagrale: HPMF has already started linking procurement and supply, the vital ends of the procurement chain. Through this forum, HPMF intends to set up best practices in the industry and channelize the wealth of expertise in the subject of procurement. The foremost and the first benefit is the self-respect a purchasing professional gets due to increased confidence! If you have earned respect for yourself in your own eyes then you have won the world! It also solves all other problems easily.

Coming to your personal achievements, your journey within the hospitality industry has been illustrious. How much of Nitin Nagrale have we seen and what more is in store?

Nitin Nagrale: This is the most difficult question I have come across in any interaction with media or ever by any individual in my life. Nitin Nagrale is a man of this soil and I had difficult initial days of my life. God has been great that I kept on getting introduced to many mentors to the path of this success who helped me come up the ladder. There was a lot of hand holding at every step and I am thankful to all of them for making me what I am today.

I have a lot to give back to the society and I am working towards that. I would like to create a body which will do only social work without any expectations. There are many citizens of this country who don’t have basics for their day to day life. I would like to be a part of their day to day life in whatever form. I would like to ensure that the hospitality industry gives the deserved respect to procurement section and also it becomes the front of the house department rather than back of house.

When I die I want to be known as a legend in the industry and I would want people to remember me for my work!  

The 6th Annual Convention of HPMF, was a showcase of effective planning, execution and management of perhaps India’s largest gathering of purchase professionals. You and the managing committee seem to have raised the bar. What more can one expect in the future editions?

Nitin Nagrale: The Bhubaneshwar event was a great eye opener for the industry and it showcased our planning and execution skills. It indeed was a memorable event! This year the event is taking place at Indana Palace Jodhpur from 14^th to 16^th September 2017. We have blocked the entire palace for us! We will be inviting 250 top procurement professionals from the world and the USP for this event is the introduction of 7 international chapters of HPMF in 7 countries! We will have representations from these countries as delegates.

Rajasthan is a land of culture and the world will see the Rajasthani vibrancy during this event. Top speakers from across industries have agreed to be speakers so that the delegates will get first-hand information about procurement in other industries. Apart from that, this year we will be focusing on some of the key initiatives like Skill India, Digital India and Swatch Bharat Abhiyan of the Government of India. We will create a step by step process for implementing these in our organizations. We have approached the PMO for Mr Narendra Modi as Chief Guest for the event and if that happens then we will be the first one in India to do so ever in the hospitality industry!