Procurement transcends disparate industry sectors such asentertainment and pharmaceuticals. Lisa Martin, chief procurementofficer at Pfizer, worked early in her career as a buyer andexpeditor at NBC when the network was acquired by General Electric,which she says highly values the procurement and sourcingfunction.

“It was a very good training ground,” Martin says, adding thatworking in the entertainment business, with its creativepersonalities and greater flexibility, gave her another importantstrength. “I definitely grew a thick skin,” she says.

Martin was working at Warner-Lambert in 2000, when it wasacquired by Pfizer. Since then, she has risen to senior vicepresident and head of the $67.4 billion pharmaceutical company'sglobal procurement function, leading the development andimplementation of sourcing strategies that leverage the $17 billionPfizer spends annually. Two years ago, Martin was given additionalresponsibilities for operations, including managing real estate aswell as the facilities at the company's research and developmentand commercial sites. She now sits on the company's finance andbusiness operations leadership team and reports directly to CFOFrank D'Amelio.