Charlotte de Brabandt
Dr. Charlotte de Brabandt
Advisor, Keynote Speaker, Author
DBA, MSc (UCL & London Business School) MSc (University of Newcastle upon Tyne)
Dr. Charlotte de Brabandt is an international technology and supply chain strategist, keynote speaker, author, and advisor specializing in digital transformation, procurement innovation, and leadership in the age of emerging technologies.
With extensive global industry experience across automotive, technology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, consumer goods, and luxury brands, she has worked with leading multinational companies including Volkswagen Group, Porsche Design, Johnson & Johnson, Amazon and ZF Group. Throughout her career, she has led major transformation initiatives in procurement, digital strategy, and supplier ecosystems across Europe, Asia, and the United States.
Dr. de Brabandt began her career in the international procurement management program at Volkswagen Group, where she led strategic negotiations with global suppliers and contributed to savings exceeding €1 billion. She later built the procurement function for Porsche Design Timepieces from the ground up, implementing ERP systems, supplier portfolios, and supply chain processes. At Johnson & Johnson, she managed large-scale global sourcing initiatives across more than 900 sites worldwide. At ZF Group, she led a major global IT vendor consolidation initiative as part of the company’s procurement transformation, streamlining complex supplier landscapes and strengthening strategic partnerships across the technology ecosystem. During her time at Amazon, she contributed to the company’s “Good Corporate Citizen” initiative, helping build programs that addressed sustainability, public policy, ethics, procurement sovereignty, and societal impact, with a particular focus on responsible innovation and B2B commerce ecosystems.
In addition to her corporate leadership roles, Dr. de Brabandt is widely recognized as a global keynote speaker and thought leader on technology, negotiation, and the future of leadership. She has spoken at international conferences and institutions worldwide and is a TEDx speaker and host. Her work focuses on how organizations can leverage digital technologies, data, and human-centered leadership to build resilient and innovative supply chains.
She is the author of several books on negotiation and leadership and has received international recognition including the ISM “30 Under 30 Rising Supply Chain Star – Megawatt Award.” Dr. de Brabandt also serves on global advisory and thought leadership councils related to supply chain, diversity, and innovation.
A multilingual global citizen who has lived and worked across multiple continents, Dr. de Brabandt is passionate about empowering the next generation of leaders and advancing responsible innovation in business and technology.
Research Interests
Digital Procurement & Supply Chain Innovation, Artificial Intelligence in Business and Operations, Global Supply Chain Strategy & Procurement Sovereignty, Sustainable and Ethical Technology Governance, B2B Digital Platforms and Commerce Ecosystems, Negotiation and Strategic Decision-Making, Leadership and Organizational Transformation in the Digital Economy, Corporate Responsibility, Public Policy, and Technology
Digital Procurement & Supply Chain Innovation, Artificial Intelligence in Business and Operations, Global Supply Chain Strategy & Procurement Sovereignty, Sustainable and Ethical Technology Governance, B2B Digital Platforms and Commerce Ecosystems, Negotiation and Strategic Decision-Making, Leadership and Organizational Transformation in the Digital Economy, Corporate Responsibility, Public Policy, and Technology
|
Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA), Joint Doctorate between Grenoble Ecole de Management and the. University of Newcastle upon Tyne Business School MSc Philosophy: Management of technology organisational change, and innovation, University of Newcastle |
2021 |
| Executive Education, Harvard Law School, US: Program on Negotiation and Leadership | 2017 |
|
Joint program: MSc. Technology Entrepreneurship, London Business School and University College London Dissertation with Distinction; Subjects included: Decision Making & Risk Analysis, Project Management |
2009 |
|
ZF Group
IT Governance |
USA, VP IT Partner Management, Head of IT Governance US and Head of IT Compliance US Leadership: leading a senior IT team, reporting to the CIO for global technology Partner Management Key achievement: drove the IT Supply Chain Management Strategy and IT Governance for ZF Group. Successfully restructured and rehired the entire IT Partner & Vendor Management function, consolidating 3,500 IT vendors into 5 global strategic partners with €500 million EUR budget ownership. Delivered significant cost savings and strengthened IT compliance, while leading a newly built team of 160 Vendor Management experts. |
11/2022 - Present |
|
Amazon
Digital Procurement |
Germany, Senior Manager for Amazon Business (AB); Global Procurement Speaker Leadership: led 129 strategic procurement customers with €240 million EUR budget ownership Key achievement: restructured the communication strategy for Amazon, creating a 200,000-audience outreach and 22,500 in C-Level. Created the Good Citizenship Initiative (driving the vision to change Amazon’s public perception) and built programs to address Procurement Sovereignty. |
08/2021 – 11/2022 |
|
Johnson & Johnson
Procurement Citizenship: Risk COE |
USA, Manager Procurement Citizenship COE: Global Communication Lead Leadership: advised a senior executive team for global supplier communication at J&J Key achievement: created a new Procurement Citizenship Communication Strategy Process and Playbook, aligning the corporate Vision, Mission, Purpose, Process and Governance for external and internal communication, bringing value to J&J. Specialized on Supplier Sustainability, Supplier Risk and Social Impact. Focused on change management, third party partnerships, negotiations, UX transformation and COVID-19 supplier communication. |
09/2019 – 08/2021 |
|
Sustainable Procurement |
USA, Global Responsible Procurement Manager Leadership: oversaw a global team of 23 Responsible Procurement Council Members Key achievement: led deal management with the UN as well as the deployment of the J&J Supplier Sustainable Procurement Program, which entailed 80% of the global supplier spend. |
11/2018 – 09/2019 |
|
Global Sourcing: Cilag AG Pharma |
Switzerland, Global Procurement and Global Sourcing: Energy Category Procurement Lead PDF Leadership: managed a global team of 8 to monitor the tendering activities for 980 sites Key achievement: led J&J’s largest-ever energy negotiation, achieving 33% global savings on a $1B spend in under 4 months (vs. 14 months planned) while driving significant renewable energy investment. Managed spare parts and real estate spend across all J&J EMEA companies, covering medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods. |
03/2017 – 11/2018 |
|
Volkswagen Group
Procurement and Technology Innovation |
Switzerland, Porsche Design Timepieces AG: Head of Procurement Leadership: led a new procurement department, building a local team of 4 from the ground up Key achievement: set up the procurement department from scratch, customised an ERP system, led contract negotiations, supplier relationship management, implemented 12 procurement processes. Presented in front of worldwide sales partners at the annual international business development conference of the Porsche Design Group in Dubai. Sourced prospective technology partnerships for the latest innovations and new disruptive digital business opportunities. |
01/2015 – 02/2017 |
|
Indirect Marketing Procurement |
Germany, Porsche AG: Procurement Manager for PR, Marketing and International Events Key achievement: managed marketing services procurement, achieving 21% saving. Led 600 negotiations for the WEC Le Mans car race, including tendering, c-level contracts, negotiations in 5 languages and managing procurement projects for car shows, global press-office, digital communication, user experiences, smart mobility and motorsport. |
09/2013 - 12/2014 |
|
Direct Procurement Infotainment Technology |
China/ Germany, Volkswagen AG: Procurement Manager for Technology and Innovation Key achievement: successfully negotiated terms which saved the VW Group €1 billion over 3 years, involving strategic procurement and sourcing for mobile communication and innovative disruptive technologies. 1 year project placement, in China (Beijing), implementing procurement concepts across emerging markets and deepening relationships with suppliers to avoid competitive resourcing threats. |
11/2009 - 09/2013 |
Megawatt Winner: ISM 30 under 30 Supply Chain Award, Nashville/ Tennessee, ISM and ThomasNet Winner: Procurement Speaker Award at the Procurement Summit 2018 in Hamburg, Germany 2018
https://www.sciencedirect.com/
Published book 1: Negotiation for everyone – A guide for successful negotiations– by Springer
Published book 2: Negotiation of the future - What leadership of the future will behold- by Springer
Published book 3: Negotiation in crises situation– by Springer
Published book 4: Hyper-diverse Teams– by Springer
Published book 5: HYPER-DIVERSITY
Published book 6: Hyper-Leadership
Published book 7: Business Transformation– by Springer, copyright: “Kumar-de-Brabandt AI Data Economy Model” ©️ for AI Democratization and Monetization
Guest Lecturer: Rutgers University, New Jersey, US
Guest Lecturer: Northeastern University, Massachusetts, US
EIM - European Institute Management - Member of the Advisory Board 03/2026- Present
American Cancer Society - Board Member and Executive Leadership Board 01/2023– Present
ISM- Institute of Supply Management, Vice Chair Thought Leadership Council 01/2017– Present