Smarter Sourcing

EP 33 - AMD's Abhijit Kulkarni on Selecting 5-Year Growth Partners

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Transactional supplier relationships weren’t working out, so Abhijit Kulkarni, Director of Manufacturing Strategy and Procurement at AMD, and his team shifted to identifying "growth partners" who can scale across AMD's entire product portfolio over three-to-five year horizons. 

 

Abhijit also offer insight on crisis management: AMD runs supply chain stress tests every 3 to 6 months, but he's learned that 60% of leadership development happens during real disruptions, not simulations. His hiring criteria reflects this reality: he looks for business acumen, communication clarity, and "conscious learning," the continuous improvement mindset that separates advancing procurement professionals from those who plateau.

  

Topics discussed:

  • Identifying 3- to 5-year growth partners versus transactional supplier relationships.
  • Tier 2 and tier 3 supplier mapping as "marathon exercise" for supply chain visibility and risk mitigation.
  • Supply chain stress testing cadence of running scenario analysis every 3 to 6 months for disruption preparedness.
  • Top 3 hiring criteria for procurement talent: business acumen, communication clarity, and conscious learning mindset.
  • Leadership development philosophy is 60% on-the-job crisis training and 40% formal mentoring and classroom learning.
  • Crisis management during real-world disruptions like Taiwan hurricanes and floods affecting semiconductor production. 
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