Alexander “Sasha” Runushkin, global strategic sourcing lead for services, is at the forefront of innovating the contingent workforce strategy at Kyndryl — a global IT solutions provider that was spun out from IBM. The company has more than 90,000 employees who serve over 4,000 customers in 60-plus countries around the world, including 75% of the Fortune 100.

“The transformation underway in services procurement allows us to respond and align with Kyndryl’s operating model and values — with advanced delivery being one of pillars,” Runushkin says. “It requires being fast, flat, focused, restless, empathetic and devoted,” he adds. “We call this ‘The Kyndryl Way.’”

Kyndryl is building a new technology platform that will reduce “drastically” the number of tools being used by procurement and the rest of the company in an end-to-end source to pay process. “New systems will integrate the processes of different internal functions as well as our suppliers,” Runushkin says. “It involves moving to common taxonomies, data harmonization across the enterprise.”

Kyndryl is also transforming the company’s legacy procurement processes and policies, whose simplification, along with the new technology, will enable the program to build new way of delivery and a new services culture. “We have empowered accountable and inclusive teams and built a new supplier ecosystem. In addition, we put The Kyndryl Way into practice to meet customer needs and deliver transformative solutions to address their unique business challenges,” Runushkin says.

Prior to the Kyndryl spin-off, Runushkin held different procurement manager at IBM roles for 14 years.