Thespina “Thes” Spivey first started with Coca-Cola 18 years ago working in various managerial positions. Three years ago, she joined the company’s global CW management team, and was quickly given oversight of policies and processes of the North American program, which processes 2,000 workers annually in roles ranging from industrial to customer service to creative. In the past year, Spivey partnered with the company’s North American bottling community to choose an MSP partner for the future, leveraging the spend of the larger system. “The whole process with the RFP and contract, and then going live, has been a robust experience,” she says, emphasizing the importance of partnership with vendors and suppliers.

Spivey also notes that only a few years ago, contingent programs seemed slow to change. But thanks to the bloom of innovation and technology, the pace at which new ideas within the ecosystem can be implemented is accelerating. This is helpful because a company as large as Coca-Cola often finds barriers to getting the right talent quickly, due to varying laws, taxes, and policies across the different countries. To overcome this, Spivey is partnering internally and externally to design new solutions that will help managers access new sources of talent. She wants to help managers think differently about engaging contingent labor and start a total talent planning conversation.