Diverse is a word that not only describes Ellen Kaplan’s background, but also her approach to building a solid CW program. She started as a vendor on the MSP side, then moved into a consulting role for CW program implementation, which led to her ultimately serving as global director of procurement at Gilead Sciences in 2018. Having experience from all perspectives of the CW process gives her unique insight that contributes to her success leading Gilead’s program.

During her tenure at Gilead, Kaplan is most proud of two things: The spirit of partnership and collaboration with her colleagues in HR and MSP, and the program’s focus on quality of service, while aligning with Gilead’s overall inclusion and diversity objectives. “The goal our of program is to provide white-glove service to our internal stakeholders by filling roles with quality candidates, which happens through strong partnership with our suppliers.”

Kaplan wants Gilead to be the partner of choice for its suppliers, which she has achieved through intentional relationship building and goal alignment. According to Kaplan, “having the program in place brings quality candidates, cost savings, and a more streamlined process for efficiency and consistency,” which sounds like a win-win for everyone.