Markus Mirgeler

Born in Cologne, Germany and now holding more than 30 years of experience in the chemicals industry, Markus Mirgeler, Head of Global Procurement at Clariant has held positions at Celanese and SGL Group before joining Clariant Chemicals division. Previously Head of Masterbatches Europe, Mirgeler has been the Head of Group Procurement at Clariant since 2016, a big shift from the commercial side that he operated in prior to the procurement side he operates in now. He describes this as “very interesting. To bring a business sense into the procurement function, a business orientation, not just processing purchase orders.”

Mirgeler believes that although the Chemical industry is mature, it offers substantial opportunities to create valuable change through procurement, specifically in the areas of sustainability and greenhouse gas reduction, geopolitical challenges, automation and robotics, supplier collaborations and supply chain resilience.

Mirgeler’s procurement strategy at Clariant focuses on five key pillars to ensure continuous developments in the areas Clariant values most. 

Through strong supplier collaboration efforts and with a focus on innovation, research and development, Clariant looks to bring continued product differentiation and customer specification. They also look to capture digital business model opportunities and provide thought leadership in disruptive technology fields.

Mirgeler’s strategy also adds value through sustainability by the commercialisation of green, renewable and ecological products, capturing recycling opportunities and risk mitigation. Clariant’s membership in Together for Sustainability (TfS) since 2014 holds as a testament to their corporate commitment to sustainability. Under Mirgeler’s direction, Clariant’s procurement team, along with TfS have increased the direct spend that goes to sustainability assessed suppliers to over 84%, while 62% of their re-assessed suppliers received an improved score.

Following Clariant’s group strategy, Mirgeler’s procurement strategy works to reposition their portfolio, identify, and execute on M&A divestment opportunities and replace previous offerings with more advanced product solutions.

Leveraging category management and category-specific strategies, Mirgeler ensures availability of supplies and spurs organisational competitiveness by fueling profitability and growth. Further supporting Clariant’s overall objectives by driving process improvements to increase efficiencies and supporting growth by expanding product offerings through innovations and customer specifications.

Mirgeler and his agile procurement team remain laser-focused on supporting Clariant, and its customer’s long and short-term objectives by leveraging value-led strategic procurement practices and emerging technologies.

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