I help executive teams turn procurement into a relationship-driven growth engine.
I am Dhananjay (Jay) Chauhan, a procurement leader focused on cognitive procurement and digital middle office design. Over the past decade I have guided global clients across manufacturing, technology, healthcare, and financial services through sourcing transformations that balance analytics, automation, and human-centered change. Today I bring that craft to Applied Materials, the world leader in semiconductor equipment, while continuing to advise teams on how to capture value fast without compromising trust.
Top skills
- Leadership
- Strategy
- Negotiation
Core specialties
- Strategic leadership
- Procurement strategy and category management
- Cost reduction and value capture
- Digital transformation and intelligent workflows
- Project management and program governance
- Source-to-pay process redesign
Platforms and tools
- Ariba
- Coupa
- ServiceNow
- Icertis
- Workday
- SAP ERP
- Emptoris
- Cognos
- Salesforce ECM
- Scout RFP
- Tableau
- Celonis
- Sievo
- Lucidchart
Certifications
- Consultative Sourcing Explorer
- Design Thinking Practitioner
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
- Supply Chain Fundamentals: Risk and Resilience
- Component Business Modeling Essentials
Honors and awards
- Dean's International Scholarship (20K) - Schulich School of Business
- 2020 Global Top Performer Recognition Honoree - IBM
- 2021 Innovation and Delivery Excellence (I.D.E.A) Award - IBM
- 2023 Client and Partner Success Award - IBM
Leadership journey
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2024 - Present
Procurement Leader, Applied Materials
Standing up relationship-first procurement operations for the world leader in semiconductor equipment, embedding research-driven, AI-enabled sourcing practices across global programs.
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2023 - 2024
Sourcing Delivery Manager, IBM Consulting
Led a delivery team across the United States and Canada to drive strategic sourcing, savings capture, and stakeholder partnership for technology, facilities, travel, corporate services, and research categories.
- Designed category strategies that improved supplier relationships while unlocking material cost reductions.
- Negotiated enterprise agreements that protected quality standards and resiliency across indirect spend portfolios.
- Partnered with executive stakeholders to align procurement roadmaps with critical business outcomes.
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2021 - 2023
Procurement Transformation Consulting Lead, IBM Consulting
Guided clients through analytics, automation, and intelligent workflow programs that modernised source-to-pay operations.
- Built sourcing wave plans that linked spend analytics to savings and supplier diversity targets.
- Co-created digital middle office blueprints anchored in design thinking and change management.
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2019 - 2021
Senior Category Manager, IBM Procurement Consulting and Services
Managed technology and services spend while scaling ServiceNow buying desk capabilities that lifted spend coverage from 40% to 99% within a year.
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2017 - 2019
Category Manager, IBM Procurement Consulting and Services
Delivered strategic sourcing advisory for technology and facilities, balancing cost, risk, and innovation for global clients.
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2016 - 2017
Procurement Consultant, IBM Global Procurement Rotational Program
Completed rotations across software, hardware, telecom, and services categories to master policy, supplier relationship management, and contract governance.
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2008 - 2014
Project Procurement Manager, Siemens
Negotiated multi-million dollar CAPEX contracts across Europe and Asia Pacific, improving margins, quality, and schedule performance for large infrastructure programmes.
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2007 - 2008
Senior Executive, Project Sales and Bid Proposals, Siemens
Closed enterprise deals with Fortune 500 clients and built the commercial groundwork for strategic project pursuits.
Education
- Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management Executive Program, Negotiation 2022 - 2023
- York University - Schulich School of Business MBA, Strategy, Supply Chain and Operations 2014 - 2016
- Project Management Institute Project Management Professional (PMP) 2015
- AMU Electrical Engineering Undergraduate
How I lead
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Relationships first
Every engagement starts with trust. I create shared context quickly so teams feel heard, seen, and supported.
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Strategic discipline
Sourcing decisions are anchored in analytics, structured negotiation prep, and measurable value capture.
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Execution with empathy
Transformation sticks when people co-create it. I pair clear governance with coaching to keep momentum.