Proxima promotes company veteran Clare Harris to board
Clare Harris has been appointed as Proxima’s Chief Operating Officer. She receives the promotion having spent seventeen years at the procurement and supply chain consultancy.
The promotion also sees Harris become a member of Proxima’s board. Other sitting members include Executive Vice President of Europe, Edward Winterschladen; Executive Vice President of North America, Kent Mahoney; and Chief Executive Officer, Gareth Evans.
Evans remarked, “Clare has already made an enormous impact on Proxima’s business and the work we deliver for our clients. Appointing her as Chief Operating Officer not only means that she will continue to deliver excellence across the business, but she will also bring a wealth of knowledge to the leadership group. We’re very proud of developing the careers and talents of our people at Proxima and Clare is a great example of that.”
Harris initially arrived with Proxima as a Programme Manager, leading large cost optimisation programmes for clients across retail, financial services, and manufacturing. Most recently, during her 17-year stint with the company, Harris served as Senior Vice President, Client Director. She has also held a number of leadership roles across operations and has been involved in steering the company’s growth and operational excellence.
The new board member noted, “I am hugely excited to be taking on the role of Chief Operating Officer and joining Proxima’s board. I feel very strongly that we are truly making a difference for our clients during such a critical time and being able to play a role in that is something I’m very proud of. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with my fellow colleagues both on the board and across the business so we can continue to see Proxima going from strength to strength.”
As COO, Harris will now combine her operational expertise with significant client experience, building on her previous work driving the business’ growth in the retail sector – working with brands such as M&S, Asos, Primark and Sainsbury’s. She is also a key part of Proxima’s culture as an organisation in her role as senior sponsor of the Gender Equality Network, advocating for more diversity and inclusion both within Proxima and across the industry.
As supply chains struggle to recover from the pandemic, effective procurement policies are more vital than ever to enabling companies to achieve resilient, while also meeting their net zero agendas. Proxima is experiencing growing demand due to this, providing procurement transformation solutions to a client list ranging from some of the world’s largest businesses to fast-growing, high-potential small and medium-sized enterprises across a wide range of supply categories.
This positioning recently attracted the attention of a globally renowned buyer, in the shape of MBB strategy giant Bain & Company. Proxima was recently acquired by the global consultancy, and Harris has been instrumental in the integration of the two companies in the months since – helping them blend services to leverage their combined expertise. As the newly appointed COO, she will also focus on ensuring that Proxima’s operations continue to support the company in providing differentiated, cost-effective, end-to-end procurement solutions.
