With two decades of experience spanning logistics, procurement, and supply chain strategy across industries such as packaging, chemicals, energy, and pharmaceuticals, Lidia Pynoo has built a reputation for transforming complexity into performance. Having led regional and global functions for major organisations, including her most recent role as Director of Logistics EMEA at Greif, she has developed sustainable strategies from the ground up, embedding innovation, resilience, and collaboration into every stage of the value chain.
In this Executive Insight, Lidia reflects on the lessons learned from supplier collaboration and strategic partnerships, the growing importance of sustainability and innovation in logistics, and the future of European supply chains amid shifting regulations and emerging technologies. Her perspective offers a blueprint for driving operational excellence and long-term value in a rapidly evolving global landscape.
Professional Journey: Can you walk us through your career trajectory and share what led you to your most recent role as Director of Logistics EMEA at Greif?
I began my supply chain career 20 years ago in logistics and freight forwarding, managing transport operations and sourcing, subcontractor partnerships, and procurement for chemical customers as a 4PL provider. Later, I transitioned into manufacturing, across the packaging, chemical, energy, and pharmaceutical sectors, where I combined strategic and operational responsibilities, leading procurement, sourcing, logistics optimisation, contracting, and supplier development.
Much of my career has been spent in greenfield or post-spin environments, where I had the opportunity to build sustainable strategies from the ground up and translate them, with my teams, into impactful projects. At Axalta, following the DuPont spin, I developed and optimised EMEA logistics procurement for more than 35 sites. At SHV Energy, I established central and global strategies, driving joint sourcing and end-to-end optimisation for over €350 million in supply chain spend. Later, as Procurement Director at Organon, I created procurement structures and strategies for global indirect categories totalling $500 million in spend after the MSD spin. Most recently, at Greif, as Logistics Director, I focused on strategy, sourcing, and optimisation across more than 40 sites.
Throughout these roles, building trusted relationships with stakeholders and suppliers has been essential. Collaboration and long-term partnerships have consistently been the foundation of successful transformation and value creation in every organisation I’ve served.
Global Supplier Awards: Both Greif and Axalta awarded their selected key suppliers with Supplier Awards. Could you share what these events and awards entail?
Throughout my career, I’ve been fortunate to build and manage strong partnerships with strategic suppliers such as Rhenus Logistics and Menzies Distribution Solutions, relationships that have been recognised through supplier awards for outstanding performance and joint value creation. These events have always underscored the importance of true supplier, customer collaboration.
At Greif, we hosted the Global Supplier Summit in Columbus, USA, welcoming more than 220 leaders from 125 key suppliers. Over one and a half days, the programme featured executive presentations, logistics and other category-specific workshops, networking sessions, and an award ceremony celebrating “Outstanding Performance” and “Superior Partnership” across categories including Logistics, Direct and Indirect Materials, and Responsible Supply Chain.
Read more on Greif’s website
At Axalta, our Global Supplier Days were equally impactful. These executive-led events in the USA recognised partners such as Rhenus in the logistics category, which received the prestigious Supplier of the Year Award, based on key criteria of quality, service, technology, and value.
Read more on Axalta’s website
At SHV Holdings, a €20 billion group, my team and I were honoured with the Best Project Award for optimising primary propane transport sourcing in the USA, selected from initiatives across all group companies and categories worldwide. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, the virtual event celebrated cross-functional collaboration, and external partners such as Jaggaer ASO (advanced sourcing analytics software) and transport suppliers were integral to that success as well.
Role in Facilitating Awards: What role did you, your team, and your suppliers play in preparing for and achieving procurement/logistics excellence awards, and what improvements were key to earning recognition in general and at such supplier summits?
I view supplier awards as the “tip of the iceberg” in strategic supplier development. The true value lies beneath the surface, in the structured collaboration, joint projects, and long-term partnerships that ultimately lead to recognition.
For me, effective supplier relationship management follows a clear framework: identifying and categorising strategic suppliers, co-developing joint business plans with governance model, defined projects and measurable objectives, assessing progress through predefined criteria, and recognising excellence through formal awards.
A joint three-year business plan is an ideal tool to align strategic intent, define shared goals, and guide collaboration. But success requires more than structure, it depends on executive sponsorship, cross-functional engagement, and visibility across both organisations, sometimes extending into additional supply tiers. The programme should capture each partner’s strategy, identify mutually beneficial opportunities, and translate these into actionable initiatives with measurable outcomes.
Together with my teams and strategic suppliers, I’ve led initiatives ranging from quick operational wins to transformative long-term projects. Examples include last-mile route optimisation, modal shifts, customised transport equipment to improve space utilisation, alignment of production schedules with ocean departures, end-to-end visibility solutions, and supplier make-or-buy studies for outsourced manufacturing and distribution models.
Through these initiatives, we achieved tangible improvements in cost efficiency, service levels, sustainability, and growth, reinforcing the long-term value and impact of strategic supplier collaboration.
Collaboration and Strategic Suppliers: Speaking about collaboration and strategic supplier development, what differentiates strategic suppliers from non-strategic suppliers?
A strategic supplier must first meet key foundational requirements: significant financial impact in critical spend areas, adherence to contractual commitments, operational excellence demonstrated through KPIs, and sustained competitiveness validated in sourcing exercises.
Beyond these essentials, a true strategic partner goes further, driving customer growth through proactive problem-solving, close alignment, and shared objectives. Such suppliers not only address operational needs but also identify opportunities for innovation, develop tailored solutions, and continuously create value across the partnership.
By maintaining excellence and innovation throughout the supply chain, strategic suppliers strengthen their customers’ competitive advantage, enabling them, in turn, to serve their own customers more effectively.
Awards Impact on Logistics Strategy: How have the recognitions from suppliers, such as “Excellence in Logistics” or “Supplier of the Year” recipients like Rhenus and Menzies Distribution, shaped or influenced your strategies and goals?
Strategic suppliers such as Rhenus and Menzies play a central role in developing and executing category strategies. Their deep understanding of markets, trends, and operational realities allows them to identify optimisation opportunities that drive tangible results. I expect these partners to act proactively, suggesting improvements, supporting shared goals, and highlighting where we can enable their success for mutual benefit.
In practice, suppliers also act as an extension of our operations. They contribute directly to key initiatives such as implementing transport management and P2P systems, providing CO₂ data for Scope 3 emission reporting, participating in electronic RFQs, signing long-term contracts, and deploying customised or alternative-fuel vehicles. Through these contributions, they support our digitalisation, cost-efficiency, and sustainability targets, reinforcing the strong alignment between supplier excellence and strategic logistics performance.
Lessons Learned from Award Recognition: Reflecting on the Supplier Awards, what lessons, whether in supplier collaboration, performance measurement, or innovation, stood out as critical in advancing procurement and logistics excellence?
One key lesson learned is that supplier summits and awards don’t need to be reserved for only “mature” procurement organisations. Even without a fully structured supplier management programme, these events can deliver immense value when supported by strong executive sponsorship. In less mature settings, awards can act as catalysts, encouraging the development of professional supplier management frameworks, inspiring collaboration, and motivating joint projects. Procurement’s expertise, when combined with clear and objective evaluation criteria, provides a robust foundation for supplier nominations and recognition.
In more mature environments, awards naturally reflect the achievement of measurable objectives, making their impact easier to quantify. Yet, beyond metrics, the true value lies in fostering a collaborative mindset and embedding sustainable ways of working. While global summits have unmatched visibility and influence, I’ve learned that smaller, regional, virtual, or category-focused events can achieve similarly strong engagement with less complexity and cost.
Another valuable lesson is the lasting power of positive reinforcement over corrective pressure. Recognising and celebrating achievements through supplier awards creates genuine motivation and strengthens partnerships. The positive energy shared in these moments, seeing proud teams and smiling partners holding a glass trophy, translates directly into improved performance, collaboration, and long-term efficiency.
Sourcing Standards, Sustainability, and Supplier Assessment: How have you and your teams operationalised sourcing and sustainability standards and supplier assessments?
Rolling out sourcing and sustainability standards can be a lengthy process, depending on business complexity and supplier maturity. My teams and I have focused on embedding these standards into the organisation’s DNA, ensuring they become part of everyday decision-making. The level of robustness varies by industry, legal requirements, and procurement maturity, ranging from guiding principles and sourcing objectives with measurable KPI targets to strict supplier qualifications, assessments, and contractual frameworks established prior to service.
The core pillars include a Supplier Code of Conduct, procurement policies, risk assessment frameworks, negotiation playbooks, contractual golden rules, and, within logistics, clearly defined SLAs and SOPs. Adoption and accountability are tracked through governing KPIs such as, to name a few, the percentage of spend under contract, competitive sourcing rates, Supplier Code of Conduct acceptance, EcoVadis adoption, DEI targets, and on-time delivery performance.
These standards not only set clear expectations for suppliers but also operationalise sustainable and efficient procurement practices, making compliance measurable and impact visible across the supply chain.
Innovation and Sustainability: What logistical innovations have contributed to delivering that level of service excellence?
For me, sustainability is not just a project or a KPI; it is a mindset. Our actions should go beyond short-term silos and deliver long-term positive impact across environmental, economic, and social dimensions. Given that SMEs represent 99% of businesses in Europe, building a sustainable future must start with supporting this backbone of the economy.
Sustainability and innovation often go hand in hand. In logistics, much of the focus is on CO₂ measurement, electrification, automation, and decarbonisation, but our approach has always been centred on practical, scalable initiatives. In the energy sector, for instance, we prioritised the use of alternative fuels such as propane and LNG with owned equipment and supplier fleets, reducing emissions by up to 25%, and piloted HVO/biofuels, offering up to 90% reductions, though large-scale adoption was limited by feedstock availability. We also advanced circularity through packaging-return schemes and promoted modal shifts from road and air to rail, barge, and ocean transport, always balancing sustainability with cost and service trade-offs.
Innovation has been equally vital to driving efficiency and resilience. Key initiatives included the adoption of last-mile route-optimisation software to manage complex off-grid propane deliveries, significantly reducing costs and emissions, as well as extensive network-optimisation studies. Since up to 80% of total supply-chain cost is determined by facility location and product flow, digital scenario-modelling and optimisation projects can generate 5–15% savings and measurable service improvements. In one example, our network analysis covered 30 propane terminals, 60 depots, and more than 12,000 customers across the U.S.
Most recently, I contributed to a high-profile project in the pharmaceutical sector exploring digital-twin technology for end-to-end supply-chain optimisation. By virtually replicating processes, simulating scenarios, and applying AI, these innovations enable data-driven, informed decisions that make supply chains more agile, sustainable, and cost-effective.
Future Outlook for Logistics EMEA: Looking ahead, what are your top ambitions for logistics in Europe, especially around sustainability, innovation, and supplier collaboration?
My ambition for sustainability is to work closely with suppliers to help my organisation, and the wider industry, meet the evolving legal and governmental requirements of the European Green Deal and Fit for 55%. Decarbonisation will demand operational change and innovation, often requiring investment that extends beyond transactional costs. Key developments include the roll-out of the EU’s CO₂-based road tax for HGVs by 2026 and the extension of the European Emissions Trading System (ETS) to the maritime sector, which will require carriers to measure, report, and reduce emissions within a shrinking allowance framework.
At the same time, Europe has been facing structural challenges such as a projected shortage of 745,000 drivers by 2028, which could impact service levels and resilience. If this trend continues without significant intervention, we may see bottlenecks once demand and economic activity accelerate. Addressing these challenges starts with simple, practical steps that support the profession and make a tangible difference to drivers’ daily work, something manufacturers, authorities and logistics providers alike must support.
Ocean and air freight remain highly volatile, affected by capacity-demand imbalances, tariffs, sanctions, and geopolitical tensions. My focus here is on strengthening preparedness: enhancing risk assessment, market intelligence, and visibility while fostering collaboration across customers, internal functions, forwarders, and carriers.
Looking forward, I’m particularly excited by the potential of AI and predictive analytics to enhance resilience in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment. Nevertheless, and above all, I believe partnerships and collaboration, internally, externally, and across the entire supply chain, will remain the foundation for achieving logistics and procurement excellence.
