Jun 12, 2026

How Procurement Influencer Tom Mills Went from Buyer to Head of Procurement to Coach

By Kayla Voigt

6 min read

Tom Mills went from procurement buyer to head of procurement to founder of Procure Bites. He shares what he’s learned about non-linear career paths, company culture, mentorship, and turning hard career moments into lasting strengths.

A lone person stands in a geometric hallway with open doorways, surreal colorful lighting casting shades of purple, pink, teal, and green—mirroring the dreamlike uncertainty of a procurement career journey.

Tom Mills from Procure Bites didn’t even know what procurement was when he started his career.

He wanted to be a weatherman.

“I’ll never forget a big storm here in 1987, and I stayed awake the whole night,” says Tom. “I wanted to work for the Met Office here in the UK, so absolutely nothing to do with procurement. I didn’t learn about that until much later.”

But after graduating with a degree in geography, he realized he wanted more than just to be on television. “Of course, being on the telly would have been fun, and when you look at it on the surface, procurement sounds like the more boring option. But for me, it’s been such a satisfying and interesting career,” he adds. “I grew up with four siblings, and my two parents were teachers. I wanted to have the stability and security of a corporate role and try my hand at business.”

Talk to any procurement professional and you’ll hear something similar: That they just “fell into” procurement. Tom worked his way up from an entry-level buyer to a head of procurement role over the course of his career before launching his own procurement coaching business, Procurement Protagonist, full-time in 2025.

Starting from the very beginning: Entry-level buyer

When Tom graduated in 2000, he joined a management training program at The Co-Operative Group in Manchester, which owned convenience stores around the UK. It’s rare to find these kinds of rotational programs today—effectively, a graduate-level course on business at a specific company, with stints in marketing, strategy, supply chain, and retail.

“I got to spend time in all of the core areas of the business, which gave me the opportunity to decide what area was right for me, coming from a non-business degree,” he says. “After several years in the program, I found I liked my role as a buyer best. It sat well with my skillset and my natural abilities. So my career in procurement really started as a direct buyer, not in proper procurement.”

Tom made his choice partially because he enjoyed the commercial aspects of buying—but more importantly, because he clicked with a mentor on the team. Having someone to guide you as an entry-level employee makes a big difference. He stayed 12 years there, working his way up from humble buyer to a team leader.

“I worked my way up over time, and was so grateful for how much the company invested in me so I could grow,” he says. “Eventually, I became the soft drinks buyer for the company, which in the convenience store world is the most important category. I was having weekly conversations with huge suppliers like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, handling $400 million annual turnover and managing a small team by the end of my twelve years there.”

Finding out the hard way that company culture matters more than the role

A series of restructuring in 2012 gave Tom a chance to start over. He landed a head of purchasing role at a multi-site online retailer, which was The Co-Operative Group’s opposite in size—and culture.

“I wanted a chance to spread my wings and get out of my comfort zone, because twelve years is a long time,” he says. “I liked the idea of a startup, and it was my job to professionalize the buying team, because they didn’t have any systems whatsoever.”

Joining a startup during the peak hustle culture era made for an immediate work-life balance issue. “The company was all about performance, to the point where you would be expected to stay late, work on weekends, that sort of thing. I had a young family at this point and it was a total mismatch.”

Tom learned that a role can look good on paper, but it has to work for your life, too. Between juggling his work duties and managing with young kids at home, he knew he needed a change. Not just with his job, but with their entire city lifestyle.

A Sunday drive that led to stepping into a major leadership position (and a little bit of imposter syndrome)

A weekend away in Glastonbury gave Tom an idea. “We drove past a large distribution center with the Clarks logo on it, and I thought, maybe that could work,” he says. “I messaged someone on LinkedIn who was head of procurement there to see if there were any openings, and turns out, I had just missed it. Someone else had filled the role.”

Serendipity works in mysterious ways, though. Eight weeks later, Tom got the call.

Clarks paid for his family to relocate to southwestern England, and Tom became head of procurement there. “This was a huge step up for me,” he says. “There’s a big difference between buying and procurement, and I underestimated that. All of the sudden I realized that I was the person who had to make the decisions and own the categories. I had to pivot so fast to advocating for procurement in the business, because nobody there even knew what procurement did. It was a very different experience and a lot of pressure.”

Tom was in charge of procurement for almost every category in the business for seven years. Switching to a new role without procurement buy-in made every single conversation feel difficult. “I thought to myself, ‘I’ll just work harder,’ and that only got me deeper into the burnout cycle,” he explains. “It got to the point where I found myself in meetings not able to speak, or I’d have a panic attack before presenting, even though it was something I knew well. It really dented my confidence.”

On the other side, though, the pressure helped him grow into a real leader. “I had to adapt and learn so quickly, and create frameworks for myself,” he reflects.

I’m proud of myself for being resilient enough to stick with it, to finally learn the soft skills required to build effective partnerships and relationships. You could argue it was those harder times that helped me build such a profile today, because I really understand the challenges people are going through because I lived them myself.
Tom MillsProcurement Protagonist, Procure bites

Following a great manager to a new position…only for the pandemic to throw a curveball

By then, Tom had learned that a great manager matters just as much as a great role. When a past connection recruited him for a hospitality business, a catering company supplier, he jumped at the chance to do something new.

That was in 2019.

“The business didn’t make it through the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns,” says Tom. “I was put on a furlough scheme until it just wasn’t tenable anymore.”

Having the time away from work made it clear to Tom that procurement was really what he wanted to do—especially when it came to creating systems, processes, and relationships across the business. He joined Bibby Financial Services with the mission to create a procurement organization from scratch. Says Tom, “It was perfect for me. They knew they needed it, and they wanted it, but didn’t know how, so I had buy-in from the beginning. The CFO gave me complete autonomy to do my role, and he really respected my opinion as a leader. I’m proud that I was able to deliver that for them.”

A post-pandemic pivot designed to help other procurement professionals

But somewhere in the back of his head was a voice that maybe he could do more.

In 2024, Tom started sharing his experience on LinkedIn and through his newsletter, Procure Bites. It immediately struck a nerve, growing exponentially in six months. “It caught me by surprise, how strong the signals were,” laughs Tom. “Every time I launched a cohort of one of my courses, it would sell out. It became something I wanted to really try.”

Just a few months later, he took the leap. “I loved working in a corporate role, but I really felt that I could have a broader impact on the procurement world with this,” he explains. “I’m so passionate about procurement, and about procurement being done well, and having been through so many struggles throughout my career, I wanted to be able to share what I’d learned with others. I’m still pinching myself that I get to do this.”

Today, procurement professionals come to the organization from so many different paths—if there’s anything Tom’s learned, it’s that there’s no one career path that everyone follows, but sticking with it can be so rewarding.

The beauty of procurement is that you literally touch every single part of the business in your role. You get to develop relationships with people at all levels of the business to be effective. You need to have emotional intelligence, not just commercial acumen. Despite the fact that it’s challenging, I’m so glad it’s where I ended up.
Tom MillsProcurement Protagonist, Procure bites

He may not be a weatherman, but he’s found something he can be truly passionate about. Says Tom, “I really enjoy what I do, and I’ve found my niche here in procurement. And of course, I still enjoy the weather.”

Read the whole series with procurement expert Tom Mills below:

Ironclad is not a law firm, and this post does not constitute or contain legal advice. To evaluate the accuracy, sufficiency, or reliability of the ideas and guidance reflected here, or the applicability of these materials to your business, you should consult with a licensed attorney.