For: Enterprise commercial & transformation leaders Engagement type: Independent advisory

Sharper decisions.
Stronger commercial outcomes.

Independent executive advisory on commercial transformation — operating models, sourcing, negotiation, and digital enablement — for organisations who want senior expertise without the overhead of a big-firm engagement.

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About
Chris Riley

A commercial partner who's sat on your side of the table.

I'm an executive transformation leader with over 25 years driving commercial and operational change — across procurement, supply chain, and broader business transformation — in Australia, Singapore, and the UK. Most recently, I was a Partner at Deloitte, where I built and scaled the WA Supply Chain & Procurement practice.

Before Deloitte, I spent six years as a Global Category Manager at Rio Tinto in Singapore, and earlier built my commercial foundations at Ford Motor Company, Capgemini/EY, and Lloyds Banking Group.

I've now taken that experience independent — working directly with senior executives on the commercial decisions that matter: operating model design, sourcing and insourcing/outsourcing strategy, and the cross-functional alignment that turns a target into results that actually land.

120+Engagements led
45+Organisations
3xPractice revenue growth
Chris Riley presenting at an industry CPO breakfast

"Sharing what's working — and what isn't — with the industry's commercial and business leaders."Presenting at an industry CPO breakfast

Services

Four ways to bring in outside commercial judgement.

Operating model redesign

Redesigning how a commercial function operates — roles, governance, and ways of working, including insourcing and outsourcing decisions — so the structure matches the value the business actually needs delivered.

AI & digital strategy

Practical guidance on where AI and digital tools genuinely remove friction in commercial and operational functions — from spend analytics to Agentic AI — without compromising governance or commercial rigour.

Sourcing & negotiation strategy

End-to-end support from market and supplier research through to running the commercial negotiation itself — structuring outcomes, contracts, and incentives so the results actually land.

Supplier & contract performance management

Ongoing governance after the ink is dry — performance frameworks, structured review cadences, and trusted data so value doesn't quietly leak out once the deal is signed.

Insights

Perspectives on commercial, procurement & digital transformation.

LinkedIn post

Why procurement transformations fail on data, not technology

Most digital procurement programs focus on selecting the platform while under-investing in the data structures, taxonomies, and governance underneath — leaving category managers only partially sighted, however sophisticated the tool.

LinkedIn post

Cost-out is a team sport — incentives decide who shows up

Real cost-out programs depend on frontline stakeholders whose KPIs rarely reward cost reduction. Drawing on 20+ years across category leadership, from Legal Services to Automotive, on why aligning incentives — not just setting targets — is what makes savings actually land.

LinkedIn post

The deal isn't the destination — it's day one

Most value isn't lost at the negotiating table — it leaks out quietly after signing, through unmanaged scope changes, pricing drift, and fading operational focus. On why the organisations that protect value invest as deliberately in the post-contract phase as they do in sourcing.

LinkedIn post

Procurement's biggest challenge isn't cost — it's alignment

Great savings on paper can be invisible to Finance when they're not built on shared KPIs. On why lifting the function's real value depends as much on business alignment and category manager capability as it does on the deals themselves.

LinkedIn post

AI's biggest impact on procurement won't be speed — it'll be what we do with the time it frees up

Heading into 2026: three practical actions for procurement leaders — lean the end-to-end process, be explicit about the new value freed-up capacity can unlock, and revisit operating models and talent strategy for an AI-enabled workforce. On why leadership choices, not technology alone, will decide whether the function expands its impact or quietly erodes.

LinkedIn post

Contact

Let's talk about what you're trying to solve.

Whether it's a specific sourcing decision or an ongoing commercial advisory relationship, get in touch and I'll respond within one business day.

chris.riley@callowayadvisory.com.au Perth, Western Australia