Strategic Divestments: Turning Factory Closures into Supplier Innovation Opportunities W/ Alessandro Comerci

"The strategic rationale of selling is not really to make money. It's about preserving 200-plus jobs and making sure your colleagues have continuity in their lives." - Alessandro Comerci Strategic divestitures and factory closures have become more common as organizations reshape their portfolios and seek agility. For procurement, these aren't just commercial events: they affect livelihoods, brand trust, and supplier ecosystems. Navigating them well demands a broader set of skills, perspective, and empathy than most of us learn in our core work. In this episode, procurement veteran Alessandro Comerci draws on hard-earned experience negotiating large corporate divestments for Procter & Gamble. Alessandro reveals how job preservation, trust-rebuilding, and a nuanced understanding of local realities can drive better outcomes than straightforward cost calculations ever could. If you've ever faced tough transitions or wondered how procurement leaders adapt to 'the other side' of the table, Alessandro's practical, candid insights will strike a chord. In this episode, Alessandro covers: How job preservation and trust-shaping drive strategic divestments How procurement skills translate to high-stakes selling Why supplier relationships outlast the deal and why that matters How divestments can spark unexpected supplier-led innovation Links: Alessandro Comerci on LinkedIn

You can listen to Strategic Divestments: Turning Factory Closures into Supplier Innovation Opportunities W/ Alessandro Comerci online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Strategic Divestments: Turning Factory Closures into Supplier Innovation Opportunities W/ Alessandro Comerci is an episode from The Art of Procurement by Philip Ideson.

This episode is 27:43 long.

This episode was published on Mar 23, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from The Art of Procurement when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.