Mike Smith

Mike currently leads the Strategic Sourcing process for Graphic Packaging International’s indirect materials and services categories.  With over  fifteen years of experience in the Consumer Foods industry serving various roles in accounting, audit and operations management for Campbell Soup Company, and then almost five years as CFO of Tip Top Poultry, Mike is very familiar with the expectations of Graphic Packaging’s Food and Beverage industry customers.   He first worked for Graphic Packaging International as an M & A consultant that led to an assignment to turn around a manufacturing plant struggling with performance and customer service issues.  After implementing a lean pull system that helped support a 20% sales increase for the facility Mike moved into additional roles including Merger Integration where he was charged with identifying the value drivers and achieving the synergies associated with a multi-billion dollar merger.
 
In his current role as Director of Strategic Sourcing for the indirect materials and services, Mike utilizes this value driver approach when assessing GPI’s supply chain and sourcing opportunities.  He asks two questions of his team – “how does this initiative support GPI’s key business strategies, and how does it create additional value for our shareholders?  Completing Villanova University’s Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt program has also helped Mike achieve significant savings beyond price alone in the categories under his team’s management.  Mike believes that most organizations don’t focus enough on the indirect categories and this lack of rigor in processes and scrutiny for these categories makes it a prime opportunity to eliminate waste and build optimized supply chains for suppliers, GPI and it’s customers.    
 
Mike is also responsible for GPI’s Supplier Diversity program. Under his creative leadership GPI’s diversity spend has increased from $34 million to $102 million in just four years.