With over 40 years’ experience as a highly successful and results driven supply chain practitioner and leader across the Australian defence, energy resources, logistics and local government sectors; Vince Aisthorpe is an esteemed member of the supply chain and logistics community.
Former President of the Association of Australia (Queensland), Chairman of the Queensland Supply Chain & Logistics Conference, and Chairman of the Australian Supply Chain & Logistics Awards, Vince is a mentor, champion and advocate for the development of the future generation of supply chain and procurement professionals through mentoring and future leadership programs.
In his most recent role as General Manager Supply Chain for diversified energy business Stanwell Corporation, Vince managed A$700 million worth of spend, and was responsible for all warehousing, inventory, transport, logistics, procurement and supply chain operating environments.
“At the end of the day what you are, more than anything, is a strategic manager, who also happens to run the physical day to day side of the business,” explains Vince.
When asked about his biggest career achievement to date, Vince points to the successful partnership between Tarong Energy and Downer Mining that resulted from the acquisition of a Rio Tinto coal mine adjacent to a Tarong power station during his tenure there as Manager of Supply Chain.
“The beautiful part of this genuine partnership was that the more we worked together the more cost we took out. It was mutually beneficial; Downer made a reasonable profit, while we were getting coal at the right quality, time and price and were therefore competitive in the market. In the first year of operation we had it independently audited; the arrangement was worth in excess of $100M per year and we reduced business costs by more than 15 %,”he says.
Vince finds that the most interesting and challenging aspect of leadership is truly understanding your team and figuring out how to get the best out of each individual team member.
In terms of inspirational people in his life, Vince names his father, whose simple ‘everything you do in life in unconditional’ philosophy has had a lasting effect on him.
“You should do things because it’s the right thing to do, so what happens from that point is irrelevant. This ‘pay it forward’ motto has been my greatest inspiration,” says Vince.
Siecap CEO David Irvine says Vince Aisthorpe has had an exemplary career to date due to his comprehensive skills and broad industry experience.
“Vince has a reputation for driving significant procurement consulting and supply chain savings. He is a respected supply chain leader and an integral member of the supply chain community,” David says.