Zdenek Najman

Background

About Zdenek Najman

I am a Head of Procurement and Warehousing with experience in regulated pharmaceutical, biotech and food manufacturing environments, responsible for both strategic and operational procurement, R&D purchasing, and warehouse management. I lead a multidisciplinary team of 7 procurement and warehouse professionals (strategic procurement, operational buyers, R&D buyers and warehouse staff) and manage an annual procurement spend exceeding CZK 200 million (€8M+), covering raw materials, energy and critical services. My primary focus is business continuity and supply chain resilience. I actively identify sourcing opportunities and systematically diversify the supplier base to mitigate supply risks, increase flexibility and ensure long-term availability of critical materials. I work closely with R&D, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Production and Logistics to secure raw materials for new product development and scale-up, from supplier scouting and qualification through compliance with GMP, quality and internal specification requirements. New suppliers are integrated already in the pre-production phase, helping to reduce time-to-market and minimize risks during product launches. Another core part of my role is the optimization of material flows and warehouse processes, identifying and removing bottlenecks that limit sourcing flexibility or strain capacity-constrained warehouses. I am strongly focused on the digitalization of procurement and logistics processes, improving data transparency, information flow and decision-making while reducing manual and administrative workload, including daily work with ERP systems (QI). The results of my work include measurable annual cost savings of €200k+, a stable and resilient supply chain, and significantly stronger integration of procurement, R&D and logistics across the organization. Core expertise: Head of Procurement | Supply Chain Management | Pharma & Biotech Manufacturing | GMP | Strategic Sourcing | Supplier Risk Management | R&D Procurement | Warehousing | Cost Optimization