Catherine Rios
Catherine Rios is a procurement executive with nearly 19 years of experience, including more than two years focused on mission-critical data center and hyperscale infrastructure procurement. She currently serves as Director of Procurement at Engine Mission Critical, where she is responsible for building and scaling procurement processes, developing high-performing teams, and supporting the delivery of complex, large-scale infrastructure projects. Her expertise spans IT hardware, OFCI, and mechanical and electrical equipment sourcing, with a consistent focus on ensuring clients receive optimal solutions in terms of cost, lead time, and execution reliability.
She began her career at Hewlett-Packard, where she spent 14 years in enterprise technology procurement and operations, building a strong foundation in global sourcing, vendor management, and large-scale supply chain execution. Over time, she developed a deep passion for procurement as a relationship-driven discipline, valuing the opportunity to connect with suppliers worldwide and build long-term partnerships. Today, she continues to bring that same mindset into her leadership approach—managing projects, negotiating contracts, strengthening supplier relationships, and ensuring alignment across stakeholders to deliver successful outcomes and repeat business.
Beyond her professional work, Catherine is deeply committed to family life, with a strong focus on supporting her daughters’ growth and development. She values quality time together, especially beach vacations that allow for rest, connection, and reflection. She also enjoys DIY projects, where she channels her creativity and problem-solving mindset outside of work. Known for her dedication to continuous learning, she has built her career through hands-on experience, professional certifications including Six Sigma Black Belt, and ongoing development in procurement and leadership—without a traditional college degree, which she takes pride in as part of her self-driven journey.
• Six Sigma Black Belt
• Supply Chain Foundations: Supplier Development and Diversity
• Strategic Negotiation
• Fundamentals of Sustainable Supply Chains
• Supply Chain Fundamentals: Risk and Resilience
• Project Management Foundations: Procurement
• Introduction to LEED Certification
• Digital Transformation
• Customer Success Management Fundamentals
• Digital Transformation in Supply Chains
• Six Sigma: Green Belt
• Cost Reduction: Cut Costs and Maximize Profits
• Six Sigma Foundations
• Business Process Improvement
• Communicating with Emotional Intelligence
• Rising Star Accolade Award
• Brent Elementary School PTA
• Carry The Load
• Lean In
• Dallas Hornets Soccer Club
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to working in industries where women have been underrepresented, especially at the leadership level, and I take that seriously. That's been a big driver for why I want to educate myself, learn, and speak with people in other departments or in higher positions than I am - I want to know how they got there, what they went through. I've been lucky that anytime I've reached out to someone to learn about their path, they've shared it with me. They've told me the highlights, and I retain that information and remember it. Then I reflect and ask myself, what do I want? What do I want to take from that? I've worked harder throughout my career path not knowing where I was going to end up or where I was going to get to - just working hard and learning every little aspect of the positions I've been in, taking on those challenges, and taking on the time to learn and educate myself about the company, the processes, what's needed, and making that my driving force. Being around people and bringing everyone's ideas together makes you expand as an individual, and I love that. I really do.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received, though not word for word, was along the lines of: if that's what your goal is, and that's what you want to do, let's set you up for that success. Let's get you there. This has been implemented to me over and over, and I've remembered that - slightly different words each time, but I've remembered it. It resonates with me because I want to try new things, I want to keep learning. I'm still alive, I want to keep going, and I don't want my brain to stop. I think if my brain stops and I stop learning, then what's going to happen? I stop being engaged. This advice has shaped how I approach my career and how I mentor others - asking people what they want to do and then helping them get there.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell them to make a clear narrative of what they want. Then reach out to people that are in those roles and lean on them for guidance and for goals that they've achieved that they can share with you - learn how to get there, what is needed out of you. And don't accept no. Keep pushing, keep going. There's always a way. You just have to learn how to be patient enough to redirect. I've found that when I reach out to people and want to know how they got where they are, they share it with me. They tell me the highlights, and I retain that information, remember it, and then reflect on what I want and what I want to take from that.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge I see right now is educating people about how things really are versus what AI describes or paints a picture of. Everything has become so robotic, so non-human feeling. I've seen how AI is being used every day to write resumes, to answer questions for tests - it's unbelievable. The company I'm working for, Engine Mission Critical, actually addressed this in their hiring process. They specifically asked candidates to provide real human answers, not AI-written ones, in their interview questions. When I saw that, I thought it was so refreshing - they were making it human. I responded to them saying how refreshing their interview process was, and I answered as if I was talking to them verbally. They deserved that human response because they were making it human. It's crazy how everything has changed and evolved, and we need to fight to keep the human element in our industry.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are to speak naturally - I'm not a robot, I'm not AI. I like to pause because I'm human. I let conviction come through, it happens. And I hope that I'm able to impact other individuals, especially if they've been put in a hurdle and told no. Early in my career, I was told that to succeed, I needed to conform to a man's world, even to how I presented myself. I'll never forget that day, ever. That moment has stayed with me. But instead of it being a setback, I've used it to find who I am today and who I'm trying to shape my daughter into. I'm really intentional about creating environments where people, male or female, feel respected for what they're contributing and not pressured to fit into a specific mold. I want to be proud as a female, to be independent, and show what you can do. Relationships are a big deal to me - we only live once.