Darlyne R. Freedman
Darlyne Freedman is a seasoned procurement and supply chain executive with more than 30 years of professional experience, including 25 years dedicated specifically to procurement and supply chain management across complex global organizations. She currently serves as Chief Procurement Officer at Vantive, where she leads enterprise procurement strategy and operations for a multi-billion-dollar business. Her career began in the engineering and construction industry, where she spent 10 years building foundational expertise across all five non-engineering disciplines—cost engineering, estimating, scheduling, document control, and procurement. This broad technical foundation ultimately shaped her systems-oriented approach to enterprise operations and guided her decision to focus her career fully on procurement and supply chain leadership.
In her current role, Darlyne is responsible for two core enterprise priorities: delivering measurable financial impact and enabling efficient, user-friendly procurement operations across the organization. She drives annual savings initiatives that consistently improve profitability and strengthen financial performance year over year through strategic sourcing, supplier optimization, and disciplined cost management. At the same time, she leads procurement operations with a strong focus on accessibility, simplicity, and employee experience—ensuring that individuals across the organization can efficiently obtain the goods and services they need to perform their roles. This includes everything from travel and office supplies to critical technology such as laptops, mobile devices, and communication tools. She is particularly passionate about leveraging digital tools and technology to streamline procurement processes and make them more intuitive, transparent, and effective for end users.
Throughout her career, Darlyne has been recognized not only for delivering operational and financial results, but also for her deep commitment to leadership and talent development. She has mentored and developed thousands of procurement and supply chain professionals over three decades, many of whom have advanced into senior leadership roles and built successful careers of their own. Her leadership style is grounded in collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement, with a strong emphasis on building high-performing teams aligned to clear strategic goals. She is widely respected for her ability to balance enterprise transformation with a people-first approach, creating organizations that are both operationally strong and culturally resilient.
• Indiana University Bloomington - BA, Economics and Spanish (Double Major)
• Arizona State University - MBA, Supply Chain Management
• Multiple CPO Awards for excellence in procurement
• Institute of Supply Management (ISM) - member since 1994
• ISM Sustainability Committee - Committee Chair
• Former board member of Reese Foods for Kids Foundation
• Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance
• RUIZ FOR KIDS INC
• Institute for Supply Management
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my extensive 30-year career journey in procurement and supply chain management. I started in the engineering and construction field where I spent 10 years exploring all five non-engineering disciplines - cost engineering, estimating, scheduling, document control, and procurement - working with several different companies. Through that exploration, I discovered my true passion for procurement, which led me to focus the last 25 years specifically on procurement and supply chain. My education has been instrumental as well - I earned my bachelor's degree from Indiana University in Bloomington with a double major in economics and Spanish and a minor in business law, and later pursued my MBA in Supply Chain Management from Arizona State University. But what I'm most passionate about is the people aspect of my work. I absolutely love achieving annual savings goals and streamlining the procurement process to make it easier for employees to purchase the equipment and supplies they need for their jobs. I'm driven by helping the company save money year over year while also ensuring that everyone has a good experience when they need to buy something. The work energizes me because I know I'm making a real difference both to the bottom line and to the people I serve.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have ever received is that I can build a successful career in a field I genuinely love while also making a meaningful difference in the lives of others. This perspective has guided me throughout my professional journey, reinforcing the importance of pursuing work that is both personally fulfilling and purpose-driven. It has also deepened my passion for mentoring others, as I find great value in supporting individuals as they grow, develop their skills, and achieve their career goals.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering this industry is that you absolutely can be successful stay the course, remain committed to your growth, and never stop learning. This field is dynamic and constantly evolving, so curiosity and continuous development will serve you well throughout your career. Challenges are inevitable, but persistence and resilience are key; never give up, even when the path feels difficult. Trust in your abilities, seek out mentors, and stay focused on building both your technical expertise and your confidence over time.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in my field right now is keeping pace with the rapid evolution of global supply chains, technology, and cost pressures while maintaining consistent operational excellence. Procurement and supply chain organizations are expected to deliver more value than ever, including savings, risk management, resilience, and improved speed and transparency, all at once. At the same time, digital transformation, automation, and AI-driven analytics are changing how work gets done, requiring continuous learning and adaptation. There are also significant opportunities as procurement continues to be recognized as a strategic driver of enterprise value and as technology improves decision-making, supplier collaboration, and efficiency. For me personally, after receiving multiple CPO awards over the past 30 years, the focus is on sustaining excellence, continuing to raise the bar, and building on a long track record of impact and innovation.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
In my work life, what matters most to me is the impact I have on people. Over my 30 years in procurement, I've worked with and mentored thousands and thousands of procurement employees, and I've had the privilege of watching many of them move on to greater roles and become what they want to be in life. One of my greatest achievements was mentoring someone from 2012 through 2015 whose goal was to become a vice president and chief procurement officer one day. They recently called me to be a reference for a CPO role, and they got it. For me, that's one of the greatest achievements - just seeing people that I've worked with for many, many years and mentored for many, many years reach their goals. In my personal life, family is very important to me. I'm still lucky enough to have both my parents, and since they're getting older, I try to spend as much time as I can with them and other elderly family members. I also enjoy thrifting and reselling - as a procurement person, I can't stand not getting a deal! I love to travel to new places I've never been before, and that doesn't have to mean outside the country either. It can be anywhere - I'll drive to a new city that I've never been to and explore what's going on there.