Zycus Congratulates Emory University’s David Thurston on 2011 ‘Pros to Know’ Win

PRINCETON, N.J. February 17, 2011 – Zycus, a world leader in Spend Management Solutions, congratulates David Thurston, Associate Vice President of Financial Operations at Emory University, for being named as one of Supply & Demand Chain Executive’s 2011 Pros to Know. The highly respected supply-chain management periodical limits its prestigious Practitioner Pros to Know annual listing to just 30 – exceptional corporate executives at manufacturing and non-manufacturing enterprises who are leading initiatives to help prepare their companies’ supply chains for significant challenges in the year ahead.

In the past several years, Thurston has been instrumental in moving the large, complex Emory University organization from an environment with little enterprise-level control over procurement transactions to one that is now routinely capturing spend data and working with spend analysis and eSourcing solutions. The University is now able to gain deep insight into spending at a frequency that enables greater identification of strategic sourcing opportunities, increases the pool of spend that is addressable for management by procurement, and enables better collaboration and contract development with strategic suppliers based on actual (versus predicted) consumption patterns.

Thurston is a firm believer in the idea that technology is only valuable if it is adopted and used consistently. I am big on technology because it really does eliminate work that does not add value, Thurston says. To drive technology adoption, he has established a communications group that is responsible for all training, marketing and customer service associated with Procurement Services, ensuring propagation and adoption of a disciplined buying culture.

Looking to the future, Thurston and his team will explore the many ways in which procurement solutions for spend analysis and eSourcing can be combined to close the loop on cost savings and compliance. For example, Emory will be looking to ensure that price discounts negotiated by its commodity managers are being implemented in all transactions across all channels. Thurston wants to take Emory’s procurement process to the next level and make certain that the majority of spend continues to flow through established systems.

Holding true to Emory’s philosophy that – This is a time of dynamic change on campus, where the future is being guided by an ambitious strategic plan, where courageous inquiry leads, Thurston and his team have been successful in transforming and taking procurement to a level where a majority of Emory University’s spending is now under management by procurement. Paving a path for all other universities to follow, David Thurston has proved himself to be a visionary and great leader, remarks Anurag Dixit, Zycus Vice President of Marketing. We extend our sincere congratulations to David Thurston and our appreciation to Supply & Demand Chain Executive for recognizing his substantial achievements.