Strategic Procurement • Category Management • Global Sourcing

Lukáš Pačuta

Strategic Procurement & Category Manager | Global Sourcing | €40M+ Spend Management

Strategic procurement and category management professional with 10+ years of experience in global sourcing across Europe, Mexico and the United States. Managing €40M+ annual procurement spend across indirect categories including PPE, packaging, janitorial,IT hardware & software, and office supplies. Proven track record delivering cost savings, optimizing supplier networks and improving procurement performance.

Professional Experience

Category Manager

Direct Sourcing Solutions LLC – Bratislava, Slovakia
March 2023 – Present
  • Owns category strategy and drives sourcing initiatives across PPE, packaging, janitorial, IT hardware & software, and office supplies, with responsibility for €40M+ annual spend.
  • Lead global sourcing initiatives and supplier negotiations across Europe and Mexico.
  • Develop category strategies focused on cost optimization and supplier performance.
  • Negotiate supplier contracts and long-term agreements.
  • Monitor supplier KPIs including cost savings, delivery performance and quality metrics.

Purchasing Manager

Direct Sourcing Solutions LLC
2021 – 2023
  • Led and developed an international procurement team of 8 buyers in Mexico, overseeing sourcing operations and performance management.
  • Managed sourcing activities covering €30M+ procurement spend.
  • Conducted supplier sourcing, RFQ processes and contract negotiations.
  • Managed supplier onboarding and performance evaluation processes.

Previous Roles within Direct Sourcing Solutions

Category Manager • Senior Buyer
2016 – 2021
  • Category Manager (2019 – 2021)
  • Senior Buyer (2016 – 2019)

Buyer

Deutsche Telekom AG
2014 – 2016

ITC Operator

Deutsche Telekom IT Solutions
Oct 2012 – Nov 2013

Key Achievements

  • Delivered 25% cost savings on $2M PPE sourcing project through supplier benchmarking and competitive RFQ process.
  • Standardized office paper sourcing (~$500K spend) across multiple customers, improving cost efficiency and supply availability.
  • Consolidated office supplies supplier base from 5 suppliers to 2, allocating 80% spend to preferred supplier.
  • Re-sourced industrial filters ($100K spend) delivering 79% cost savings.
  • Achieved 28% savings by re-sourcing pallets to a local Mexican manufacturer ($500K spend).
  • Reduced Loctite sourcing costs by 22% ($650K spend).
  • Delivered 70% savings through cardboard supplier transition ($100K spend).