“Play to Win.”
Ashish Patel is a transformational procurement and supply chain leader whose career has been defined by his ability to elevate sourcing from a tactical function into a strategic engine of enterprise value. With more than sixteen years of experience spanning iconic global brands, high-growth organizations, and complex international markets, he has built a reputation for aligning procurement strategy with broader business objectives while fostering innovation, operational excellence, and sustainable growth. His leadership is rooted in a deep understanding of end-to-end supply chain dynamics and a personal commitment to integrity, resilience, and high-performance culture.
From the outset of his career, Ashish demonstrated a unique ability to blend financial acumen, quantitative rigor, and operational insight to improve outcomes across the supply chain. His early contributions at Unilever and Haliburton laid the foundation for a global career, giving him a front-row seat to the complexities of sourcing across multiple countries, categories, and business models. These formative experiences shaped his holistic perspective on value creation and his belief that procurement, when executed strategically, can serve as a catalyst for growth, innovation, and competitive advantage.
Ashish’s tenure at The Coca-Cola Company and Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Sales and Services marked a pivotal chapter in his leadership journey. Over eight years, he influenced billions in spend and delivered results that reshaped the way the organization managed commodities, packaging, contracts, vendor partnerships, and indirect spend. As a director within the North American bottling system, he drove multimillion-dollar savings, redesigned procurement processes, strengthened governance, and mitigated systemic risk. His strategies not only reduced cost but also improved reliability, ensured supply continuity, and enhanced organizational resilience. His work was recognized both internally and externally, earning awards from Coca-Cola and McDonald’s for supplier diversity, teamwork, and operational impact.
At Aramark, Ashish served as Associate Vice President of Procurement, leading a $1.2 billion portfolio while orchestrating a global sourcing transformation. He evolved procurement into a value-driven function distinguished by its discipline, strategic clarity, and measurable impact. By diversifying supply chains, elevating negotiating frameworks, introducing new technologies, and building the capabilities of his team, he unlocked significant cash flow benefits, drove cost efficiency, and enhanced the organization’s long-term sourcing strategy. His leadership was marked by an unwavering focus on governance, sustainability, and multi-year strategic planning.
Ashish’s career trajectory ascended further when he joined Light & Wonder as Vice President of Indirect Procurement, where he currently leads global procurement strategy for a rapidly growing, highly innovative technology-driven gaming enterprise. Here, he has transformed indirect procurement from a decentralized, tactical operation into a unified global function with clear governance, measurable performance metrics, and elevated strategic influence. Under his leadership, the company has centralized a majority of its global spend, accelerated procurement cycle times, delivered substantial EBITDA improvements, and built a high-performing team recognized for agility, collaboration, and value creation.
His role at Light & Wonder also showcases his evolving focus on digital innovation, AI enablement, and technology-driven procurement solutions. As a member of the organization’s AI Committee, Ashish has helped shape policy, governance, and business cases that introduce advanced digital capabilities into enterprise operations. This reflects his long-standing passion for modernizing procurement through intuitive systems, automated workflows, enhanced visibility, and predictive analytics.
What distinguishes Ashish as a leader is not only his technical expertise but also his philosophy of leadership. He invests deeply in developing people, believing that sustainable enterprise value is achieved through empowered teams, cross-functional trust, and a shared commitment to excellence. Throughout his career, he has mentored rising leaders, improved supplier relationships, strengthened stakeholder alignment, and expanded the influence of procurement within executive and board-level conversations.
Ashish’s global exposure—leading sourcing strategies across North America, Europe, Mexico, Canada, India, and more than 30 additional countries—gives him a unique understanding of geopolitical, cultural, and regulatory complexities. His international experience informs both his risk-mitigation strategies and his ability to forge long-term supplier partnerships built on transparency, capability building, and shared growth.
His academic foundation includes an MBA from the University of Georgia and a bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management from Michigan State University, complemented by executive development programs at Emory University and the University of Las Vegas. These experiences, combined with ongoing engagement with emerging technologies and global markets, allow him to operate with a forward-thinking, strategic mindset aligned with today’s rapidly evolving business landscape.
Beyond his professional achievements, Ashish is passionate about continuous learning, public speaking, and sharing insights on organizational change, technology innovation, supplier relationships, and the future of supply chain leadership. His personal interests in sports, world economic trends, and emerging technologies fuel his curiosity and strengthen his ability to think strategically about global shifts affecting modern enterprises.
Above all, Ashish Patel is a leader committed to driving organizational value through clarity of vision, disciplined execution, and the belief that excellence is achieved not by chance, but by choice. His career exemplifies the mindset encapsulated in his personal motto: Play to Win—a philosophy that guides his approach to leadership, innovation, and creating meaningful impact across the organizations he serves.
Character:
Ashish demonstrates integrity through every stage of his leadership journey, consistently prioritizing transparency, accountability, and ethical decision-making. He leads with humility and a genuine commitment to supporting others, creating environments where teams feel empowered to excel. His strong sense of purpose and dedication to continuous improvement define his approach to both professional and personal growth.
Knowledge:
He brings a deep command of procurement, supply chain management, financial strategy, and global business operations. His decades of experience across multi-billion-dollar organizations allow him to navigate complexity with confidence and analytical precision. He continually invests in expanding his knowledge, embracing new technologies and global trends to remain at the forefront of industry innovation.
Strategic:
Ashish is recognized for his ability to design and execute long-term strategies that align procurement objectives with enterprise-wide value creation. He applies a multidimensional lens to decision-making, balancing cost, risk, innovation, and sustainability to drive holistic business outcomes. His strategic foresight enables organizations to anticipate change, adapt rapidly, and achieve competitive advantage.
Communication:
Communicating with clarity, confidence, and empathy, ensuring alignment across cross-functional teams, executive leaders, and global partners. He excels at translating complex operational concepts into meaningful insights that support informed decision-making at all levels. His ability to build trust and foster strong relationships makes him a highly effective collaborator and advisor.
