As Global Head of Procurement, Sourcing and Supply Chain at WeWork, Gary Levitan joined the company in 2021. He is not only responsible for managing the company’s global furniture and fixtures supply chain but also the procurement, category management, sourcing and control of its spend.
“I have been on the procurement side of the business world for almost two decades in a few different industries. I’ve spent some time in financial services, banking, brick and mortar retail, and real estate management,” says Levitan.
Reflecting on his transition to the real estate industry, Levitan explains that it is something that “just happened, it was pure serendipity. WeWork was looking for somebody to rebuild their organisation and that was what I was looking for at this point in my career, to build something from the ground up in my vision. So I took my years of procurement and sourcing experience to WeWork which happens to be a real estate hospitality company.”
Levitan’s favourite thing about the industry he works in
One thing that Levitan loves the most is how much positive impact WeWork has on people and the environment. “Our vision as an organisation is to provide a meaningful service that betters human beings and the environment,” says Levitan.
With so many spaces occupied by people, organisations that adopt WeWork’s smart solutions have an opportunity to collaborate together. “How we handle those spaces and how we deploy those products really could have a positive impact on a large number of people globally. It’s the same on the environment side, when it comes to our footprint, our partnerships and our suppliers we are having a profound positive impact.”
What inspires Levitan?
A true inspiration for Levitan is people. “Specifically people who continuously work to improve, change and be better,” he says.
“As you get older, it gets more difficult to adapt and improve, I’m really inspired by people, and not just leaders, from every section of life who still have that unending desire to simply be better, to change, to look within and assess where they are and then look to the future,” says Levitan.
Levitan’s proudest achievement
Always passionate about sustainability and the environment, Levitan’s proudest achievement comes from early on in his career, “Early in my career I worked for an energy company where I learned a lot about the exploration, production and emission side of the global supply chain. I then decided to come to the customer side where I could positively affect change that this planet desperately needs” he explains.
“So for me, my greatest accomplishment is the work I’ve done relating to carbon footprint reduction, decarbonisation, and sustainable supply chains. The aggregate of all of that work and the impact that it has had is humbling, that is definitely my proudest achievement,” says Levitan.#
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