Rob Turner

Rob Turner is Chief Procurement Officer at Deliveroo, bringing 30 years of senior experience across operations, procurement and supply chain transformation to the role.

He began his career in manufacturing operations before transitioning into procurement in 2001, initially specialising in the purchasing of utilities, energy, fuels and commodities. During this early phase, he also developed sophisticated risk management and trading programmes. These experiences equipped him with a deep understanding of volatile markets and the importance of mitigating external risks — capabilities that would prove vital to his later leadership roles.

His career progressed through senior procurement positions at Tarmac and Anglo American, two of the UK’s most prominent industrial companies. Here, Rob broadened his remit beyond commodities and into enterprise-wide procurement leadership, gaining exposure to global supply chains, M&A, divestment, regulatory complexity and large‑scale transformation.

Following this, Rob moved into consultancy, taking on transformation and capability‑building projects for high‑profile organisations such as Diageo and Babcock, as well as being a member of the small consulting team that designed the blueprint of the Crown Commercial Service. This period honed his skills in stakeholder engagement, programme delivery and the orchestration of lasting change in challenging environments.

In 2015 Rob joined John Lewis, where, over six years, he spearheaded a wide‑ranging procurement transformation. He first focused on developing general procurement capability across the wider organisation before taking the helm of a full‑scale digital and operating model overhaul. The initiative addressed emerging risks, strengthened governance and compliance, and embedded new ways of working that set the business on a trajectory towards a more agile, tech‑enabled procurement model.

Rob’s next move took him to Amazon, where he played a key role in the development and scaling of its Amazon Fresh physical store programme. The role deepened his experience in high‑growth, innovation‑driven retail environments, where speed, scalability and customer experience are paramount.

When Rob joined Deliveroo as Chief Procurement Officer, he inherited a function that, in his words “was not the trusted partner in the business that it could have been”.

The challenge was clear: procurement needed to build credibility, deliver tangible value and align with the fast‑paced, highly entrepreneurial culture of the organisation.

Over the next two-and-a-half years, Rob led a comprehensive procurement transformation - redefining Deliveroo’s procurement role to one that delivers better value for the business and its suppliers. .

“My journey has been to almost rebuild from scratch, to reinvent, to build a reputation as a problem solver,” he reflects.

The transformation began with a rigorous diagnostic to validate savings opportunities and design a credible business case. By blending permanent staff with targeted interim expertise from Zero9, Rob’s team was able to address high‑priority spend categories with agility while still maintaining quality outcomes.

The programme encompassed governance reform, process redesign and the digital enablement of the entire source‑to‑pay journey – creating a foundation for a more data‑driven, automated and future‑ready procurement function.

Under his leadership, Deliveroo’s procurement team has shifted from firefighting long‑standing issues, and short-term approaches to supplier contracts, to acting as a strategic enabler of growth. The function is now closely aligned with business stakeholders, recognised for its insight, speed and ability to deliver real commercial advantage.

To read the full story in the magazine, click HERE.