Alex Klein

ALEX KLEIN is the COO of Efficio, which he co-founded in 2000. Prior to this, he was a Principal with A.T. Kearney, for whom he worked for seven years in its London and New York offices. Alex is a leading expert in Procurement and helps companies to design and execute multi-national and global Procurement transformation programs.

Alex's experience spans the Automotive, Manufacturing, Utilities, Telecommunications, Technology, and Financial, and Professional Services industries. He also works extensively with the world's leading Private Equity firms to optimize the Procurement capabilities and costs of their portfolio companies.

Being a co-founder, Alex has helped to grow Efficio from a six-person start-up in 2000, into the world's largest specialist Procurement consultancy, with some 500 employees based in offices across Europe, North America, and the Middle East. He led the firm's market-facing activities in its early years, and established Efficio's first North American office in New York.

Alex holds an MBA from Manchester Business School and a BA with First-Class Honours from the University of Bristol. He is bilingual in German and English, and he speaks fluent French and Spanish. He is a keen classical guitarist and recently walked the 500-mile (790 km) Camino de Santiago.

Alex lives in Ascot, England, and Valencia, Spain, with his wife Michelle, his sons Max and Felix, and a chow chow called Juri.

Simon Whatson

SIMON WHATSON is a Vice President in Efficio's London office and joined the company in 2015. Since the start of his career, he has worked in a wide variety of Procurement consulting and industry roles at Wolseley, BrainNet Supply Management Consultants, and Oliver Wyman.

Simon is a senior program leader and supports organizations of all sizes to transform Procurement from a back office administrative support team to a core value function through multi-year programs. He works across all sectors but has significant experience in Utilities and Infrastructure, Financial Services, Pharmaceuticals, and Leisure & Tourism.

He is a recognized expert in digital Procurement and has chaired and spoken at global conferences on the topic. He has led Efficio's global thought leadership and market research studies in recent years that have focused on Procurement technology and talent. Simon has also been named a winner in Supply & Demand Chain Executive's 2021 Pros to Know award, which recognizes outstanding executives whose accomplishments offer a roadmap for other leaders looking to leverage supply chains for competitive advantage.

Simon holds a First-Class Honours degree in Mathematics from the University of Durham and, as well as his native English, speaks fluent French and German. He is a keen and dedicated triathlete and has recently represented Great Britain at the World Triathlon Championships at age group level. He lives in Newbury, England, with his wife Sonja and his three children Liam, Lucas, and Leon.

Jose Oliveira

JOSE OLIVEIRA is a Vice President in Efficio's New York office and joined the company in 2011. He has worked as a Procurement Consultant in four different continents with Efficio, A.T. Kearney, and Roland Berger.

He is predominantly focused on Procurement Transformation, primarily in the Services industry and with Private Equity clients. He has worked in building up Procurement in several fast-growing, global market leaders in industries such as Software, Education, Retail, and Insurance.

Jose is the global practice lead for the Opportunity Assessment practice at Efficio and is particularly interested in helping Procurement departments establish themselves in areas with intense challenges around cross-functional collaboration.

He holds a Business Administration degree from the Portuguese Catholic University and speaks six languages fluently. He was a professional cellist with Sinfonietta de Lisboa and a competitive sailor. He has lived in seven different countries and currently is based in Orlando, Florida, with his wife Inês, his three children, Leonor, Lourenço, and Teresa, and a horse called Picasso.