2014
New England Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition

2010 NESCON SUPPLY CHAIN HALL OF FAME WINNER (the 1st ever!)
Brian J. OConnor, CPSM, C.P.M., CPIM

Brian is the Global Director of Purchasing, Planning, and Logistics for Lonza Biologics, located in Portsmouth New Hampshire. Lonza is one of the world's leading suppliers to the pharmaceutical, healthcare, and life science industries. Lonza Biologics is the global leader in the production and support of active pharmaceutical ingredients, both chemically as well as biotechnologically.

Brian has over 35 years of experience in the purchasing and materials management field, and has held senior level Supply Chain and Purchasing Management positions, with companies such as Celestica, Wang Laboratories, Digital Equipment Corporation, and NEC Technologies. Brian is also a past President and Director of National Affairs of the Purchasing Management Association of Boston, and is a member of the North Shore chapter of APICS.

In 2001, The Purchasing Management Association of Boston awarded Brian their Harry J. Graham Memorial Award for Outstanding Service to the Purchasing Profession. He is also a recipient of Electronic Buyers News Top 10 Purchasing Managers Award, for excellence in strategic procurement. Also, Brian is recognized by the Institute of Supply Management, as a Lifetime Certified Purchasing Manager, as well as CPSM, Certified Professional in Supply Management, and is certified by the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS) in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM).

For the past 25 years, Brian has been involved with teaching and speaking, on materials and purchasing topics. In addition, he has served as an adjunct faculty member for Merrimack College, the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and Southern New Hampshire University. He specialized in developing and presenting training programs for both APICS and ISM certification, and has also developed and presented in-house training courses on materials and procurement, for a number of companies, including Axsun Technologies, Thompson Financial Services Corporation, Rexall Sundown Incorporated, Smiths Medical, EMD Serono, Brooks Automation, Fidelity Investments, and GK Chesterton Incorporated.

He has also presented seminars for the Purchasing Management Association of Boston, in the areas of Purchasing Fundamentals, Supply Chain Management, Negotiation, and Strategic Procurement. Brian is also a frequent speaker at both regional and local APICS and ISM functions.

In 2002, Brian initiated contact with multiple organizations, to propose the idea of a local supply chain conference, held by equal-partner collaborative groups, run by volunteers, that was both low-cost, and yet high value. He set up multiple meetings and telecons between the groups, set up a steering committee, and drove his vision into a reality. In 2004, the very first New England Supply Chain Conference was held to rave reviews. As one of the conference founders, his initiatives were the foundation of todays NESCON, and his vision and core values are what still motivate the current collaborating groups to put on the very best supply chain conference in the area!

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