Susanna Webber is the Senior Vice President, Global Supplier Management Group and Global Workplace Enterprise Services and Chief Procurement Officer at Merck. A member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable since 2017, Susanna is proud of the fact that spending with diverse suppliers has tripled, and she has made supplier diversity a big part of the company’s DNA. Now with a seat at the table, Susanna is focused on keeping supplier diversity in a paramount position within the overall ESG focus. A key best practice driving the success of Merck’s Economic Inclusion and Supplier Diversity Program is the Advanced Leadership Program for Diverse Suppliers, in partnership with Drexel University.
For nearly forty years, Merck has been working to create economic opportunities for underrepresented groups. Today, their global reach helps advance health equity, closing the gap on social, economic and environmental challenges. The company’s spending with small and diverse suppliers has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on their households and communities around the globe.
To drive social impact in the community, Susanna developed and implemented a unique partnership between Merck and FLIK Hospitality Group with GOODR, an Atlanta-based woman- and minority-owned company that combats hunger and food waste. Since 2020, the program has distributed more than 702,000 meals in NJ and PA underrepresented communities, through additional partnerships with 15 non-profit organizations. Susanna is a collaborator and relationship builder, who uses strong global business and financial acumen to onboard new diverse suppliers who create jobs and champion the environment.