Grass Roots has appointed Alan Newton to the newly created position of Group Supplier Relations Manager where he will be responsible for the strategic management of Grass Roots' supply chain in the events and communications area of the business. He will be based in Grass Roots HBI's London office and report to Managing Director Des Mclaughlin.

Alan comments: "My focus will be to ensure a consistent approach to the management of vendor relationships; introduce a methodology to measure vendor performance and manage the efficient communication of vendor lists throughout the Grass Roots business. I will be looking at the UK and Europe initially then extending the approach worldwide."

Alan held his previous role as Head of Procurement at Zibrant for almost ten years. Coupled with six years' service on the HBAA committee, Alan brings a wealth of experience in strategic meetings management to his new role at Grass Roots. He will also work alongside the Grass Roots team offering a consultative approach to clients looking to consolidate their meetings and events programmes with the aim of reducing total costs.

Nick Bender, Global Head of Events, Grass Roots says: "While we have always enjoyed excellent relationships with our suppliers, as our events and communications business continues to grow we are taking a longer-term global approach to procurement. We're working with an increasing number of clients on a global basis, handling hundreds of events each year and this approach will ensure we continue to offer them the best possible value while ensuring a more streamlined approach to purchasing throughout the business."