Monette Knapik

Monette Knapik is the Executive Director of Procurement Supplier Diversity for CVS Health, and oversees all areas of the company’s supplier diversity programme. Up until 15 years ago, most of Knapik’s career was spent as an IT programme manager at CVS Health. Then a role presented itself in enterprise procurement.

“My IT background came forward, but I quickly transitioned into more of a procurement operations role, where I had categories like wireless and wireline, travel, credit cards, contingent labour, store supplies and print operations.” 

Knapik also inherited CVS Health’s Supplier Diversity programme, which became something she is most passionate about. 

“Three years ago, I was told that I was going to be 100% dedicated to Supplier Diversity. I've often had responsibilities for this, but by making me 100% dedicated to Supplier Diversity, our leadership showed their commitment to the role of inclusion for women-owned, diverse, small businesses in our supply chain.” 

CVS Health may not have an official office dog policy, but when Monette Knapik works from home, she’s joined by three rescue pugs.

“We just rescued one from a backyard breeder. He was one of 21 that were rescued,” says Knapik. “His back has a little curvature and he's got degenerative blindness - he’s the sweetest little boy you've ever met!”

Monette takes her passions to the highest level, whether as a dog mom or as Executive Director of Supplier Diversity. She strives to ensure CVS Health’s supply chain is secure, sustainable and diverse.

Community business 

CVS Health works with several diverse and/or small vendors, including WEi, Gardner Resource Consulting Group and Universal Printing Company. 

“WEi is a technology reseller and innovator, which has brought forward innovative solutions to the table, primarily for our retail business. When you walk up into the pharmacy, if the pharmacist is filling in the prescription and you know that the computer device was co-developed with WEi. They're great innovators!”

The Gardner Resource Consulting Group is an IT contingent labour IT and digital contingent labour partner, which provides diverse talent and resources to support CVS Health’s IT and digital needs. 

“Universal Printing supports the pharmacy benefit management side of our business in order to support that business and to provide printed materials. There's a lot of risk associated with it due to confidentiality of information.”

Gardner Resource Consulting Group augments CVS Health’s IT staff with additional external contingent labour.

“Our goal was to make them a tier-one supplier. Tier two is still equally important to us because we want our primes. Whether you're diverse or not, we want representation within the supply chain to also be inclusive and to also be diverse.”

Over the next 12 months at CVS Health, the Supplier Diversity team will break down barriers, knowing that it is difficult for small and diverse businesses to get onboarded and do business. 

“We're looking at different ways to make it easier for them to get through the contracting process, to be set up in our accounts payable system and provide better payment terms.”

Knapik will also work on developing CVS Health’s relationship with ESG and philanthropy and Project Health is part of the philanthropy arm.

“We're trying to be intentional with both of those entities and bring forward their solutions to our diverse supplier audience and advocacy groups.”

The company is also working on a supplier diversity professional mentorship programme. CVS Health’s goal is to spend US$5bn with diverse and small businesses by 2030. Knapik wants to spend even more - and possibly adopt another rescue pug. 

“In the next year, we want to create a supplier diversity advisory council,” she continues. “This would involve various business advocates from across our enterprise to work with a common purpose of the inclusion of diverse suppliers in our supply chain.”

This isn’t really a goal for the next year, more like an ambition for the future of the business.

“We need to continue to evolve and not only sustain, but continue to increase the spend we do with small and diverse businesses.”

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