Meet the ABA Procurement Team

Part of our series of interviews with ABA Procurement’s office team, procurement tutors, and CIPS Students.

Here’s a picture of Evie pretending to pay attention at an ABA event, because she wouldn’t give me any fun pictures to use.

Next up in our series of ABA interviews it’s the last of the owners (because she refused to do an interview until now). She’s our Operations Director, the one person who generally knows what’s going on, and the one that everyone unanimously believes would win in a fight, it’s Evie de Belgeonne!

Lu: So, how did you end up at ABA procurement?

Evie: You interviewed me and asked me what cheese I like and I’ve been here ever since.

L: (glares)

E: I was just starting back at work after having Ralph and my experience was in education so I thought it would be a good fit. And that was 7 years ago.

L: Did you think you’d still be here all this time later?

E: No!

Lu: So, how has the company changed since you started?

E: Oh, massively. The office isn’t just brown furniture now for a start. Plus, we own it. We’ve got four times more students. Maybe more? More I think. And we do things so differently to then. It’s a lot more fun now too.

Lu: So what do you think sets ABA apart?

E: Us! We take a relaxed approach to everything, we make it work for the students. And it’s our personality too.

Beth (across the room): personality singular?

E: Yeah, at this point we have basically merged into one.

L: So where do you see ABA in 5 years?

E: With 100 apprentices, and the 3 of us real frazzled. Or on a beach. Seriously, I’d like to have a lot more procurement apprentices and CIPS students coming to us. A lot of our business is word of mouth when people meet us so I hope that keeps building. I’d like to have enough students that we expand a bit more, employ some more people and full time tutors.

Quick Fire Questions:

L: Outside of work, how do you spend your time?

E: Snorts with laughter

L: I don’t know how to write that noise (I figured it out, FYI)

E: Fine. When I have a bit of spare time I obsess about decorating my house, I like playing the Switch, and cooking.

L: Who’s the most organised in the ABA office?

E: That’s tricky. You’re (Lu) to most organised when it comes to irrelevant things, but Beth is the most oraganised for useful things.

L: So Beth?

E: Beth.

This is the lovely picture you get when Lu asks you to send her pictures 5 times and you don’t do it.

L: Who’s the go to for CIPS student exam day panics?

E: You. You give them cookies.

L: What’s your favourite book?

E: I’m reading Harry Potter with Ralph. Can I say that?

L: Who’d win in a fight out of the ABA team?

E: Me.

L: Who’s most likely to accidentally burn the office down?

E: You. (rude)

L: Knowing what you know now, what would you tell yourself on your first day at ABA?

E: It’ll get fun… eventually. Just ride it out for a bit. It’ll get really fun, and reall weird, and it’ll be the best thing you do.