Ales I.-Leader Digitalization Europe @ Nemak | I Also Help Companies Make Their AI Systems Governed & Audit-Ready Under The EU AI Act &
Check rate
Experience
Leader Purchasing Systems, Processes & Digitalization Europe & Asia
Nemak
Lead purchasing systems, processes and digitalization initiatives across Europe and Asia within Nemak’s Global Purchasing Excellence environment.
Translate business requirements into standardized processes, governance mechanisms, digital workflows and implementation roadmaps across multinational stakeholders.
Support the global rollout and continuous development of purchasing platforms and e-procurement capabilities across plants worldwide.
Drive automation and analytics initiatives using Power BI, Tableau, Python, APIs and robotic process automation (RPA), including external-data enrichment and automated reporting.
Participate in applied AI and machine-learning pilots, including PyTorch and fast.ai solutions for classification of free-text purchasing data.
Support purchasing performance monitoring, process improvement and implementation of digital tools aligned with the broader digital supply-chain strategy.
Coordinate international and cross-functional stakeholders across Purchasing, IT, plant organizations, suppliers and management, often without direct reporting authority.
Represented European Central Purchasing for three consecutive years during ISO/IEC 27001 audit preparation and internal/external audit activity at European HQ in Frankfurt, including procurement-scoped risk identification, risk assessments, evidence preparation and responses to auditor requirements.
Contribute extensive supplier-governance experience covering supplier evaluation and audits, contracts, commercial risk, business cases, negotiation and cross-functional decision-making.
Combine enterprise transformation, process governance, technology implementation, analytics, automation and international change management in a complex multinational manufacturing environment.
Purchasing leader Special projects Europe
Nemak Europe GmbH
- Responsible for creating a long-term Procurement innovation strategy including innovative purchasing tools and applications.
Purchasing leader Special projects Europe
Nemak Europe GmbH
- Working as part of the Global purchasing core team in the Global Purchasing Processes project in terms of designing and implementation of the purchasing processes at Nemak worldwide.
Purchasing Project Manager
Nemak Europe GmbH
- Project leader to implement Global purchasing portal solution for all Nemak plants worldwide as part of Nemak global initiatives. The new purchasing tool is being rolled out in the European, North & South American and Asian business units within Nemak. The functionalities include Supplier relationship management, RFQs, e-Auctions, e-Catalogs (e-Procurement), Commodity strategy, Contracting, APQP/PPAP, etc.
Purchasing manager
Nemak Europe GmbH
- Develop and establish plant strategies according to BU/SCM strategies & purchasing policies
- Achieve cost objectives for plant purchasing
- In consultation with the Category Leader bundle EU volumes and implement frame contracts
- Taking over the Category-Leader-Role for specific areas materials & services in EU perspective
- RFQ's, negotiation, benchmark of vendors and category components, contract signature
- Monitor compliance with the contract
- Lead negotiations with supplier
- Coordinate Interfaces with stakeholder
- Preparation of business case for sourcing decisions and contract review
- Supplier Audits
- Ensure compliance with Purchase-Policies and Procedures
- Optimization of Purchasing Processes
- Reporting KPI's
- Build, develop and lead local Purchasing Team
- Monitor performance of local Purchasing Team
Program buyer KIA/Hyundai Europe Business Unit
Johnson Controls
- Managing purchasing for plants in Zilina and Namestovo
- Project team member supporting the project and closely cooperating with program managers
- Gathering all RFQ-relevant program data in line with program timing
- Supplier sourcing & evaluation
- On site support for project launch at production plants
- Supplier cost audits
- Change management with suppliers
- Ensuring to meet program deadlines
- Quote comparison and analysis, cost breakdown analysis
- Quote negotiation
- Benchmark analysis
- Ongoing creation of saving ideas
- Supporting quality issues with suppliers
- Price maintenance in SAP
- Solving invoicing and payment disputes
- Creation and negotiation of contracts
- Supporting the project from the purchasing view from start through product development and beyond start of serial production
- Communication with suppliers in EU, China, Korea
- Issuing POs in SAP
Program buyer KIA/Hyundai Europe Business Unit
Johnson Controls
Managed purchasing activities for KIA / Hyundai Europe automotive programs, supporting plants in Žilina and Námestovo across the full project lifecycle.
Worked as part of cross-functional project teams with program managers, manufacturing, quality and suppliers to support new-program launches and series-production readiness.
Managed supplier sourcing, evaluation, RFQs, quote comparison, cost-breakdown analysis, benchmarking and commercial negotiations.
Performed supplier cost audits and supported supplier quality and change-management topics during product development and launch.
Prepared and negotiated supplier contracts and supported sourcing decisions using structured commercial and cost analysis.
Coordinated suppliers across Europe, China and Korea and supported delivery, timing and program-risk requirements.
Managed SAP purchasing activities including price maintenance, purchase orders, invoicing and payment-dispute resolution.
Identified and developed cost-saving opportunities while balancing commercial, quality, timing and program objectives.
Supported programs from sourcing and product development through launch and the start of serial production.
Buyer
Tubapack
- Producer of Aluminium and Laminate Tubes for FMCG industry
- In charge of all plant purchasing activities
- Supplier visits
- Price negotiations
- Selection and evaluation of suppliers
- Closing contracts
- Planning of deliveries
- Stock management
Industry experience
See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time.
Experienced in Manufacturing and Automotive.
Business area experience
See which departments and functions this freelancer has contributed to most.
Experienced in Procurement, Supply Chain Management, Project Management, Business Intelligence, Information Technology, and Logistics.
Summary
Procurement Excellence / AI / Digitalization
I work in the Global Purchasing Excellence team at a multinational automotive company, focusing on digital transformation in procurement - smarter tools, platforms and analytics that simplify how we buy and manage suppliers.
Before the digital side, I spent 15+ years in purchasing across plant-level buying, OEM projects, controlling and process improvement, and rolling out systems like SAP Ariba and e-procurement platforms at European HQ level. I've seen procurement from operational to strategic and how fragile things get when processes, data and tools are not well governed.
That's exactly why I've moved deeper into AI, governance and risk. Most companies are already using AI, yet very few could defend those systems in an audit.
I also now help CIOs, CDOs, CTOs and AI leaders in Europe make their critical AI systems safe, compliant and audit-ready under the EU AI Act and ISO/IEC 42001, without killing innovation.
My hobby is the intersection of AI governance and AI Ops: translating standards and regulation into concrete controls - ownership, risk assessment, lifecycle, CI/CD gates, observability, rollback and evidence-by-default. Think Artificial Intelligence Management System (AIMS) + LLMOps/AgentOps, not just more paperwork.
Typical engagements:
- AI Governance Readiness Diagnostic for one key AI system (executive brief + 90-day plan)
- AIMS implementation support aligned with ISO 42001 + ISO 27001/9001
- Audit-ready AI Ops setup (pipelines, monitoring, lineage, evidence bundles)
Skills
- Ai Governance
- Iso/Iec 42001
- Artificial Intelligence Management Systems (Aims)
- Eu Ai Act
- Ai Risk Management
- Responsible Ai
- Ai Compliance
- Ai Governance Operating Models
- Ai Risk Classification
- Ai Controls & Evidence
- Ai Audit Readiness
- Ai Inventory
- Human Oversight
- Ai Supplier / Third-Party Governance
- Data Governance
- Nist Ai Rmf
- Governance, Risk & Compliance (Grc)
- Enterprise Transformation
- Digital Transformation
- Process Governance
- Stakeholder Management
- Program Management
- Supplier Governance
- Iso/Iec 27001
- Audit Readiness
- Risk Assessment
- Power Bi
- Tableau
- Python
- Apis
- Rpa
- Sap Ariba
- E-Procurement
Languages
Education
The University of Texas at Austin
Postgraduate Degree · Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence, Business Applications · Austin, United States
My portfolio and certificate:
[link] [link]
The Post Graduate Program in Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning: Business Applications is a comprehensive certificate program offered by the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.
The curriculum was structured into sequential modules that build your technical skills while keeping business value in focus:
Foundations & Pre-Work: An introduction to data concepts, industry use cases, and the foundations of artificial intelligence.
Python for AI Solutions: Coding fundamentals, data cleaning, exploratory data analysis (EDA), and visualization. This module is structured to accommodate beginners with no prior coding experience.
Predictive Modeling (Machine Learning): Supervised and unsupervised learning, decision trees, neural networks, and ensemble methods.
Generative AI & NLP: Natural Language Processing fundamentals, working with Large Language Models (LLMs), and architectures like Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG).
Agentic AI: Designing autonomous AI agents and workflows to automate complex business processes.
Deployment: Transitioning models from development to production using tools like Flask or Docker.
Univerzita Mateja Bela v Banskej Bystrici
Ing. · Economics and Management of Small and Medium-Sized Companies · Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
Certifications & licenses
Auditor/Lead Auditor Training on Artificial Intelligence Management Systems based on ISO/IEC 42001:2023
TÜV SÜD
Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)
Cambridge English: First (FCE)
ISO/IEC 42001 Lead Auditor
TÜV SÜD
Statistics
Experience
Global experience
Expertise
Qualifications
Profile
Frequently asked questions
Have questions? Find more information here.
Ales is based in Žiar nad Hronom District, Slovakia and can operate in on-site, hybrid, and remote work models.
Ales speaks the following languages: Slovak (Native), German (Advanced), English (Advanced).
Ales has at least 22 years of experience. During this time, Ales has worked in at least 6 different roles and for 4 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 3 years and 9 months. Note that Ales may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.
Based on recent experience, Ales would be well-suited for roles such as: Leader Purchasing Systems, Processes & Digitalization Europe & Asia, Purchasing leader Special projects Europe, Purchasing Project Manager.
Ales's most recent position is Leader Purchasing Systems, Processes & Digitalization Europe & Asia at Nemak.
In recent years, Ales has worked for Nemak and Nemak Europe GmbH.
Ales is most experienced in industries like Manufacturing and Automotive.
Ales is most experienced in business areas like Procurement, Supply Chain Management, and Project Management. Ales also has some experience in Business Intelligence, Information Technology, and Logistics.
Ales has recently worked in industries like Automotive and Manufacturing.
Ales has recently worked in business areas like Procurement, Project Management, and Business Intelligence.
Ales holds a Master in Economics and Management of Small and Medium-Sized Companies from Univerzita Mateja Bela v Banskej Bystrici.
Ales has 4 certificates. Among them, these include: Auditor/Lead Auditor Training on Artificial Intelligence Management Systems based on ISO/IEC 42001:2023, Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE), and Cambridge English: First (FCE).
Ales is immediately available part-time for suitable projects.
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Calculated based on our freelancers’ daily rates as of 24 Sep 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
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