Jim Hadjiyianni, President & CEO, OECM
Over my many years in leadership, I’ve come to see strategy not as a periodic exercise, but as a living discipline. It isn’t a one-time planning session, a document that sits on a shelf, or a poster hanging in the boardroom. Strategy is far more fundamental: it is a guiding framework that aligns an organization’s objectives, resources, and actions. It is embedded in how we think, prioritize, and act—every day, in every decision.
At OECM, strategy lives in the day-to-day. It’s inseparable from our culture, reflected in how we set direction, and visible in how we collaborate across teams and with our partners. It shapes everything from the categories we pursue to how we invest in technology, develop talent, and continually strengthen our advisory services.
I often describe our approach using the “three-legged stool” metaphor. Each leg—OECM itself, our customer community, and our supplier partners—is essential to creating a stable, balanced, resilient foundation. If one leg is weak or misaligned, the stool falters; when all three are strong and working in harmony, we can achieve maximum results—not just operational efficiency but shared success, long-term resilience, and innovation across Ontario’s broader public sector.
Corporate Strategy: Leading Today for Tomorrow’s Success
Public procurement operates in an environment of constant change. Policy shifts, fiscal pressures, emerging technologies, and evolving stakeholder expectations demand an organization that is principled and agile. A well-anchored corporate strategy enables proactive risk management in the supply chain, fostering stronger relationships and driving innovation. It allows us to anticipate changes, respond decisively, and navigate complexity without losing sight of our core purpose.
In 2024, in collaboration with our Board of Directors, we established our Strategic Growth Plan, a natural evolution and expansion of the Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) established in 2020. This plan articulates seven key priorities:
- Elevating both customer and supplier partner experiences
- Expanding customer participation across public sector segments
- Improving product and service customization and faster market deployment
- Strengthening government relations and advocacy
- Building deeper strategic partnerships to heighten procurement efficiency and impact
- Advancing Environmental, Social, Governance, and Indigenous (ESGI) priorities
- Investing in technology, personnel, and operational capacity to sustain growth and diversification
OECM’s corporate strategic plan is not a static blueprint. It is a living framework, continually tested against emerging realities. We review our progress regularly, adapt to shifting market forces, and ensure that every adjustment aligns with the missions of the schoolboards, universities, colleges, hospitals, municipalities, and community services we support. In this way, strategy becomes a compass, guiding us with precision and flexibility.
Customer Strategy: From Service to Co-Creation
OECM is a customer-centric organization at its core. But our customer strategy extends far beyond responsive service. It is about co-creating value, building deep partnerships, and shaping solutions that anticipate the evolving needs of the public sector and our customers.
We maintain active engagement through our Customer Council Committee (CCC), which brings together leaders from Ontario’s education, municipal, and broader public sectors. This forum ensures our decisions are informed by real-world perspectives and grounded in sector realities. We supplement these insights with continuous dialogue—from one-on-one business review meetings to our annual Leadership & Collaboration Symposiums or Procurement and Facilities Summits—to maintain a clear, nuanced understanding of our customers’ priorities.
This two-way engagement is not merely beneficial; it is essential. Customers who feel heard and involved are not just recipients of service—they become advocates, collaborators, and champions of innovation. In public sector procurement, this shared commitment accelerates adoption, strengthens trust, and enables solutions that deliver meaningful, measurable outcomes.
Supplier Strategy: Partners in Innovation and Performance
Our suppliers are fundamental to OECM’s success and ability to deliver value. They are not simply contracted vendors but active partners in our shared mission to deliver high-quality, cost-effective, and innovative solutions to Ontario’s public sector.
Through our Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) team and our Supplier Partner Council, we engage suppliers in strategic dialogue that goes beyond transactional considerations. We work together to enhance service delivery, explore new approaches, and align with shared priorities such as ESGI.
We recognize excellence through our Supplier Recognition Program and invest in supplier development with initiatives like professional learning programs and workshops. A diverse and resilient supplier base—including local, small, and Indigenous businesses—reduces risk, drives competition, and expands opportunity across the public sector.
When suppliers succeed, our customers succeed—and the entire system becomes stronger.
The Engine: People, Innovation, and Data-Driven Insight
Even the greatest strategies need the right people, the right tools, and the right insights to come to life. This is why OECM invests heavily in talent development, leadership training, and a culture of collaboration. We view our people not as a resource to be managed, but as the drivers of our mission and the custodians of our values.
Technology and innovation are equally central. By leveraging advanced analytics, automation, and artificial intelligence, our teams streamline procurement processes, improve accuracy, and generate insights necessary for better decision-making. Data does not sit in silos—it is shared across teams, enabling proactive adjustments and more informed strategies for both customers and suppliers.
This combination of human expertise, innovative tools, and data-driven insight is what transforms strategic intent into operational excellence.
Moving Forward with Purpose
The “three-legged stool”—corporate strategy, customer collaboration, and supplier partnership—is more than an organizational model. It is a mindset, a way of working that prioritizes trust, shared value, and long-term impact.
In an era defined by rapid change and increasing complexity, having a strategy on paper is not enough. Strategy must live in the organization’s culture, guiding daily decisions and enabling the agility to navigate uncertainty. At OECM, this approach has allowed us to move with confidence, seize emerging opportunities, and remain steadfast in our purpose: delivering lasting value to Ontario’s public sector.
For fellow leaders across the public and private sectors, my question is this: Does strategy live in your organization day-to-day, guiding every decision and relationship? Or does it sit quietly in the background, disconnected from decisions?
Connect with Jim on LinkedIn for more CEO insights and OECM updates: @JimHadjiyianni
