Dell's procurement chief retires

Dell confirms Garvin's departure.

By Dave Hannon -- Purchasing, 5/12/2008 7:54:00 AM

According to news reports, Martin Garvin, vice president and CPO at Dell has decided to retire.

The Wall Street Journal reported this weekend that Dell confirmed Garvin has “made a decision to retire” while the Associated Press reports that Garvin, who has been with Round Rock, Texas-based company for 10 years, has already left the company.

As reported by Purchasing.com, when Michael Dell returned to the CEO role in 2007, one of his first moves was to combine the company's manufacturing and procurement departments under new operating chief Michael Cannon. Just prior to that in late 2006, Dell hired Dick Conrad as its vice president of worldwide procurement reporting into Garvin and said it would shift its supply chain operations to Singapore. Also at that time, Dell said that Glenn Neeland, another senior vice president of procurement, was retiring.

A request from Purchasing.com to Dell communications for confirmation and details this morning has not been answered.