Open to new opportunities  ·  Warsaw, Poland

Maria Shakhova

Senior Project & Procurement Specialist  ·  Private Label  ·  EU Markets

Leading tenders, driving supplier evaluation, and owning delivery from selection through launch — across industrialization and serial life, simultaneously.

View My Experience Get In Touch
800+
SKUs managed in serial life across EU markets
97%
OTIF recovery in 12 months
€600K
cost avoidance — secured in a single negotiation
Maria Shakhova
Maria Shakhova
Senior Project & Procurement Specialist
📍 Warsaw, Poland
Languages
English — Fluent Polish — Fluent Ukrainian — Native Russian — Native
About Me

Where project delivery meets sourcing execution

I sit at the intersection of project management and sourcing — which means I can run the tender, lead the supplier evaluation, build the recommendation, and then own the execution through to launch. Most people do one or the other. I do both.

The work I do best is complex, multi-supplier environments where timing matters and things go wrong. I keep projects moving when suppliers are slow, specifications change, or launch dates are at risk.

My work runs across two tracks simultaneously — and both demand the same level of ownership. On industrialization: delivering projects end-to-end — from tender to market. On serial life: running a live portfolio of 13 suppliers and 800+ SKUs, where I drove a OTIF improved from 50% to 97%, defended against a +3% price increase in a single negotiation, and cut inventory write-off cost by 60%. Both tracks. Across multiple EU markets.

Impact

Key Achievements

💰
Serial Life
€600K
Cost Avoidance — Single Negotiation
Fact-based cost breakdown analysis — three rounds, one month, zero increase. Supplier's +3% request rejected in full.
📈
Serial Life
50% → 97%
OTIF Recovery in 12 Months
Rebuilt the entire planning process from scratch — took delivery from critical failure to near-perfect in 12 months.
🛡️
Serial Life
60%
Inventory Write-off Cost Reduced
Remapped €150K of unsellable non-EU stock at component level — avoided 60% write-off.
🚀
Industrialization
€1.5M+
Portfolio Across 3 End-to-End Projects
Delivered end-to-end — from RFI/RFQ/RFP through product launch across EU markets. Additionally contributed to 3 further projects at various stages before handover.
Career

Professional Experience

Adeo Group
Senior Project & Procurement Specialist
📍 Warsaw, Poland  ·  Apr 2022 — Present
Adeo Group is one of the world's largest DIY & home improvement retailers, owner of Leroy Merlin, operating across 20+ countries.
Current Role
  • Led end-to-end industrialization projects — from tender to market launch across EU markets.
  • Delivered €1.5M+ purchasing volume across 3 fully owned projects; contributed to 3 further before handover.
  • Managed full tender process (RFI/RFQ/RFP) — supplier mapping, evaluation, recommendation, and contract.
  • Owned the full commercial relationship with a key supplier — cost reviews, negotiations, and performance management.
  • Improved OTIF from 50% to 97% in 12 months through a structured supplier improvement programme.
  • Delivered €600K cost avoidance — rejected supplier's +3% price increase through cost breakdown analysis.
  • Recovered €150K of stranded non-EU stock — led component-level remapping, reducing write-off cost by 60%.
  • Managed supply continuity across EU markets — orders, lead times, and stock levels for 800+ SKUs.
  • Built and ran performance reviews across 13 suppliers — KPI tracking, corrective actions, escalation.
Leroy Merlin
Procurement Specialist
📍 Kyiv, Ukraine  ·  Apr 2021 — Apr 2022
Leroy Merlin is Europe's leading DIY & home improvement retail chain, part of Adeo Group.
Previous Role
  • Managed supplier and product databases, ensuring full category data accuracy and system integrity.
  • Monitored competitor pricing and updated product pricing strategies within internal systems.
  • Prepared negotiation documentation and drafted supplier cooperation agreements.
  • Managed quarterly, annual, and marketing bonus settlements with suppliers.
  • Developed analytical reports and performance analyses to support strategic business decisions.
  • Coordinated cross-functional collaboration between Marketing, Logistics, Quality, and suppliers.
Renault Auto Dealership
Logistics Manager
📍 Kyiv, Ukraine  ·  Apr 2017 — Jan 2021
Authorised Renault dealership managing parts supply, inventory planning, and dealer network logistics across Ukraine.
Previous Role
  • Developed and implemented a warehouse supply strategy to optimize demand planning and inventory levels.
  • Planned supply orders up to 6 months in advance to ensure stock availability and continuity.
  • Adapted assortment to customer needs, contributing to a 20% sales increase.
  • Organized domestic transportation flows across Ukraine, balancing cost, risk, and delivery timelines.
  • Conducted daily negotiations with dealer network and importer.
Expertise

Skills & Tools

Project Management
End-to-End Project Management Private Label Industrialization Product Launch Coordination Product Serial-Life Management Cross-Functional Stakeholder Management Risk & Issue Management
Procurement
Price & Contract Negotiation Cost Breakdown Analysis Tender Management (RFI/RFQ/RFP) Supplier & Factory Management Supplier Performance Management
Operations & Planning
Demand & Forecast Planning Order & Supply Management Inventory Risk Mitigation End-of-Life Planning KPI Monitoring & Reporting
Tools & Platforms
📊 Asana
📈 Power BI
🔗 Synertrade (S2P)
✅ Quality Systems (QMS)
🌐 EDI & Order Platforms
📋 Advanced Excel
🗂️ Google Workspace
Real-World Situations

Case Studies

€1.5M+ across 3 end-to-end projects  ·  13 suppliers  ·  France, Poland, Iberia, Baltics, Hungary

Two tracks, running in parallel — and both high-stakes. Industrialization: 3 projects delivered end-to-end — sourcing, supplier evaluation, tender, and launch. Plus active contributions to 3 further projects before handover — totalling €1.5M+. Serial life: running a live commercial engine — protecting an active portfolio across 13 suppliers and 800+ SKUs, where supplier failures, price creep, and stock risk hit the business in real time. The serial life numbers speak for themselves: OTIF improved from 50% to 97%, €600K cost avoidance in a single negotiation, 60% inventory write-off cost reduction.

Serial Life
€600K
single negotiation
Prevented +3% Price Increase, Delivering €600K Cost Avoidance
In a single negotiation, I defended against a supplier's +3% price increase — fact-based cost breakdown analysis proved it wasn't justified, delivering €600K cost avoidance.
Problem
A key supplier came in requesting a +3% price increase — citing logistics, labour, raw materials, and currency. My internal target was −3%. That's a 6-point gap to close in a single negotiation cycle.
Action
I built a negotiation plan and ran a full cost breakdown — reviewing CNY/USD/EUR currency movements, benchmarking regional labour, and mapping actual logistics flows. Key finding: the supplier's new European entity had actually reduced their logistics complexity. That became the anchor of my position. Three rounds of negotiation over roughly a month.
Result
Closed at 0% — the full +3% increase rejected. €600K cost avoidance on a single commercial decision. Supplier relationship maintained.
Serial Life
97%
OTIF achieved
OTIF Recovery: From 50% to 97% in 12 Months
Delivery performance was critically low due to a hidden lead-time mismatch. I rebuilt the planning process from scratch — and took OTIF from 50% to 97% in 12 months.
Problem
A key supplier's on-time delivery rate was 50%, causing constant operational disruption. Root cause analysis revealed a hidden mismatch: the internal system showed 30-day lead times, but Asian component sourcing required 90 days.
Action
Built a structured improvement programme — custom training, weekly performance reviews, daily issue management, and a 4-month rolling forecast with ±30% tolerance. Personally trained the supplier's newly restructured team.
Result
Within 12 months, OTIF reached 97% — stabilising the supply chain and creating a sustainable planning process for ongoing cooperation.
Serial Life
60%
write-off reduced
Turning Unsellable Stock into a European Asset
A supplier held €150K of non-EU stock that couldn't be sold in Europe. I remapped it at component level — reducing write-off costs by 60%.
Problem
After a non-European market was discontinued, a supplier held €150K of inventory built to non-EU specifications — technically unsellable in Europe and facing a full write-off.
Action
I analysed the stock at component and spare-part level, identifying which parts could be remapped to existing European product structures, EAN codes, and configurations.
Result
Write-off costs were reduced by 60% — turning a near-total loss into a controlled outcome.
Industrialization
20K
Units saved
Saving a Product Launch with a Stamp
A mandatory phone number was missing from 20,000 printed packaging units days before launch. I found a fix using an existing production stamp — zero waste, zero delay.
Stakes
I was responsible for launch readiness on a €500K project. Scrapping 20,000 units meant direct cost and a delayed market launch — both my accountability to avoid.
Problem
Days before launch, a mandatory customer service phone number was found missing from all printed packaging — making the units legally unusable without a fix.
Action
I identified that the supplier already used a production stamp to mark manufacturing dates during filling. I proposed extending the stamp to include the missing phone number, allowing compliance to be applied directly during production. The solution was validated with internal stakeholders and implemented.
Result
Zero packaging waste, no additional cost, regulatory compliance maintained, and the product launched on schedule.
Industrialization
✓
On time
Delivering a €600K Project with a Single-Source Supplier
A strategically critical supplier with no available alternative had long decision cycles and repeated deadline risks. Through milestone-level governance and compressed approval cycles, I prevented a 4–5 month delay on a €600K, 35-SKU project.
Stakes
This was a €600K private label project covering 35 SKUs across multiple EU markets — fully dependent on a single-source supplier with no available alternative.
Problem
The supplier had severe communication gaps, slow approval processes, and consistently delayed feedback — particularly during artwork validation. The project timeline was at risk with no easy way out.
Action
I rebuilt the entire project timeline — compressing approval cycles, accelerating validation processes, and shifting key milestones to faster execution formats including remote approvals. Maintained continuous control through structured follow-ups and real-time coordination based on production feedback.
Result
Prevented a potential 4–5 month delay. The full product range launched on time across all EU markets.
Industrialization
~€100K
Project scope
Resolving a Barcode Error Mid-Production
Identified a barcode error in packaging specifications while production was already in progress — 6 SKUs across multiple EU markets. Coordinated a fix within days, preventing packaging write-off and launch delay.
Stakes
If I didn't resolve this before full production scale-up, it would have meant full reordering of packaging, disposal of existing materials at company cost, and a delayed launch across all EU markets — on a project worth ~€100K.
Problem
I identified a barcode error in packaging specifications while production was already in progress — packaging had been in production for approximately one week, with mass production scheduled within the following two weeks.
Action
Immediately coordinated with the supplier and internal teams to halt the incorrect packaging progression. Implemented a corrected solution before full production scale-up — resolving the issue within a few days.
Result
Packaging write-off costs avoided, launch timeline protected, and the product reached all EU markets on schedule.
Get In Touch

Let's Connect

Email
LinkedIn
maria-shakhova
Location
Warsaw, Poland
🎯
Role type
Senior Procurement, Project Management, or combined roles in Private Label, FMCG, or retail.
🌍
Location
Warsaw-based. Open to hybrid, on-site in Poland, or remote across EU markets.
🤝
Work style
International teams, direct communication, and real ownership — not just task execution.