Desre Hancocks

Born in South Africa and currently based in the UK, I have always had a passion for helping others and a deeply rooted value of social justice. While studying my undergraduate degree at St Andrews University, in Scotland, I attended a panel discussion on the complex issues of conflict minerals. It had a profound effect on me, and I found myself going up to the panelists with the question, how can I help? As a naive consumer I had no idea of the complexity of supply chains and the devastating impact practices were having on both people and the planet. And so my journey to finding a way to be part of the solution began. Nine years later I am excited to be part of such an inspiring movement of fellow procurement professionals, The Sustainable Procurement Pledge (SPP),  looking to transform their supply chains to be a force for good in the world. “Ubuntu…It also means my humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in theirs. We belong in a bundle of life.” ― Archbishop Desmond Tutu