At Ignite, we believe in creating a dynamic team of enthusiastic and talented individuals. In this innovation, success, and growth journey, we are excited to welcome two new members to our team.
Our company is growing rapidly, which means adding new members, making headlines, and expanding our vision every day. Today, we are proud to welcome two new members of the caliber of Kjetil Istad and Faraz Ali to our team.
Kjetil Istad, Senior Advisor
"Ignite has established a brand for themselves, as a company that is bringing the ease and prowess of technology to the procurement industry. I am excited to join a fast-growing technology startup after working for more than 15 years in the public sector. For me, coming back to technology is refreshing. I look forward to contributing to this progress and seeing new ideas taking shape."
Kjetil Istad is a prominent name in the Norwegian procurement community. Istad is an alumnus of The Norwegian School of Economics or NHH and has extensive procurement experience working in both public and private sectors. Between 2009 to 2016, Istad worked for the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority as Director of Procurement and Logistics. During this stint, Istad was responsible for taking the organization through significant development processes. And in 2015, Sykehusinnkjøp HF was approved as the national organization for procurement resources from all Norway's health regions.
In 2016, Istad became the CEO of Sykehusinnkjøp HF, where he carried big mergers, massive HR exercises, developed risk management systems, and harmonized procurement processes across Norway. One thing that Istad is particularly proud of is structuring the organization to centralize and prioritize the sustainability efforts. Also, it is worth mentioning that alongside pandemic and its effects on the medical supply chain, having a good structure and supplier relationship in place is what Istad believes helped his organization handle the pandemic and report NOK 2 billion worth of savings in 2020.
When asked how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the procurement landscape, Istad commented:
"After pandemic, people have understood the importance of procurement and how it has a deeper role to play than just tendering and cost control. Now, the expectations from what procurement can achieve and bring have increased. As a result of this change in expectations, the procurement industry will see an explosion in the use of technology, something it has been lagging with."
Istad's expansive background and experience, plus his knowledge of the procurement industry, make him an invaluable part of the Ignite Procurement team. When not transforming procurement, Istad can be found cycling or walking through the woods with his twin daughters.
Faraz Ali, Growth Hacker
"Procurement has been sluggish when it comes to adopting new technologies. I firmly believe that a great team of passionate people that Ignite has built will, together with their cutting-edge technology, revolutionize the procurement processes across sectors."
Ali is an experienced growth hacker with over a decade of B2B and B2C digital marketing experience. An expert in hacking account-based growth, Ali has held various roles in diverse international markets at Telenor and Tradekey. Most recently, Ali was working as Director Growth and Marketing at SalesScreen.
Ali also has entrepreneurial blood in him as in 2011, he founded his own eCommerce company, StitchesIn, for selling high-end and customized clothes to the US and UK markets.
Ali holds a degree in Marketing from Karachi Institute of Economics and Technology. Ali calls himself a dreamer and a keen observer who also happens to seize his centers of attention on camera. Outside work, Ali can be found gazing at the galaxies and mulling over conspiracy theories.
It is incredible to have such experienced and talented individuals among us. The team Ignite sends our new members a warm welcome and loads of good wishes on becoming a part of our expanding team.
