Lyn Duncan, CEO of cloudBuy
As CEO of FTSE-listed software company cloudBuy, Lyn Duncan steers an organisation that’s expanding its cloud-based e-commerce, purchasing and e-marketplace solutions around the world, with over $500bn of spend data analysed to-date. She is actively involved in ensuring that solutions are developed and successfully adapted and adopted in each territory.
Under her leadership the company has brought several innovative new solutions to market including cloudBuy’s SpendInsight which was developed through one of the UK’s largest knowledge transfer partner- ships (KTP) in conjunction with Reading University. This solution analyses an organisation’s spend and contract data to highlight areas of potential savings. It has since been used to identify £2bn in procurement savings for the UK National Health Service (NHS).
In 2014, Lyn set the ambitious medium term target of transforming cloudBuy from £3m turnover UK-focused company, to fast growing global company with 80% of its business overseas. In the past 18 months, achievements include signing a partnership agreement with Visa, major e-marketplace announcements in India and Singapore, and a partnership with social enterprise Salvere to launch a social care e-marketplace to revolutionise the planning, purchase and provision of social care products and services.
Exclusive Agreement with Visa
In September 2014 cloudBuy announced a 5-year extension to its contract with Visa Worldwide to roll out cloudBuy’s technology with Visa member banks. Lyn was integral to the negotiations which extended the scope of services to cover cloudBuy’s e-marketplace technology, pre-sales support, project management and SpendInsight services in the Asia/ Pacific region. This strategic deal has paved the way for cloudBuy’s global rollout, with the potential to transform the business over the next five years.
Global Expansion
In December 2014, cloudBuy announced it had signed an agreement with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to develop a global e-commerce platform for its 7,000 members. This was launched in April 2015 at an event attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and offers Indian businesses a route into global supply chains. Lyn personally handled the relationship with the CII, from initial partnership discussions through to the launch of the market-place, even continuing negotiations throughout the after-shocks of an earthquake!
Innovation in Social Care
As a busy businesswoman juggling still-dependent children with increas-ingly dependent parents, Lyn spotted an opportunity to meet her own needs as a daughter living far away from her parents, and how this provided a business opportunity for her company’s technology within social care. Having struggled to find suitable local care providers for her mother who lives in Scotland, she thought about how cloudBuy’s e-marketplace technology could be used to help the elderly and their families to connect with the suppliers of care products and services for the benefit of all parties – families could be more involved in their loved ones care with distance less of a barrier, social care providers could reach more customers, and those receiving care could remain independent in their own homes for longer.
To make this dream a reality Lyn signed a partnership with the social enterprise Salvere to launch mycaresupermarket.com a national e-marketplace for social care where individuals will be able to find and purchase from a wide range of vetted care providers. The market-place is currently signing-up suppliers ahead of a public launch in October 2015.
