“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
Dana Forfa, the dynamic VP and Global Head of Procurement at UiPath, has carved a unique path in the procurement and finance transformation field. Her journey began in an unconventional manner, transitioning from a political science graduate to a procurement leader. Dana’s career took off in New York, where she started by stocking the fridge and gradually moved up to managing smaller vendors. Her frustration with office shredding services led her to gather competitive bids and negotiate service levels, igniting her passion for procurement.
This bold approach, coupled with her relentless drive to do what was best for the company, paved the way for her to join an up-and-coming company that promised to transform the finance landscape. Her non-traditional career path has shaped her open-minded approach to hiring, focusing on attitude and work ethic over background, and valuing curiosity as a key trait in the world of transformation.
In her role at UiPath, Dana finds excitement in the dynamic nature of procurement, where no two days are the same. She leverages UiPath products to automate routine tasks, allowing her team to focus on creative problem-solving and innovation. Dana’s leadership is characterized by her commitment to fostering a collaborative and innovative environment within her globally distributed team.
She believes in the power of thought diversity and provides her team with opportunities to share their insights and ideas. Monthly team meetings feature a “Spotlight” segment, allowing team members to showcase their interests beyond their professional roles, fostering a sense of camaraderie and collaboration. Dana’s ability to cultivate a supportive and innovative team environment has been instrumental in driving UiPath’s success in procurement and finance transformation.
Inspiration for Procurement:
Dana was inspired to transition into the procurement and finance transformation field from her beginnings as a political science graduate in New York. She started her career stocking the fridge and gradually moved up to managing smaller vendors. Frustrated with the office shredding services, Dana took the initiative to gather competitive bids and negotiate service levels, discovering her passion for procurement before realizing it was a career path. Her bold approach, providing input before being asked and always pushing for the right thing for the company, paid off.
About a decade later, she was called by an up-and-coming company that she believed would transform the finance landscape and joined their strategic procurement team. Dana’s non-traditional career path has shaped her open-minded approach to hiring, focusing more on attitude and work ethic than background. She values curiosity, a key trait in the world of transformation, and encourages her team to shadow projects outside their day-to-day roles. As the leader of Procurement, Real Estate, Facilities, and Travel, Dana provides numerous opportunities for her team members to explore new topics and branch out, sometimes moving them into new roles due to their curiosity turning into passion.
Exciting Role Aspects:
Dana finds excitement in the dynamic nature of her role. No two days are the same, and she feels fortunate to use UiPath products to automate day-to-day tasks, allowing her team to focus on creative problem-solving. Being on the cutting edge of AI enables Dana and her team to bring their ideas into reality and challenge the status quo.
She frequently asks, “What do we want to do differently tomorrow,” to inspire constant evolution. “Procurement is a field of continuous change, with supplier capabilities, market conditions, and business needs constantly evolving.” Dana believes that agility is the best approach to navigate these changes. Her passion for team growth and creativity aligns perfectly with her role, as she fosters an environment where innovative ideas can flourish and her team can thrive.
Cultivating Collaboration:
Dana Forfa cultivates collaboration and innovation within her globally distributed team across 12 countries by leveraging the thought diversity it brings. She believes that every contributor on her team has valuable insights, and her responsibility is to provide them with opportunities to share these insights. Monthly team meetings feature a “Spotlight” segment, allowing team members to showcase who they are beyond their professional roles.
This helps the team learn about each other’s interests and strengths, fostering a sense of camaraderie. Dana also encourages an open structure where anyone can shadow another project, believing that fresh eyes often generate the best ideas. Her job is to ensure these ideas are heard and given a chance to grow. To accommodate different time zones, the team takes turns with meeting timings and strives to have virtual casual catch-ups, maintaining a cohesive and collaborative team environment.
ESG and Carbon Reduction:
Leading ESG and carbon reduction efforts through procurement has been challenging and rewarding. Dana has been intent on doing the right things for the right reasons for some time, but the hardest part of ESG reporting is ensuring the right documentation is in the right format for environmental scorecards. Despite its challenges, Dana finds the work enjoyable, particularly with the assistance of tools like UiPath’s Process Mining, which automates the reporting process.
Her dedication to environmental sustainability is evident in her efforts to integrate ESG principles into procurement practices, ensuring that UiPath not only meets regulatory requirements but also contributes positively to the environment. Dana’s leadership in this area reflects her commitment to making a meaningful impact through responsible and sustainable business practices.
Ensuring Positive Experience:
Dana measures and ensures a positive customer experience by recognizing that procurement is an external-facing function. “My team interacts with suppliers who are also prospects and customers, making their representation of UiPath as important as that of the sales team. I believe that in procurement, personal brand is as significant as the company’s brand, and what one does in one place will follow them throughout their career.”
Leading with respect is a core principle for Dana and her team. They strive to build strong relationships with suppliers, ensuring that their interactions reflect positively on UiPath. This focus on customer experiences influences procurement strategies by emphasizing the importance of maintaining high standards of professionalism and respect in all dealings, ultimately contributing to the company’s reputation and success.
Balancing Commitments:
Balancing professional commitments with personal priorities is a challenge that Dana navigates with perspective, a skill honed by being a working mother of three children. She finds that tackling problems at quarter close often feels easier compared to negotiating her tween daughter’s outfit or managing mealtime with a toddler. Her ability to balance her responsibilities is rooted in effective time management and prioritization.
She ensures that she allocates time for both her professional and personal commitments, maintaining a healthy work-life balance. “This balance not only helps me stay grounded but also sets an example for my team, demonstrating that it is possible to achieve professional success while maintaining personal well-being,” Dana said.
Staying Ahead of Trends:
Dana stays ahead of trends and leverages AI and technology to drive value and efficiency in a rapidly growing industry by embracing the evolution of AI. At UiPath, the company has maintained its leadership position by continuously evolving, from pioneering robotic process automation (RPA) to developing AI powered automation and agentic AI capabilities. Dana emphasizes the importance of attention, focus, teamwork, operating fast, and staying humble in this fast-paced environment.
UiPath’s vendor-agnostic platform allows customers to use UiPath alongside other AI solutions, providing flexibility and enhancing value. Dana and her team also use UiPath’s technology to find efficiencies and deliver better value faster to both internal and external customers. By staying true to core values and continuously innovating, Dana ensures that UiPath remains at the forefront of the AI and automation industry.
Advice for Aspiring Leaders:
Dana advises aspiring leaders looking to make a meaningful impact in procurement or finance transformation to not be afraid to start. She encourages them to consider what areas keep them up at night and what their team dislikes the most, as these areas are often ripe for automation. Dana shares her own experience with the Purchase Order close process at UiPath, which was error-prone and time consuming before automation.
The “PO Close Bot” transformed this process, taking weeks of work down to minutes and improving overall data hygiene and team satisfaction. Dana’s advice highlights the importance of identifying pain points and leveraging technology to address them, ultimately driving efficiency and positive change.
Leadership and Responsibility:
Dana’s involvement with organizations like WINiT and fundraising for special needs programs has influenced her perspective on leadership and corporate responsibility. She believes in the ripple effect, where positive actions extend far beyond their initial impact. “As a leader, I feel it is my responsibility to push positivity through small acts of kindness, selflessness, and guiding team members through challenging processes to achieve successful outcomes.”
Her commitment to corporate responsibility is reflected in her efforts to create a positive and inclusive work environment, as well as her dedication to giving back to the community. Dana’s leadership is characterized by a focus on making a meaningful difference both within and outside the organization.
Long-Term Goals:
Dana’s long-term goals for procurement at UiPath involve integrating more agentic automation to strengthen the team’s role as strategic finance partners. One specific goal for the year is to streamline the goods receipt process for requestors, allowing them to complete tasks via chat without navigating the procure-to-pay portal.
Dana recently spoke on a panel about AI and procurement and looks forward to continuing to support and inspire fellow procurement leaders as they navigate the evolving landscape. Her vision for the future includes leveraging advanced technologies to enhance efficiency and drive strategic value, positioning UiPath as a leader in procurement and finance transformation.
