Sharing ideas across teams and borders

Claudia Lyster has always been drawn to international business and working across different markets. She started her career in global procurement in the manufacturing industry, where she also gained experience in market intelligence and researching raw materials and industry trends. She later moved into construction and engineering, supporting data center projects across Europe. It was a new industry and a different kind of procurement, bringing her closer to projects and giving her experience across the European data center market.

In 2023, she joined Exyte in Ireland to lead procurement for Northern Europe. It was a step forward in her career and a chance to take on more responsibility in the international environment she had come to enjoy. “What attracted me was the opportunity to take on a leadership role and to continue developing my career in an international environment.” 

Procurement starts long before purchasing

Claudia Lyster and her team are involved well before anything is ordered. Procurement supports projects during pre-construction, from pricing and procurement strategies through to sourcing materials and services once a project moves into execution. The team also works closely with suppliers and monitors equipment with long lead times.

That early involvement is important in the data center industry, where demand, supplier capacity and equipment lead times can change significantly. A change in availability or lead time can affect not only what and when the team purchases, but also project schedules, costs and ultimately delivery. Staying close to the market helps procurement identify potential risks early and give project teams the information they need to make timely decisions.

For her, this also means looking beyond the immediate purchasing requirement. She encourages her team to understand how the decisions they make can affect the wider project and to work closely with suppliers and project teams when challenges arise.

Her own weeks are a mix of project work, conversations with her team and staying close to suppliers. She also visits project sites, giving her a first-hand view of the challenges teams are dealing with and a better understanding of where procurement can support them. 

Turning market insight into something bigger

One initiative Claudia Lyster is particularly proud of is a Market Intelligence Report she developed to monitor lead times and market trends for key equipment. The idea was to gather first-hand information directly from suppliers and give the procurement team a clearer view of changing market conditions. That information could make a real difference to projects. By tracking changes in lead times and potential supply constraints, the team could identify possible challenges before they started to affect delivery and advise project teams.

But she soon saw that the information could be useful beyond procurement. Sharing it with other teams could give them greater visibility of global market developments and help them make informed decisions and plan ahead. The report has since helped teams during the tender stage to better understand equipment timelines and make more accurate estimates and plans. Its value has also attracted interest beyond Northern Europe, with colleagues in other markets exploring how her approach and data sources could be used as a basis for similar reports in their own regions.

The wider interest in her work has also brought new opportunities. Drawing on her procurement and supply chain experience, she was invited to represent Exyte as a moderator at an international data center summit, taking her expertise beyond her immediate role and into a wider industry conversation.

“I was really pleased with the feedback and the interest from different regions. It showed me that sometimes you don’t need a huge initiative to make an impact. Something quite simple can create a lot of value if there is a real need for it and you share it with the right people.” 

The people behind the work

For Claudia Lyster, a big part of enjoying her role comes down to the people around her. She likes working in an international environment, where colleagues bring different experiences and perspectives to the table. Just as important is the trust she has been given to take ownership of her work and try out her own ideas. “What I really enjoy is the international environment and the people I work with. I have the flexibility and the trust to take ownership of what I do and bring new ideas forward.”

When she has brought new ideas forward, she says the response from colleagues and managers has encouraged her to keep going. That support gives her the space to try a different approach and share what works with others. Her Market Intelligence Report is one example of an idea that was able to grow because people saw the value in it. It is the kind of environment she wants to create for her own team too.

“One thing I always say to my team is: think outside the box. If you see something we don’t have, or something we could improve, bring the idea forward. Sometimes those little changes can make a really big impact.”