LUXEMBOURG - International Women's Day, on 8th of March, is a global day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political impact of women and also a call for action to accelerate gender equality. On this important day, we recognise women for their hard work and resilience. To date, 398 women work for the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) in a variety of roles, from engineering to procurement, legal or administration. Each one of them contributes to the broader NATO mission. On this day, we highlight the important role of one our colleagues, Eleanor Summers.
After serving in different positions for the US Department of Defence (DoD) in London, California and Dubai, Eleanor joined NSPA 18 years ago. Since then, she performed different senior procurement roles, becoming NSPA's Competition Advocate and the Agency's Integrity and Ethics Coordinator. Today she is a leader and an inspiration for others in the organisation.
Eleanor is responsible for advising the NSPA's General Manager in Competition Advocacy issues, ensuring procurements processed by the Agency are available for International Competitive Bidding and addressing Industry concerns regarding fair and equal treatment by the Agency. "I understand and accept that this can be an unpopular role at times, but it's also a critical one as it ensures the Agency complies with its commitment to fairness, transparency and a "level playing field" for all qualified bidders", she explains. Furthermore, in her collateral capacity as NSPA Ethics and Integrity Coordinator, Eleanor acts as true role model for men and women in this Agency by communicating on fraud and corruption prevention. As such, she also indirectly contributes to the prevention of illegal practices such as financing drug, arms and people trafficking.
"The two roles actually have a lot in common – they are both fundamentally about protecting the reputation of Agency as a fair and ethical business partner to industry and as a trustworthy enabler to meet the needs of our member nations. It is a busy and demanding role, but one I find very gratifying." she ensures.