Ambassador
Ozie Malikyar
She/Her
Manager, Sourcing
ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵ Supply
A little bit about me:
My name is Ozie Malikyar and I’m a Sourcing Manager with ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵ Supply Corporation (GSC), which is the procurement arm of ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵ. I joined the company in 2017 as a member of the paper team. The paper team manages and handles all newsprint and specialty paper purchases for ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵ. I also manage our supplier diversity program.
What was the moment you knew you made the right decision to work at ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵ?
Shortly after I joined ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵ, I knew I made the right decision, and that this role was a great fit for me! I’m grateful to have such wonderful colleagues who are dedicated, work well together and are always willing to go above and beyond for the team. I’ve had the opportunity to take on new projects and responsibilities that has expanded my role and encourages me to continue to challenge myself.  I appreciate that ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵ encourages employees to excel in their career by providing management training and leadership programs that promotes and fosters growth. I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to participate and complete the Emerging Leaders Program in 2021 and I found that experience to be invaluable.
Name one of your individual strengths and how you apply it at ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵ
Ability to multitask and work well under pressure. Managing the newsprint purchases and logistics for ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵ’s paper program requires constant flexibility, tight deadlines, exceptional customer service and proactive contingency plans in place to mitigate paper shortages at any of our print sites.
ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵ enables me to
grow by…
I’m thankful for the various opportunities I’ve had at ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵ that have helped me grow within my current role and encourages me to continue to expand my responsibilities. This includes participating in the Emerging Leaders Program, taking on a leadership role within the Sustainability Forward ERG and leading our supplier diversity program.
Describe a ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵ project that has inspired you. 
A project that has inspired me is leading our Supplier Diversity program. In 2021 our goal was to benchmark existing spend with diverse suppliers to define addressable spend opportunities. Since then, I’ve been able report our annual diverse spend, track changes in spend, and share the progress of our program during quarterly Go Forward meetings. We’ve also been able to feature the supplier diversity program in the company’s annual inclusion report and ESG report.
Pick one word to describe the culture at ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵ
At ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵ, we work with other departments on various projects, initiatives or to develop and/or improve processes, which isn’t possible without collaboration. Effective collaboration requires thoughtful communication, time management, listening and problem-solving skills between the different teams so that objectives and goals are clear. The paper team often works with the accounting team and GPS in managing all paper issues across ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵ sites. Additionally, as a member of the Sustainability Forward ERG and managing the Supplier Diversity program, I have opportunities to work with other departments within ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵ.
A day in the life
This is a photo from the Media Finance Focus Conference in Tampa, FL I attended last May where I had the opportunity to participate on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) panel discussing supplier diversity.
Our national corporate membership with National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) provides opportunities to attend various conferences and meetings. This is a photograph from the Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council’s 38th Annual Leaders & Legends Award Ceremony at the MGM National Harbor I attended in September 2019.
My husband Eric and I love to travel and try to visit at least one new country every year. Some of our favorite vacations include trips to the Bahamas, Spain, France, Portugal, and Greece and our most recent trip to Italy where we spent 12 days in Milan, Lake Como, Florence, and Rome for our one-year anniversary. Here we’re photographed at a winery in Tuscany.
When we’re not working or traveling, we love spending time outdoors either biking, jogging, or hiking. We travel to San Diego often, which is where most of my family resides and while we’re there, we make sure to take advantage of the warm weather and beautiful scenery with plenty of hikes or trips to the beach. This is a photo after a hike in Malibu, CA.
In our spare time, we also enjoy going to museums, concerts, plays, shows, and events in the DC area. Â This is a photo of my husband and I attending a play at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.