Influential Women Features Tricia Owen-Lyons, B. Sc., MBA: Associate Director Of Sourcing And Contracting At Merck
West Point, Pennsylvania — Tricia Owen-Lyons, B.Sc., MBA, is an accomplished procurement and sourcing leader currently serving as Associate Director of Sourcing and Contracting at Merck. In her role, she serves as second in command for the Procurement Business Operations U.S. hub—the execution arm of the organization’s procurement function—and also operates as Chief of Staff, providing strategic coordination across departments and executive leadership teams. Recognized for her strong organizational leadership and ability to drive alignment at the executive level, Tricia plays a critical role in optimizing procurement operations and advancing enterprise-wide strategic initiatives.
Over the past nine months, Tricia has made a measurable impact within the organization through the introduction and adoption of innovative productivity tools such as Microsoft Copilot and Planner. These enhancements have significantly improved workflow efficiency, collaboration, and operational visibility across teams. Her leadership in digital transformation and process optimization has earned her multiple quarterly leadership awards, underscoring her ability to translate innovation into tangible business outcomes.
With more than 20 years of progressive global procurement experience, Tricia has built a career defined by continuous improvement, negotiation excellence, and cross-functional collaboration. She is also the founder of her organization’s first and only Negotiation Club, an initiative designed to promote knowledge-sharing, strengthen commercial acumen, and develop high-performance negotiation skills across teams. Through this platform, she has fostered a culture of learning and empowerment, enabling colleagues to refine critical business capabilities.
A servant leader at heart, Tricia is widely recognized for leading by example and prioritizing the growth, well-being, and success of her team. Her leadership philosophy is centered on service, empowerment, and creating opportunities for others to thrive. By focusing on people development and inclusive leadership practices, she has helped elevate both team performance and organizational capability within a highly complex global environment.
Tricia is a first-generation college graduate and holds an undergraduate degree from St. Francis College and an International MBA from the University of the West Indies. Her personal love for languages, including French, Portuguese, Mandarin, Spanish, and English, brings a global and culturally fluent perspective to her leadership approach. Her academic and professional journey reflects a deep commitment to lifelong learning, cross-cultural collaboration, and inclusive leadership.
Throughout her career, Tricia has remained focused on growth through experience and perspective. She attributes her success to the culmination of diverse life and professional experiences that have shaped her resilience, adaptability, and drive. She also credits her children as a central motivation, noting that her work is ultimately driven by a desire to create greater opportunities and stability for them than she experienced growing up.
As a first-generation graduate, Tricia reflects on the importance of breaking cycles of limitation while maintaining perspective on success and well-being. She emphasizes that while she does not believe life should be without challenge, she is intentional about removing unnecessary barriers for her children and those she mentors. This perspective allows her to maintain balance and clarity in high-pressure environments, particularly in corporate settings where competing priorities are constant.
Tricia explains that her ability to manage workplace stress is grounded in perspective. Rather than becoming overwhelmed by professional pressures, she consistently steps back to evaluate what truly matters. She emphasizes the distinction between professional roles and personal identity, stating that while she is replaceable in the workplace, she is not replaceable within her family. This belief guides her decision-making, leadership approach, and long-term priorities.
One of the most impactful pieces of career advice Tricia has received relates to salary negotiation. Early in her career, when transitioning between roles with limited negotiation experience, she was advised to consider adding $20,000 to her previous salary as a benchmark during discussions. Although initially surprised by the suggestion, she later found it to be a useful guideline after conducting her own research and validating it against market standards. While she acknowledges that compensation benchmarks evolve, she considers this advice a valuable foundation that helped build her confidence in early negotiations.
Tricia encourages women entering procurement and sourcing to take a measured, exploratory approach when entering the field. She advises starting small, gaining exposure, and determining whether the industry aligns with one’s strengths and interests before pursuing long-term specialization. Tricia notes that success in procurement requires strong business acumen, financial literacy, and the ability to understand interconnected organizational functions.
She further emphasizes the importance of communication across diverse stakeholder groups, including legal, risk management, and finance professionals. Each group operates with distinct priorities and perspectives, and success in the field requires the ability to navigate complexity, align interests, and build consensus through experience and credibility.
Tricia identifies one of the most significant challenges in her industry as the ongoing impact of socioeconomic and geopolitical factors on global business operations. She notes that uncertainty in economic conditions directly affects supplier negotiations, sourcing strategies, and organizational planning. In response, many companies are restructuring and optimizing workforce models, which has also led to fewer available opportunities and increased competition across the industry.
Despite these challenges, Tricia remains focused on adaptability and continuous improvement. She identifies honesty, creativity, and authenticity as her core values, which guide her both personally and professionally. She emphasizes consistency in behavior and communication across all environments, ensuring that her leadership style reflects her values in every interaction.
Outside of her professional responsibilities, Tricia enjoys gardening and engaging in the arts, activities that provide creative expression and balance. These interests complement her structured, analytical professional life and contribute to her overall sense of well-being.
Most proud of her role in helping transform her organization to the next level, Tricia Owen-Lyons continues to lead with authenticity, purpose, and measurable impact, shaping the future of global procurement through innovation, collaboration, and servant leadership.
Learn More about Tricia Owen-Lyons:
Through her Influential Women profile, https://influentialwomen.com/connect/tricia-owenlyons
Influential Women
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