London - 3rd December 2009 - Sigaria Ltd, owner of the Procurement Leaders Network, an international membership-led community for executive level procurement, sourcing and supply chain management professionals, has this week reaffirmed its place as the leading industry body for procurement by scooping two awards at this year's IPAC Independent Publisher Awards.

The prestigious annual awards, which took place on the evening of 1st December 2009, were presented by serial entrepreneur, James Caan. Sigaria took the awards for both 'Business Magazine of the Year' and 'Brand Extension of the Year'.

Commended for its professional image and high-quality editorial, Procurement Leaders magazine was praised for its intelligent industry analysis and reviews from Fortune 500 executives. The judging panel also highlighted Procurement Leaders' outstanding attractiveness to advertisers, citing the publication's increase in advertising revenues of over 100% from 2008 to 2009 as a "remarkable financial performance in difficult times".

In an environment in which publishers are facing increased financial strain, as well as pressure caused by the fast-evolving social media landscape, Sigaria also scooped the top prize in the 'Brand Extension of the Year' category, a category that it was highly commended in at the 2008 awards. The judges noted that Sigaria had successfully recognised the need for a publishing business to offer a broad array of services to survive, commending the Procurement Leaders Network for its large portfolio of complimentary brands including the Procurement Leaders Forum, it's annual awards, blog and the weekly newsfeed.

The judges also highlighted the huge potential brought about by the launch of the Procurement Intelligence Unit (PIU). The PIU was launched in June this year to work with procurement departments across the world, providing independent market intelligence, research and benchmarking. The PIU analyses and researches market data, trends and hot topics in order to define procurement best practice and innovation for the future.

"We are delighted that Procurement Leaders has been recognised by our industry peers at this year's Independent Publisher Awards," says David Rae, Editor of Procurement Leaders. "We pride ourselves on being able to offer our readership intelligent, high quality and topical news and analysis and this award reflects this commitment. This accolade has shown that Procurement Leaders is seen as the most valuable resource by industry professionals and we look forward to continuing to build this resource for all those involved in the function."

"In the current economic climate, it is critical that businesses make the right strategic decisions to ensure their survival," says Mark Perera, CEO, Sigaria. "Both the Procurement Leaders Network and PIU provide a source of information and data that greatly helps organisations take the right steps in managing risk, reducing costs and improving performance in these highly-competitive times. We are really excited about this award win and 2009 has been a great year for all involved. Moving into 2010 and beyond, we will endeavour to work with the best contacts in the industry to ensure members are always up-to-date with the most critical issues to help them navigate these challenging economic times."