Past Events

It's always interesting to Chair and participate in a very focused procurement event, in this case for WBR's flagship Marketing Event is world-class

One of the big topics for discussion was the impact that artificial intelligence is going to have on both the procurement function but also the providers and there was a growing realisation that for many SMEs, the AI tools that are becoming available will very quickly replace both the procurement team and the vendors because we don't need them either to generate content.

However,  in large companies we identified that having an appropriate seat at the table, having the right talent, having the right data and having the right technology are as important as ever.

And what we heard was that in the case of the table. If we want to have the "blue seat", that standout seat around the table, then we've got to be aligned, we've got to engage and we've got to have shared goals with the business leadership.

When it comes to talent, Three Cs: Curious. Courageous and Conscious are the things that are going to drive the best people in our organisations.

Data is important because it enables these people with those 3 Cs to bring insights and value to the table.

And lastly, technology, the toolbox is what enables those people to convert data quickly into outcomes

Find out more here: https://procureconmarketing.wbresearch.com/

I had the pleasure of being the MC of Origina's latest Empower event, and it was a really good one!

We discovered why it's important for your business to own its IT road map. We learned through as case study of Sainsbury's, how to find the resource is to make investment in change. We gained insight into how ownership of your licensing journey reduced cybersecurity risks for Liberty Mutual.  We heard how taking control of your software destiny (and not relying on OEMs) drives better security and finally we realised in a wonderful session with This Spaceship Earth, the huge environment impact of software and what you can do to improve it.

Follow the link and have a listen to the event:  https://www.origina.com/empower-2023

If you want to find out more about This Spaceship Earth, look here: https://thisspaceshipearth.org/

This invite-only event is a chance for CPOs to gather and talk confidentially about our profession and it's challenges.

WBR's ProcureCon Connect is always a wonderful event and the topics spanned value creation, innovation, crisis management, navigating, uncertainty, future proofing our function, what next generation leaders look like, diversity and category management transformation.

In the end, we heard that it's really that blend of people, data, technology and alignment with the business that matters.

The key takeaway?  "We might enter procurement via the door of cost and spend. But once we're in the room, we are the rock stars of business value. Igniting category management, accelerating agility, catalysing performance and driving relevance".

A really wonderful event!   

Find out more about the 2024 event here:  https://procureconconnect.wbresearch.com/

Cirtuo Procurement Forum 2023

April 27 - 28, 2023

Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik, Croatia

I had the pleasure of Chairing this inaugural event for Category Strategy Technology Vender, Cirtuo in Dubrovnik

We were promised (and we received) a complete tour of category management.

We heard that while some were suggesting it was no longer relevant, we heard that category management isn’t dead it’s just evolving and it's as relevant as ever.

We just need to listen to stakeholders, stop focusing cost reduction, train our teams properly, focus on the business outcomes that we're trying to achieve and use technology well.

Category Management works, but the truth is that around 67% of procurement teams, according to research from Future Purchasing and not doing it well so maybe AI powered Guided Strategy Creation (TM)  from Cirtuo could help you...

Find out more here:  https://cirtuo.com/cirtuo-procurement-forum-2023/