New Research – Blueprints for Future Talent: Developing an AI-Ready Procurement Team
A new report titled "Blueprints for future talent: Developing an AI‑ready procurement team" reveals that over 70% of procurement tasks are already being handled by AI, signaling a rapid transformation of the function. Drawing on the Procurement Salary Survey 2025 and insights from the Procurement Leaders community, the study outlines how Chief Procurement Officers must redesign roles, skill sets, and leadership pipelines. The research, produced with GEP, offers practical guidance on reimagining job mixes, cultivating hybrid technical‑soft skills, and identifying next‑generation procurement leaders. It positions AI adoption as the next pivotal shift for procurement organizations.
CPO Crunch: Building Leadership Muscle
The "CPO Crunch: Building leadership muscle" piece underscores that today’s chief procurement officers must evolve beyond transactional buying to become strategic leaders. It highlights three pillars—data‑driven decision making, cross‑functional influence, and talent development—as essential for strengthening leadership capability. The article...
CPO Crunch: Lessons in Leadership, From an Outgoing CPO
Ana Elena Marziano, who spent more than three decades at Procter & Gamble and the last six as chief purchasing officer, is leaving the role after steering the function through the pandemic’s disruption. She handed the CPO reins to Erik...
CPO Crunch: Making Sustainability ‘Economically Bombproof’
Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs) are increasingly forced to justify sustainability projects with concrete financial returns, as regulation and cash flow dominate decision‑making. The conversation with Gianluca Colombo, CPO of dsm‑firmenich, highlighted the need for aggressive near‑term targets to make long‑term...
CPO Crunch: Oil and Trouble as Pacific Fuel Supplies Tighten
Procurement leaders in Australia and New Zealand are confronting a severe fuel‑supply crunch as the Gulf conflict disrupts global oil flows. Both countries fall short of the International Energy Authority’s 90‑day oil‑reserve mandate, driving sharp price spikes in fuel, petrochemicals...
CPO Crunch: CPOs Demonstrate Their Adaptability, Switching From Crises to Prizes
Procurement Leaders’ 2026 World Procurement Awards showcased CPOs’ pride and achievements. Just days earlier, the same leaders joined a CPO Connect session on the Gulf crisis, discussing workforce well‑being, oil prices hovering around $120 per barrel, and strategic shifts toward...
CPO Crunch: Managing the Complexity of ‘Mega Deals’
The Financial Times reported a record 22 mega‑deals worth over $10 billion each in Q1 2026, pushing global M&A volume to $1.2 trillion. The headline transaction is Unilever’s merger with McCormick, creating a $65 billion food giant. Procurement is slated to deliver 80% of...
New Research – AI-Powered Procurement: Building the Agentic Future
Artificial intelligence is moving beyond reactive generative models toward agentic systems that can reason, plan, and execute procurement workflows with minimal human input. Agentic AI promises to automate routine, time‑consuming tasks, allowing procurement teams to concentrate on strategic initiatives. To...
CPO Crunch: Unleash the Best in Your Team
Vertex Pharmaceuticals' Chief Procurement Officer Connie Walters argues that procurement teams should be treated as business leaders rather than mere support functions. She emphasizes cultivating deep business insight, strategic commercial acumen, execution focus, relational intelligence, and an AI‑first mindset. Walters...
CPO Crunch: Stoking Procurement’s Creative Fire
The upcoming Procurement Leaders CPO‑only retreat, Ovation, will spotlight "Creative fuel, visionary futures," giving chief procurement officers dedicated time to explore right‑brain thinking alongside geopolitics, AI and resilience. Speakers include the LSE president and a creative‑agency CEO, underscoring a push...