We are excited to share the highlights from our GENERATION Summit event this week, where procurement leaders and digital experts came together to discuss the future of the procurement industry.  

The event featured packed sessions and intense collaboration on key topics such as change management, integrating digital capabilities and digital literacy in your teams. Rapid talent acquisition and development emerged as a major challenge, with discussions on how to attract and retain top talent, all while enhancing the overall team experience. 

"Building people's confidence in technology is crucial for leading investment to scale and build capabilities. We need to be more selective in our approach to implement digital capabilities within our teams"  

Chris Garwood, VP Supply Chain Solutions, BP 

A sneakpeek at the afternoon agenda 

A new twist 

Adding a new element to the mix, we ran this Summit in parallel with the SuperSaaS Accelerator (a one day MBA in scaling startups), giving innovative startups an opportunity to present and pitch to leading enterprises attending our event. New start-ups gained invaluable exposure and experience to decision makers and buyers, while offering our Summit attendees a unique look into the new generation of start-ups changing the industry. 

Innovation and Digital Transformation 

“Digitalisation is different today. Not only involving but engaging users” 

Bodo Bokaemper, VP Global Procurement, Software Industrialisation, BMW 

Innovation requires an up-front investment in upskilling teams, leading by example with a clear vision, establishing clear systems of collaboration (not in the least with IT and Digital departments), and embracing data-driven decision-making.  

That’s a tall order. Sam de Frates, VP Procurement, presented Mars’ digital transformation journey to demonstrate how it can be done. Sam showcased how to demonstrate the value, focus on procurement’s pain points, and then expanding successful cases beyond the realm of just procurement. Using Mars’ extensive experience, Sam distilled this down into 5 key ingredients for success: 

1.  It takes time to land the ‘why’ – and don’t forget to do it  
2. It is a People, Process, Technology and then MORE PEOPLE transformation  
3. Understand the maturity of the solution  
4. Stay focused delivering on the outcomes  
5. Be human-centric 

Want to learn more about the solutions that are pioneering innovation in digital procurement? Sign up for our Pioneers webinar on the 22nd of October where we will be announcing the 2024 ProcureTech100 

Takeaways 

A big thank you to all the procurement leaders who joined us at ProcureTech GENERATION for such insightful and engaging discussions. It was a great opportunity to connect with industry experts from leading companies to exchange ideas that are shaping the future of digital procurement. 

The opportunity for procurement leaders to hear about the challenges other industries are facing, while sharing success stories and how they address obstacles, is invaluable. We’re already gearing up for our next summit on the 9th of December. See you there! 

- The ProcureTech Team