"Right now, procurement needs to define their future role in the business. Procurement needs to drive that for themselves, because if we don't, then someone is going to drive it for us, and that could drive us out." - Gordon Donovan, Vice President Research - Procurement & External Workforce, SAP

Business models are being disrupted, and so is procurement. This year's Economist Impact report reveals a sharp drop in C-suite confidence, a dramatic return to basics on cost and compliance, and AI taking center stage as both opportunity and challenge.

Amid these changes, how can CPOs set a strategy that's fit for tomorrow, not just today?

Gordon Donovan, VP of Research for Procurement and External Workforce at SAP, returns to the show with exclusive data and a candid view on industry shifts. Gordon breaks down what really matters in this year's survey: the operational realities behind AI, the new direction for category management, and why rethinking old processes is the only way forward.

In this episode, Gordon discusses:

Why procurement confidence shrank up to 18% globally
The importance of zeroing in on cost and compliance as resurgent priorities
Rethinking category management for a complex new landscape
How to pinpoint where AI delivers and the barriers still holding teams back
Why now is the time to reinvent, not just digitize

Links:

865: Confidence, Cost, and Compliance: Insights from the Economist Impact Report W/ Gordon Donovan

Art of Procurement

865: Confidence, Cost, and Compliance: Insights from the Economist Impact Report W/ Gordon Donovan