Lucy Harding, Global Head of Odgers Berndtson’s Procurement and Supply Chain Practice outlines the critical concerns boards want their CPOs to address.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented levels of supply chain disruption, fundamentally altering the procurement landscape. As companies grapple with these disruptions, the role of the CPO has never been more important. Beyond managing supply chain chaos, procurement is now seen as a key enabler of growth, a mitigator of inflationary pressures, and a driver of significant value creation.

As we move into the latter half of 2024, CPOs are faced with a number of new pressures that compound the already challenging market conditions of recent years. These conditions have not only persisted but have, in some cases, intensified. Topics like ESG standards, DEI initiatives, and right shoring strategies remain key concerns. But in addition, boardroom conversations increasingly pivot to cost management, strong relationships, and digital capability within the supply chain.

Below, I explain what boards are demanding from their CPOs in this dynamic and challenging era.

1. Driving down costs

In an environment where most businesses face no or low growth, cost has become a strategic concern for boards. They expect their CPOs to prioritise cost reduction while maintaining supply chain reliability.

This means identifying efficiencies and negotiating better terms without jeopardising the stability and resilience of supply chains. Boards are looking for CPOs who can deliver significant cost savings as part of their strategic mandate.

2. Cultural and objective alignment

Boards seek CPOs who align with the company’s culture and strategic objectives. This involves fostering strong internal and external relationships to drive value creation and achieve business goals.

A CPO who understands the broader business context and leverages this insight to create impactful change is highly valued. Boards want leaders who can integrate seamlessly with the company’s ethos while steering procurement toward strategic success. Findings from Deloitte’s recent CPO Survey, produced in partnership with Odgers Berndtson, show this type of collaboration is currently the number one strategy for delivering value.

3. Leveraging advanced technology

Boards expect CPOs to utilise advanced analytics and AI to optimise procurement processes. By harnessing data-driven insights, CPOs can make better decisions and drive performance improvements. A key aspect of this technological leverage is enhancing traceability across the supply chain, ensuring greater visibility and accountability.

Boards want tech-savvy leaders who can integrate cutting-edge tools to elevate procurement efficiency and effectiveness. Many CPOs are well underway, with Gartner reporting 58% of procurement leaders are implementing, or plan to implement, AI in the next 12 months.

4. Ensuring supply chain resilience

Given the persistent supply chain disruptions, boards expect CPOs to manage risks effectively and enhance supply chain resilience. This requires regularly assessing global sourcing strategies and maintaining robust supplier relationships.

While supply chain disruption has eased since its height in the pandemic, Deloitte’s analysis shows an upward trajectory in disruption across supply chain, logistics and raw material costs from the beginning of 2024. This therefore remains a front-of-mind challenge for boards, who seek CPOs who can proactively address risks and ensure the continuity and reliability of supply chains in the face of ongoing challenges.

5. Integrating ESG initiatives

ESG considerations are now integral to procurement strategies. Boards look for CPOs who can incorporate sustainable practices and manage Scope 3 emissions, aligning procurement goals with broader ESG targets.

Sustainability regulation has also increased more broadly this year with the ISSB’s global disclosure standards and the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, mandating detailed sustainability reporting from companies. As a result, sustainability competence has become non-negotiable when hiring new CPOs, reflecting its critical importance in today’s business environment.

Essential capabilities for modern CPOs

To effectively address the multifaceted demands of their role, CPOs must master several key capabilities. These include reducing costs while maintaining supply chain resilience, aligning procurement strategies with the company’s broader cultural and strategic goals, and utilising advanced technology for enhanced decision-making and supply chain visibility. Additionally, CPOs need to bolster supply chain resilience through proactive risk management and embed ESG initiatives into procurement processes to meet sustainability objectives.

Ultimately, the business is looking for outcomes, which means CPOs need to be business first, procurement second. Boards prioritise financial performance, and successful CPOs understand this. They see themselves as part of the business leadership and feel empowered and motivated to solve whatever the business problems are at the time.

As a CPO, this requires alignment, adaptability and owning the status of leader – traits that are crucial for strategic success and highly sought after by boards.

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