Today’s procurement leaders have an immense opportunity on their hands.
In a world filled with significant complexity due to ongoing geopolitical instability and inflationary concerns, the likes of new AI-driven tools are a timely tonic in the face of disruption.
AI isn’t set to change the way procurement operates, it is already happening. Today’s Chief Procurement Officer needs to be agile and keep a finger on the pulse in order to achieve sustained success in the midst of an ever-changing and dynamic business environment.
In this exclusive article, CPOstrategy gets the views of a number of leaders within procurement to explore what will define today’s Chief Procurement Officer.
Dafydd Llewellyn
CEO, HICX
“What makes or breaks today’s CPOs comes down to one thing: visibility and control of supplier data.
Modern CPOs operate in a world where disruption is constant. Geopolitical shocks, regulatory pressure, ESG scrutiny, cyber risk, supply shortages – any of these can escalate overnight. When that happens, the CPO is immediately asked critical questions: Which suppliers are exposed? Where is the risk? What can we do right now?
If supplier data is fragmented, outdated or hidden across systems, the CPO is effectively operating blind. That lack of visibility creates risk, slows decision-making and can quickly turn a manageable situation into a crisis.
But when supplier information is trusted, visible and actively managed, the role transforms.
CPOs who have control of their supplier data can see risks earlier, respond faster and pivot with confidence. They can identify affected suppliers in minutes, protect continuity, support compliance, and make strategic decisions that keep the business moving.
In those moments – when the pressure is highest – procurement becomes a strategic advantage.
The difference between a CPO being exposed or being a hero in a crisis often comes down to one capability: having a single, reliable view of supplier data that the business can trust when it matters most.”
Eric Burbank
Director – Industry Strategy and Transformation, CoLab
“One of the biggest challenges facing CPOs today is the fast and comprehensive adoption of agentic AI.
Market sentiment is clear, a survey of 250 engineering leaders at US and European manufacturing companies found that 95% consider the full adoption of AI by design teams – within the next 12 to 24 months – to be critically important. Yet, the current adoption of agentic AI remains lacklustre, and this must be addressed by CPOs.
Agentic AI will have a big impact on product design – removing bottlenecks, increasing the scope of exploration and innovation, and empowering engineers to focus on higher-value strategic work. But a lot of work needs to be done to truly scale agentic AI and embed AI agents into design review workflows, which is crucial to success. CPOs need to proactively work to educate their organisations, learn themselves, and take the time and money to invest in the right strategy with the right partners. Those that start early will gain huge benefits.”
Simon Geale
EVP, Proxima
“Ambition and change leadership will make or break today’s CPO.
Firstly, we all know that there is a lot of pressure on businesses. It’s more than just a gentle evolution. Supply patterns are changing, growth is harder, risk is higher, and capital is tighter. That creates a design opportunity for procurement teams.
2026 will see ambitious CPOs design in absorption into supply models, and build greater connectivity across the value chain. This puts procurement at the heart of a new, more agile “cause and effect” business model. Technology will be a fundamental enabler, as will new more specialist tools and services delivered by partners.
But, fundamentally the change will be powered by and limited by human ambition. This is not simply automating yesterday’s role, it is designing for the future. And we need to lead that change, with our teams, customers, partners.
The next 12 months in procurement will be exciting, and a little unsettling as concepts and changes that have long been discussed begin to be implemented at scale. For the CPOs of today, it’s about ambition and change leadership. Their challenge is no longer whether change is coming, but how boldly they choose to lead it.”
Matthew Smart
Senior Delivery Director, Barkers Commercial Consultancy
“In a role historically focused on delivering cost savings, modern CPOs will no longer be judged purely on finances. Today’s world is fraught with ESG scrutiny, inflationary pressures, geopolitical uncertainty and instability, and increasing digitisation, meaning the traditional mandate of a CPO has expanded and changed drastically. Modern CPOs must no longer be commercial gatekeepers, but able to operate as strategic business leaders.
Resilience is a must-have trait. Disruptions in supply chains are now the norm rather than the exception. And there’s a careful line to treat between driving margin improvement but also investing in risk visibility, scenario planning and supplier collaboration. As digital plays an even more crucial role, being able to utilise data, automation and AI to inform strategies will separate progressive CPOs from transactional ones.
But what can hold CPOs back – and indeed break them – is being misaligned with those at the helm. If stakeholders remain steadfast in their view of procurement as a pure cost-control function – rather than a strategy that can help achieve growth and deliver innovation – then the impact is vastly diminished.”
Emma Mottram
Director of Operations, EN:Procure
“Gone are the days when a career in procurement was defined by ticking boxes and managing processes. Today’s officers navigate a far more complex terrain, where strategic thinking, problem-solving and a 360-degree grasp of risk, opportunity and long-term supply chain dynamics are now an essential part of the role. Modern procurement demands foresight, planning and the agility needed to adapt in the face of global instability, tighter budgets and ever-evolving regulatory frameworks. The skills crisis in construction – and by extension, procurement – only intensifies these challenges. Attracting the right talent is no longer straightforward, which is why organisations must invest in ‘growing their own’.
At EN:Procure, our ‘grow your own’ approach ensures that teams are equipped to meet the demands of modern frameworks, ESG obligations and emerging technologies, while also retaining institutional knowledge and capability.
Technology, from AI to digitalisation, offers transformative opportunities, yet it is still no magic wand. Successful CPOs understand its limits and the importance of safeguarding data integrity and integrating new tools without compromising compliance or risk management. At its core, procurement remains a people-centric discipline. Building relationships, negotiating and exercising commercial judgement are as crucial as ever. Those who thrive are curious, adaptable and proactive, able to turn challenges into opportunities across a constantly shifting landscape.
Ultimately, the CPOs who excel today and will thrive tomorrow blend strategic foresight with operational excellence, invest in their teams and supply chains, and embrace technology without losing sight of the human and ethical dimensions of the role. Procurement is no longer just a support function, but the linchpin that drives organisational cohesion and resilience.”
Sam Pemberton
CEO, Skill Dynamics
“One of the biggest threats facing CPOs today is the widening gap between AI adoption and investment in AI capabilities. Our recent research highlighted that over 70% of procurement activities are now automated or AI-augmented, yet 90% of teams aren’t prepared to scale these tools effectively. We risk building organisations that are technically brilliant but judgment-poor, where workers can operate the tools but can’t think tactically and strategically about when to use them or how to act on the insights they generate.
The numbers are concerning as 29% of companies have no training budget, but are still investing heavily in AI; while 69% rely solely on on-the-job training for roles that are disappearing. Automation is removing tasks that once developed future leaders. In turn, there is a widening of critical skill gaps in areas that can’t be automated, such as supplier relationships, strategic stakeholder negotiation, and critical thinking.
As for procurement’s rebrand, the reality is that it’s technologically progressed, but capability-wise, there is a long way to go. The CPOs who will succeed both in the short- and long-term are those who balance tech investment with an equal commitment to developing human intelligence, and who reassess how we develop talent to build the judgment and creativity that algorithms simply cannot provide.”
Andries Feikema
Author of Digital Transformation in Procurement, Kogan Page
“In 2026, a CPO will be made – or broken – by one capability: converting uncertainty into governed, measurable value at speed. The recent war and escalation in the Middle East have again shown how quickly carriers pause Trans-Suez routes and reroute via the Cape of Good Hope, while marine insurers withdraw war-risk cover – making procurement a board-level topic overnight.
But the stressors are broader: sanctions and export controls, tariff volatility, critical-materials constraints, and cyber exposure across supplier ecosystems. In this context, many CPOs treat AI as the holy grail. AI is a multiplier: it accelerates strong operating models and exposes weak ones. Without a clear value thesis (what must improve – resilience, margin, cycle time, compliance?), cross-functional decision rights, and disciplined adoption, AI becomes theatre – pilots that stall and recommendations nobody can explain or audit.
The winners align business outcomes with digital enablement: scenario-ready supplier portfolios, rigorous value management, and ‘just enough’ data and architecture to scale automation safely. That is the modern CPO: the enterprise’s chief value-and-risk architect.”
Carlos Mena
Author of Leading Procurement Strategy
“The Chief Procurement Officer role has never been more consequential or more precarious. Success will be defined not by cost reduction alone, but by the capacity to create enterprise-wide value under relentless complexity. With only around 6% of CPOs reporting full supply chain visibility, bridging the gap between technology and talent is no longer optional.
What will make today’s CPO is the ability to connect three competing agendas: technology adoption, risk management, and talent development. AI and analytics only create value when paired with sound governance and capable teams. The best CPOs also professionalise supplier relationships, treating key partners as co-designers of continuity, innovation and compliance.
What will break today’s CPO is a narrow cost focus, weak cross-functional influence, and an inability to quantify trade-offs between cost, risk and speed. In a disruption-heavy world, procurement leadership is judged by outcomes, not intent.”
Jonathan O’Brien
Author of Negotiation for Procurement and Supply Chain Professionals
“Any CPO seeking to maintain a strategy based only upon maintaining business as usual, or doing what procurement has always done, is doomed. A similar fate awaits the CPO that attempts to replace procurement at the flick of a switch to an entirely AI, digital solution; for the time being at least – right now there is no magic button!
In our volatile and uncertain, and ever more tech and AI-driven world, today any CPO is standing on shifting sand as the role and nature of procurement morphs in front of our eyes. What will make today’s CPO is a future vision to embrace the use of technology to automate routine spend and roll-out business self-serve for other key areas, and pivot to become a new, smaller and highly strategic function focused on bringing competitive advantage to the organisation. This new function must also become the architects of the business-wide systems the enable the firm to buy. Here, highly talented, exceptionally well-trained procurement professionals, together with skilled data, AI and digital practitioners, will drive forward a new era of procurement. A strategy built around making this happen is what will make today’s CPO.”
Colleen Doherty
Chief People Officer, UST
“As AI reshapes every function and role, the Chief People Officer is no longer just focused on talent but the architect of the future of work. With around 1.1 billion jobs expected be transformed by technology over the next decade, according to the World Economic Forum, the ability to redesign workflows, upskill the workforce and establish KPIs that measure real progress will separate successful CPOs from others.
At UST, this belief guided our approach to AI upskilling. By the end of 2024, more than 25,000 of our associates completed GenAI awareness programmes, focusing on what AI is, where is adds value and where human judgement is essential. We also created a GenAI Sandbox – a safe space for AI experimentation and AI playgrounds – gamified, low-risk environments where engineers can experiment with approaches and learn from failure without consequence.
Ultimately, the CPO’s who will succeed will be those who move from reacting to AI change to actively shaping how work is done. They will intentionally combine the best of human talent with the power of AI.”