DPW New York: Time to RECODE procurement

Recode.

It is the idea of redesigning how procurement and supply chain really works.

Given the level of transformation happening in procurement today, it is easy to see why DPW picked this theme for its annual conferences this year.

“The tagline is about building the AI blueprint for the next decade,” exclusively reveals Herman Knevel, DPW’s CEO. “It’s not only about transformation but it’s about fundamental rethinking while this opportunity is out there with all the AI, agentic models and workflows available. But at the same time, when I talk to the giants and the scale-ups, it’s still about discovery. We need to discover what works and what doesn’t because we’re still in an exploration phase at the moment. Recode is all about a mindset shift.”

In North America, scale is everything. Bigger food portions, cars, cities, entertainment, you name it. But the same can be said for the way in which DPW is progressing – it is continuously pushing the envelope. This year’s DPW New York was its third gathering but in no uncertain terms its biggest this side of the pond too. Held at the Duggal Greenhouse in Brooklyn for the first time, more than 1,200 procurement leaders came together over two jam-packed days. 

Hosted and introduced by comedian Terrance Lamonte Jr, there were keynotes, roundtables and endless networking opportunities to exchange ideas and get up close and personal with the trailblazers redefining the future of procurement. Some of the speakers included the likes of Paula Glickenhaus, Chief Procurement Officer at Bristol Myers Squibb, Sean Park, VP Procurement, AP and Transformation at Arm and Janelle Aydin, Global Chief Procurement and Sustainability Officer, to name but a few of the dozens of leading names delivering sessions. 

DPW prides itself on offering something for everyone. A range of topics were covered, from the likes of building a data foundation for AI-ready procurement and delivering real ROI with agentic AI all the way to shining a spotlight on the women architecting the future of procurement and building a resilient supply chain for a deglobalised world. Each topic had the same underlying theme though – procurement is changing and quickly. It is down to procurement leaders and their teams to mobilise and get acquainted with the tools they need to succeed and thrive in an era of significant transformation.

Reflecting on the event, Knevel was delighted with his team and was also pleased with how the new space worked for DPW. “It’s an amazing effort, I feel proud of what the team has produced here,” he tells us from the outside terrace of the Duggal Greenhouse. “There are around 1,200 people in the room that have all brought so much energy so I am a very proud CEO. If you look to the right, we see the Williamsburg Bridge in the distance – it’s excellent. The outdoor space has allowed people to connect and have meetings, as well as utilise the space inside. We love to be in unconventional places, and this is certainly an unconventional one for procurement conferences in the United States. It’s worked out really well.”

And the success of this year’s event in New York has been made all the more impressive by what DPW is already achieving in Amsterdam. DPW Amsterdam 2025 event saw over 1,700 people from 65 different countries and 37 industries make their way through the Beurs van Berlage door. With preparations already well underway for this autumn’s conference in the Netherlands, which is also set to be hosted at the RAI for the first time, how does Knevel get the balance right?

“Oh, that has been a challenge,” he admits. “Maybe a third of our team hasn’t ever experienced DPW New York themselves before so that was new. My team is based in Amsterdam with 25 people at the moment, whereas a year ago there were about 15, so we keep growing and scaling to raise the bar and we do it together. We’re set up for growth.”

And growth is the name of the game for procurement too. AI is rapidly transforming the way in which procurement operates and redefining company strategies with a view of unlocking an unprecedented level of efficiency. Procurement leaders are reshaping everything they thought they knew and leveraging new digital tools to power decision-making processes. Talk of agentic AI has dominated discussions with a huge emphasis on real use cases instead of hype.

Next up, the action returns to Amsterdam and if this year’s New York offering was anything to go by, it certainly isn’t one to be missed. Knevel wants to leave us with one word when asked about what the future of DPW looks like.

“Scale.”

Procurement. Watch this space.