The future of procurement will not be defined by the money it saves. It will be defined by the enterprise value it creates.”
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping procurement, but Frederic Khalil believes the defining question for leaders is not how quickly they can deploy new technology. It is how effectively they can combine technology, human judgement and organisational purpose to create enterprise value.
As Chief Procurement & Real Estate Officer at Broadridge, Frederic has helped lead a broader reimagining of procurement – one built around a clear business purpose, a connected digital ecosystem, strategic partnerships and disciplined execution from transformation strategy through enterprise adoption.
His experience points to a larger lesson for procurement leaders: technology can improve speed, visibility and intelligence, but the advantage comes from creating the conditions in which people can use those capabilities to make better decisions, strengthen the business and serve the customer.
A different mandate for procurement
Business conditions are changing at extraordinary speed. AI (Artificial intelligence) is reshaping industries, customer expectations continue to rise and organisations are being asked to innovate while navigating greater complexity.
Against that backdrop, Frederic believes CPOs should ask a different question. Not, “How do we improve procurement?” but, “How do we create more value for the business?” Once the question changes, the choices that follow begin to change with it.
Changing the question, changes the choices that follow. Technology becomes an enabler rather than the destination. Artificial intelligence strengthens human judgement rather than replacing it. Processes become simpler, information becomes more useful and decisions become better.
“I’ve always believed technology should amplify people,” Frederic says. “Its greatest value isn’t automation alone. It’s giving people better information so they can make better decisions.”
That perspective also explains why he rarely describes transformation as a fixed destination. Transformation has milestones. Reimagining is continuous.
“Every time technology advances, customer expectations evolve or the business changes,” he says. “We have another opportunity to rethink how we create value.”
A journey that shaped a perspective
Frederic’s perspective did not begin in procurement. His career began in France in real estate development and investment, where creating long-term value required balancing vision, disciplined execution and thoughtful risk management.
He later joined A.T. Kearney, advising leading financial institutions on procurement strategy and operating-model transformation. Consulting exposed him to different industries, leadership styles and approaches to solving complex business challenges.
It also reinforced an important lesson: designing change is one thing; leading people through it is something entirely different.
That realisation brought him back into the industry, first as Chief Procurement Officer and Head of Shared Services at Guardian Life and later as Chief Procurement and Real Estate Officer at Broadridge.
Looking back, Frederic sees each chapter contributing a distinct lesson.
Real estate taught him to balance vision, execution and long-term value.
Consulting taught him to challenge assumptions and redesign operating models.
Corporate leadership taught him that sustainable change ultimately depends on people.
“You can redesign a process,” he says. “You can implement technology. But lasting change only happens when people understand why they’re changing and believe they’re part of the journey.”
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