The CIPS Asia Excellence in Procurement and Supply Awards were back with a bang at the ProcureCon Asia Summit this year to celebrate CIPS goal of driving positive change across the profession.
Hosted at the One Farrer Hotel luxury resort in Singapore, the Awards provided a chance for the industry to celebrate the transformative work of procurement leaders driving excellence, sustainability, and resilience in supply chain management, recognising the winners outstanding achievements and innovation in shaping the future of procurement in Asia.
Covering categories ranging from risk mitigation to procurement transformation programmes and digital technology to delivering social value, these awards provide an unparalleled opportunity to celebrate individual, team and organisation success on a global stage.
Recognised as a benchmark for excellence in the profession and with hundreds of procurement leaders, supply chain executives and sourcing professionals in attendance, winning a CIPS Award is the most prestigious recognition anyone in the procurement and supply chain profession can receive, so it was an honour for the CPOstrategy team to be invited to attend.
As Sam Achampong, Regional Director, MEA and APAC, explains, “Procurement very rarely celebrates success, so our intention is to provide a platform for professionals in Asia to celebrate their achievements and be acknowledged by their peers and other stakeholders. Asia has a significant talent pool and an advanced appreciation of supply chain and technology across several sectors. The remaining piece from a procurement perspective is formal capability development, so we see an opportunity for us to add value there, as well as organisational development and how procurement can add value to an enterprise.”
Over the past year Achampong says CIPS has seen a shift in the Asian procurement sector, with an acknowledgement and willingness to accelerate the value that procurement and supply chain can unlock. “There’s an appetite from the very top, from governments and also multinationals and large local corporates across all sectors, to ensure that their organisations are resilient and their function are eliciting value. It’s this commitment and ambition that has fuelled our increased desire to set up a larger operation across Asia.”
Jonathan Cheung, FCIPS Chartered, CIPS General Manager, Asia believes that the Awards show, “Asia is no longer asking for a seat at the table. Increasingly, it is helping to shape the table. Organisations are investing in capability, leadership, digital transformation and professional standards at a level we have never seen before. Across many of the winning entries, success was not defined simply by achieving savings or implementing technology, but by directly supporting broader organisational objectives.”
He goes on to say that, “What also stood out was the quality of leadership and an investment in people. The best teams were not waiting for change to happen; they were actively leading it.” Alongside these issues Cheung was pleased to see the winners demonstrating a strong commitment to ESG and responsible sourcing that goes beyond compliance. Leading procurement teams understand that sustainability, resilience and commercial success are now interconnected.
If he had to identify one gap between Asia and more established procurement markets, Cheung says it would be consistency of professional capability, rather than capability itself. He believes the next stage of Asia’s development is not simply about adopting new technologies or processes, but about consistently building professional capability, strengthening leadership skills and elevating procurement’s influence within organisations.