“We want people to understand that suppliers are very important in their ecosystems.”

Costas Xyloyiannis, CEO of HICX, is passionate about the value supplier experience brings to procurement and supply chain. 

And he’s not the only one. Indeed, there has been a boom in popularity in recent years following decades of supplier experience being seen as a ‘nice to have’ rather than a necessity. Today, companies know they cannot go alone, particularly against the backdrop of a wave of global disruptions and geopolitical challenges.

Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, HICX Supplier Experience Live returned to the Tobacco Theatre in Amsterdam to take the conversation one step further. Once again recognised as an official DPW Amsterdam side event, HICX Supplier Experience Live’s mission is to help organisations use supplier experience to remove friction and become a customer-of-choice.

Xyloyiannis believes as the global procurement landscape evolves, the antiquated way of dealing with suppliers as a transactional deal is shifting to more of a key, strategic relationship. “This shift has happened because the objectives of procurement have moved,” he explains. “Of course, savings is still a big component of it. That doesn’t go away, but it’s not the only component anymore. You have risk, sustainability, and a lot of other requirements which are now also being considered. In order to do these things successfully, the focus shifts to working with suppliers more closely. Supplier collaboration is key.”

Speaking exclusively to CPOstrategy, Chief Marketing Officer Anthony Payne aligns with Xyloyiannis’s view and believes supplier experience now sits as an important item on the CPO agenda. “I’d like to think the boost in popularity is because the core message of supplier experience is resonating and people are recognising that the old ways of treating suppliers as an asset to be milked or a value extraction point don’t work anymore,” he tells us. “Companies are realising that it’s about the strength of their entire ecosystem in order to deliver to their own internal customers. If I’m a manufacturer, how do I work closely with my suppliers to collectively deliver value to the end customer? What supplier experience is to me is the vehicle to remove friction and figure out how companies and their suppliers can work better together.”

The half-day event began with a welcome from Payne who gave an introduction into the world of supplier experience, the market developments that have happened so far and given rise to the strong community of evangelists who have placed the topic back on the agenda.

Payne handed over to futurist Dr Elouise Epstein, Partner at Kearney, who delivered a keynote on how leaders can leverage the importance of supplier experience in a disrupted world. As supply chains can no longer count on legacy technology and processes, she explained the importance of embracing digital innovation to build resilient systems for the future. Epstein also revealed how automation is taking over last-mile delivery and related her own personal experiences with self-driving taxis while injecting her trademark humour into the session.

After Epstein was a panel session with Oliver Hurrey, Founder at Galvanised, Marc Munier, CEO and Founder at DitchCarbon and Alexandra Tarmo, VP Procurement Centre of Excellence at Kenvue. While the theme was around delivering climate-conscious decision-making in ESG management, Hurrey opened the floor and asked the audience for themes to engage with the panel. One of the topics discussed was the importance of managing the challenge between regulation and reporting while still also driving change.

Later, Xyloyiannis sat down with Payne for a conversation around supplier data. Important questions were answered regarding how the tech stack should be able to address supplier data challenges and how companies can begin a supplier data project. Following this session, Duncan Clark, Director of Product Marketing at HICX, explored the topic of supplier marketing and how it can help improve supplier adoption and engagement.

Finally, Payne hosted a panel discussion with Laurens Van Den Bovenkamp, Senior Director Supply Chain and Marc Bengio, Senior Director – Head of Technology Enterprise Procurement at Johnson & Johnson. The duo focused on J&J’s revolutionary supplier digital collaboration project and uncovered how supplier interactions are boosting internal and external experiences.

Speaking to CPOstrategy following their sessions, Munier, Hurrey and Tarmo are all in agreement about how positive the future of supplier experience is within procurement and supply chain. “Whenever you talk about any procurement issue, it’s always about trying to engage with suppliers correctly in order to get them to do something but actually people don’t often think enough about what the supplier might need from a relationship,” explains Munier. “I think HICX really enables you to do that.”

Hurrey adds that the key, particularly when dealing with SaaS software, is down to adoption. “Unless you focus on the supplier experience, procurement is not going to get what it needs from the supplier and you’re not going to get that customer of choice,” discusses Hurrey. “This is because the suppliers, particularly of carbon, don’t know what you’re asking for. This is why I think it’s incredibly refreshing to hear HICX talk about supplier experience because the users of the platform that will give you the data that will enable you to make decisions are the suppliers and the buyers. It’s really important to hear that.”

Tarmo believes one of the biggest challenges in procurement is navigating how best to engage with suppliers. “Supplier engagement and collaboration is critical for everything we do in procurement,” explains Tarmo. “Everyone in procurement wants to understand how to reach out to suppliers and how to engage with them correctly. I think we also have an increasing number of requests from our suppliers so the task is about making sure we continue to engage and answer our requests because without suppliers we cannot move the needle.”

Supplier experience is certainly on an upward trajectory. Watch this space.

“We believe.”

That was the message from DPW Amsterdam’s powerful opening show. The song, performed by Elvis-E and the ZA-EL Gospel Choir, was created exclusively for the event and kicked off the highly anticipated meet in the Dutch capital.

And it is safe to say the world’s biggest and most influential tech event in procurement and supply chain lived up to its billing. With 1,300 attendees from 44 countries across 32 industries and 72 sessions featuring 140 speakers across five stages alongside 120 sponsors, 84 startup pitches over 14 tech domains, the numbers speak for themselves. Procurement gets excited about DPW.

DPW’s journey

Indeed, the story of how DPW was born is truly inspiring. Founder Matthias Gutzmann had grown frustrated at the lack of procurement conferences to showcase his previous employer Vizibl and decided to create the solution himself. He left his job in New York City, moved into his parents’ house and invested all his savings to launch DPW. Months later, DPW’s launch conference in September 2019 welcomed 400 industry leaders while being praised from across procurement. Fast forward five years and DPW Amsterdam has grown from strength to strength and even launched its first event in North America last summer back where it began for Gutzmann in New York.

DPW Amsterdam strives to deliver a great experience and its competitive advantage is it doesn’t solely revolve around procurement. DPW Amsterdam blends talks, technology, networking, performances, culinary and wellness into one immersive experience that inspires attendees and keeps them coming back. 

Every year, DPW selects a different theme to set the tone for the conference’s conversation. This year, 10X was chosen which is the idea that organisations should aim for a moonshot mindset instead of seeking incremental growth. In procurement and supply chain, 10X thinking essentially means fostering a progressive diverse culture where calculated risks are embraced, reimagining and rewiring traditional processes, moving from legacy tech to disruptive technologies, and leveraging AI and automations that deliver tenfold improvements in efficiency, cost savings, and supplier relationships.

DPW Amsterdam 2024

Held once more at the historic former stock exchange building, the Beurs van Berlage, Gutzmann and CEO Herman Knevel had a few special tricks up their sleeve. New this year were tech safaris which were guided group tours operating throughout the expo halls. Due to the 25,000ft² of exhibition space within the building, it can often be challenging to find your way around. However, the introduction of these tech safaris, which were tailored to specific themes, allowed attendees to gain real insight into the areas they cared the most about. Also new this year was a podcast studio which covered topics from AI and procurement orchestration to women in procurement and sustainability. 

As is customary for DPW Amsterdam, the conference did not disappoint once again with its speaker line-up. The headliner was Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever, who delivered a spectacular keynote on how purpose-driven leadership can drive both profitability and positive impact. Polman, who is a globally recognised thought leader in sustainability, also took to the stage to challenge business leaders to embrace Sustainable Development Goals with urgency and courage in a separate session on exponential climate action. 

Driving Procurement

One of the biggest draws of DPW Amsterdam is there is something for everyone. Sessions covered a range of topics including how to leverage data analytics and AI for guided decision-making, how to build and rethink procurement organisations with a tech mindset and how to scale 10X efficiency and impact, among others. Across the two days, there were more than 70 learning sessions spanning keynotes, workshops and pitches across seven stages. The stages were Centre Stage, Sponsors We Love Stage, 10X Stage, Masterclass Stage, CPO Summit, Expo Pitch Arena and Startup Academy. Some of the speakers across the event included the likes of Jennifer Moceri, Chief Procurement Officer at Google, Marc Engel, CEO at Unilabs and Rujul Zaparde, CEO at Zip. And for those unable to attend, DPW live-streamed the action via social media to allow thousands more people to watch the important keynote sessions along at home.

As many attendees travel to Amsterdam from other countries, there are official DPW Amsterdam side events the day before the conference begins. A padel tournament was arranged for the first time which proved a hit, alongside ORO IMAGINE, while HICX Supplier Experience Live also returned for its second year. Add in the Opening party, the Zip Canal Cruise, After Drinks and the Grand Finale Closing party, DPW Amsterdam 2024 ensured no attendee was left without plans.

Digital Procurement Boom

The conference has grown significantly over the years. Last year’s theme of ‘Make Tech Work’ laid the groundwork for technology transformation and focused on how to turn digital aspirations into a reality. As procurement’s current favourite word, generative AI, continues to create conversation and make waves within the function and beyond, collaborating to find the best strategies to leverage large language models and advanced technologies is the key to success in the modern world. 

Speaking exclusively to CPOstrategy following the event, Gutzmann was in no doubt about DPW Amsterdam’s direction of travel. “I’m overwhelmed. The final word is always with our sponsors and attendees and the feedback I’ve heard across the board is amazing. I really think this was our best one yet.”

Knevel was in full agreement with Gutzmann and revealed that he felt the momentum upon entering the building. “The energy in the room across the two days was contagious. There was a genuine interest in what these solutions are bringing to the procurement space.”

Future

And the duo of Gutzmann and Knevel have no plans to slow down yet. With a final year planned with the Beurs van Berlage as the venue, they are in the early stages of locating a new home for DPW Amsterdam from 2026 onwards as the conference continues to scale exponentially.

DPW Amsterdam is a hub of collaboration. It is an event that truly brings real-world challenges to the front of the agenda and offers real, actionable guidance on how to overcome obstacles. While today’s world is ever-changing, procurement has the keys to unlock the door. Let’s go 10X. 

Why come to DPW Amsterdam? What, in your mind, makes this event so special and such a popular meet in the procurement calendar? 

Edzard Janssen, RBI: “For me, it’s a very good overview of procurement technology trends. It asks, ‘What are the business problems and the solutions to business problems?’ It’s two days where I invest in getting a good overview, talking to people, and networking.”

Jurriaan Lombaers: “From the beginning, it’s been authentic. It’s great to see all the startups and it triggers your innovation and entrepreneurial mindset to think ‘What else can we do?’ Instead of just doing more of the same. And likewise, it creates a super exciting platform for the startup to show what they can do and what they can deliver. DPW grows every year and it’s a great networking event to meet lots of old friends and make some new ones. It’s super special.”

Kristina Andric, Tetra Pak: “To me, what really describes this event is inclusiveness and collaboration because it brings startups and the corporate world together and shows what kind of amazing synergies that can yield. No one company has all the solutions in one place. However, together we can leverage the strengths and perspectives of each other and then amazing things can happen.”

Chris Platts, SSE: “It’s an amazing event. It’s obviously full of energy. We think it’s the best event for procurement tech, and I get a lot from being here and reflecting on what’s next, what people are doing, what best practice is, and how we can leverage some of that. And then hopefully we can work with some of the vendors and help some startups. I love this event.”

Sopan Shah, IHG Hotels & Resorts: “It’s been mind-blowing. It is so exciting to be in our industry, at a conference that is focused on procurement technology. We’re at the precipice of this dramatic change in digitalising everything we do and the way we run our supply chains, and the people that are building that future are here at DPW. And so it’s hugely exciting to see this kind of startup environment with new and established players that are engaging, showing use cases, building connections, building networks. It’s hugely empowering. My team is getting a long to-do list from me after this, but I know they’re excited.”

What are some of the strategies that leaders can adopt in order to achieve 10X thinking? 

Iris van der Harst, Equans: “My main focus is to reflect my operating model every year. Is my team of procurement specialists still adding value and are we doing the right thing for our business and stakeholders both internally and externally? Also, are we bringing in the right innovations to drive 10X? It’s always really easy to blame it on the other departments but I think it’s important to look at what you can do within your own team and operating model. As a CPO, I set the vision and the strategy, but I don’t forget my team and I need to constantly train and educate them about what’s going on. I might lose some people along the way, but it must be their decision, not that I didn’t give them enough attention or opportunity to grow.”

Christophe Villain, Nestle: “You need to change the mindset of your people, and showcase the opportunities available to your colleagues. It’s also about your data maturity and foundations, because the next generation of procurement activity will be strongly data-based, and you’re relying on that data accuracy, availability, and accessibility. You’ll also need to challenge your processes and ways of working.”

Kristina Andric, Tetra Pak: “One of the key reasons is innovation. While it’s a huge competitive advantage, in terms of employee engagement striving for 10X gives teams a very strong sense of purpose as well as unity. I believe it is vital for companies to have a clear vision and ensure the right amount of emphasis on talent, a culture of innovation, and demonstrate adaptability to change.”

How would you describe the past few years in procurement as a result of advanced technology?

Edzard Janssen, RBI: “Software as a service (SaaS) was a big leap forward. We started rolling out our contract management service in 2017. Normally this would have been a multi-year exercise across the whole group, but we did it in 18 months. That would never have been possible with a traditional on-prem solution. Then there’s the cloud. One of our banks is located in Ukraine, and of course we had to think about what would happen if our data centres would be affected by the war. So we moved everything to the cloud in a couple of months. That would’ve been uns]thinkable in the past. The speed of how you can do things is completely different.”

Sebastien Bals, Merck: “GenAI will enable us to move faster. The whole topic around chatbots and automating certain types of interactions with your stakeholders is definitely something that, through GenAI, will be able to go quicker. What I do see is that we’re not leveraging it yet.

“And the reason why is because data is so crucial to the entire picture when leveraging GenAI. So it starts with how we translate everything that is articulate – meaning everything that we can speak or we can write down –  and transfer that into data so that then it can be commoditised as a streaming service so we can start streaming knowledge. These large language models that GenAI is based on will enable us to transfer the knowledge that is in our heads more freely but secondly, also take away some of the time that people are spending on activities that no longer need to be spent on.”

Chris Platts, SSE: “Things are progressing, advancing, and innovating all the time. Obviously the big theme is AI; that’s front and centre of everything. When I started procurement, we had SAP and we did sourcing via email. It wasn’t any more sophisticated than that. And now, I don’t know how many digital tools we’ve got at our disposal. I’m pretty sure we’re not yet making the best use out of them yet.”

In your view, what is the best way procurement professionals can overcome data quality challenges when implementing advanced technology, like GenAI? 

Alexander Pilsl, TeamViewer: “That’s the million dollar question. I think it’s always been a challenge. I’ve spent years in consulting and seen many, many different procurement departments, and I’ve never seen good data quality. It just doesn’t exist. It’s an illusion that we try to have. It’s something to aspire to. It’s about understanding the flaws, where your data lacks, and what you can improve in some select areas. Have a use case that you actually want to achieve with your data, and work your way back from there. What does the data have to provide you with so that you can actually solve that use case? Then you can start fixing those areas wherever you can.”

Christophe Villain, Nestle: “You need to rethink your data foundations, define which your key assets are, define how you govern and input your data, and make data as relevant as any other achievement on the people performance agenda. If there’s no component of data, you’re just a recipient and you are not owning the outcome. And that’s critical going forward.”

Sopan Shah, IHG Hotels & Resorts: “Data is complicated. I think first it starts with the industry you’re in and the types of data that you’re dealing with. Fundamentally, some of the new technologies are going to allow us to take either dirty, unstructured data, and very quickly leverage AI machine learning and other tools to help clean up that data. We are seeing that again already as we’ve moved into some of our new procurement technologies.

“We’ve historically had poor data and these systems have very quickly shown us how poor that data actually is. It really changed the concept of how we think about it, because it’s not necessarily people on our teams that need to be reviewing, understanding, and dissecting that data – it’s actually the systems and the tools that are analysing it and giving us recommendations that allow you to get the right information out of poor data. So I think data is a promise. Is it perfect? No. Is it going to take time to get there? Yes. But I think it’s a promising start.”

What are the biggest considerations that CPOs need to think about when seeking to implement tools like GenAI as a business strategy in procurement? 

Alexander Pilsl, TeamViewer: “It’s really that element of procurement being an ecosystem function. A lot of the strings come together in procurement. For example, when I’m going out looking for a supplier, I check their client status. I want to know if they are customers of our company before I become a customer of their company. That’s two data bullets already that you need to check, and then you do all your external sources, your risk analysis, third party databases, check their risk status, check their financial information. There are millions of data points that come together in procurement when you make a decision. And I think getting all those right, but then also not getting distracted by the sheer numbers, is probably the single biggest challenge in business and data.”

Sebastien Bals, Merck: “I think the biggest obstacle is ourselves. Are we truly experimenting or adopting enough or are we being sceptical? GenAI hallucinates, but we’re also critical thinkers. We’re not robots. I believe that all of us who are currently working in procurement could see whether GenAI is hallucinating or not and could adjust.”

Michelle Baker, Virgin Money: “They talk about humans in the loop, which is interrogating what comes out of the black box. The hallucinations are that it’ll confidently make up garbage and confidently tell you where it came from. So essentially source the garbage. However, I believe that I have enough experience to be able to write 85% of a supplier relationship management strategy in ChatGPT to say, ‘Well, that is garbage’.

“I have experienced enough to know that it is incorrect. I don’t think that we should sacrifice our critical thought. For any of us who’ve been to university, the requirement not to plagiarise the requirement and to reference our source of data is important. If you’re going to be leaning on a tool like Copilot or ChatGPT, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to leave your brain at home. You can actually use your brain to question whether something makes sense and then poke a little further. But it certainly will help you get going in a way that starting with a blank piece of paper wouldn’t have.”

Is this the most exciting time to be in procurement and supply chain?

Iris van der Harst, Equans: “I think so. But it also was five or 10 years ago. I’ve been in procurement for about 15 years, and before that, I was in more commercial roles because in my time there weren’t many further education courses in procurement that you could do. Everyone just grew into procurement from different backgrounds. The reason why I still love being in procurement is that it evolves all the time. It’s always changing and it’s getting increasingly relevant. It is an exciting time and I think it still will be in 10 years.”

Jurriaan Lombaers: “It’s a great profession and I am a passionate procurement professional. I think coming out of COVID-19, we earned a lot of credibility as a procurement function, which should have enabled procurement organisations to have even more impact. I think it’s exciting because of all the technology enablement, but I think that’s just one part. The much bigger thing is all the change management. Scaling fast is all about adoption.

“There’s still a long way to go to get these things embedded into the organisation. That’s why you have to start small and take people by the hand. People might be a bit frightened about all the automation on offer because it is taking work away that they have done for many years. What we need to learn is that it’s taking some of the more administrative or repetitive work away. Secondly, as part of 10X, there’s so much more that the business is asking of procurement that needs to be done that can be utilised by the time you gain from further automation.”

Michelle Baker, Virgin Money: “Technology has always been an interesting thing and I’ve grown up with it. So when I started work, there were no PCs on desks. The only person who had a typewriter was the managing director and secretary. So technology for me has always been really interesting in terms of how it can augment our lives. If you look at DPW behind me, we’ve got 1,400 attendees excluding exhibitors. That is a massive number of people who are interested in technology now. If we’d had the same conference 10 years ago, we’d barely have filled a room of 100 people. I think there’s a sense now that data analytics, digital, all of these cool words actually have an impact upon your business and it’s an inescapable, unavoidable impact.”

DPW Amsterdam is back. And it’s better than ever.

One of the world’s largest and most influential tech events in the procurement and supply chain space returns on October 9th and 10th, with expectations for its biggest conference yet.

As a first for this year, DPW Amsterdam will offer tech safaris which are guided group tours operating throughout the expo halls. Given the 25,000 ft² of exhibition space at the historic Beurs van Berlage, it can often be challenging to navigate in the buzz of the event. Tech safaris offer an immersive, curated tour through the expo hall for up to 15 people, spotlighting cutting-edge innovations and key industry trends. Tailored to specific themes, these guided experiences provide focused insights into the latest technologies. Attendees gain dual perspectives from solution providers and corporate customers, showing how these innovations solve real-world challenges.

According to CEO Herman Knevel, customers were the key driver in bringing this idea to life. “Right before I joined as CEO, Matthias and I went to San Francisco and the Valley and also visited New York,” he tells us. “Being able to listen to different customers and founders was key and meant we could listen, learn and then implement that innovation.”

10X thinking

Since founder Matthias Gutzmann launched DPW in 2019, the conference has grown from strength to strength. In its October 2023 edition, DPW welcomed 1,250 procurement professionals with more than 2,500 virtual attendees watching along at home. This year, DPW’s topic focus is 10X which emphasises the importance of organisations thinking and acting 10x bigger than their current capacity. It is a moonshot mindset that encourages transformative leaps instead of incremental advances. In procurement and supply chain, 10X thinking essentially means fostering a progressive diverse culture where calculated risks are embraced, reimagining and rewiring traditional processes, moving from legacy tech to disruptive technologies, and leveraging AI and automations that deliver tenfold improvements in efficiency, cost savings, and supplier relationships.

Gutzmann founded DPW based on a gap he saw in the industry. The entire reason he launched the organisation was because he identified a need for events focused on digital transformation in procurement, particularly recognising startups at the forefront of innovation. DPW focuses on getting the best speakers to tackle procurement’s most critical issues and priorities. “A lot of what’s out there for procurement events, it’s the same old, same old,” explains Gutzmann. “It’s the same old speakers, the same old topics. We bring new topics into the community, focusing on technology first. It makes sense to prioritise innovation.”

DPW’s draw

One of the biggest draws of attending DPW is undoubtedly the high profile speakers it attracts. This year, the likes of Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever, Jennifer Moceri, Chief Procurement Officer at Google and Sudhir Bhojwani, Co-Founder and CEO at ORO Labs, among a host of other visionaries and pioneers will take to the stage to deliver keynotes. However, DPW doesn’t just limit its speakers to procurement executives, it brings in experts from various fields. Last year, former Formula One team boss at Haas Guenther Steiner was interviewed on stage about how to overcome challenges and the importance of teamwork to reach ambitious goals. Knevel values the importance great speakers have to DPW but stresses that leaders such as Steiner are welcomed with open arms too.

“We want to bring in more CEOs for a different perspective with the right leadership experience,” he explains. “We had Guenther who provided an interesting perspective from a different industry. This year, we’re bringing in the former CEO at Unilever Paul Polman. We’re always seeking fresh speakers, and they don’t need to be CPOs.”

What does the future of DPW hold?

Every year, DPW provides a different theme. Knevel reveals the process of deciding a conference’s premise is relatively straightforward and draws parallels to last year’s offering ‘Make Tech Work’. “If you look at ‘Make Tech Work’, that was a really good theme last year and that resonated well with many who came to DPW, not only in Amsterdam but also online on our live stream,” he explains. “But also, what we learned from the market, and especially from the side of the startups and scale-ups, is that the technology is there and ready to solve the problem. Making tech work was an obvious thing last year, as the adoption rate is still fairly low and a pain point in the industry. The 10X mindset is something we think we should need in the industry to accelerate the base of innovation and to increase the speed of value for many.”

DPW Amsterdam 2024 follows the organisation’s first entry into North America after the success of its one-day event in New York City in June. The meet was on a smaller scale than its sister Amsterdam conferences, however, more than 130 procurement practitioners still attended for a day of learning, discussion groups and networking. “If you do well in Europe, the next big market is North America,” Gutzmann states. “You have to ask yourself, ‘Where do we go?’ As a launch event, you want to get access to the CPOs, the top leaders in procurement. New York has the highest density of CPOs in the US. It’s really low-hanging fruit to launch DPW here.”

DPW Amsterdam 2024

But with New York City’s inaugural event completed, all eyes are now firmly back on Amsterdam. For Gutzmann, Knevel and co, they have no interest in slowing down. And if the past few years are anything to go by, DPW Amsterdam 2024 is set to pack a punch 10X harder than usual.

On the 12th of June this year, we at CPOstrategy had the pleasure of attending DPW’s first ever New York event. 130+ procurement professionals came together for this intimate gathering at NeueHouse, New York City, to learn, mingle, and be engaged by the incredible things happening in digital procurement right now.

The fascinating sessions throughout the day highlighted the current trends and challenges within the procurement segment. Here are five of the most important lessons we learned at the DPW NYC Summit.

AI doesn’t stifle creativity – it promotes it

There can sometimes be a little fear around AI, especially when it comes to art and creativity. However, it’s worth remembering that AI is a tool and it can’t replace human expression – but it can help to enhance it.

Mark Perera, Chairman of DPW, and Scott Belsky, Chief Strategy Officer & EVP Design & Emerging Products at Adobe, discussed this in their talk entitled ‘The radical impact of AI’. They pondered on what makes humans stand out; the answer, they decided, is ideas. As a result, human input will always be necessary. The deployment of AI-powered productivity pools will actually evolve people’s ability to change minds and influence, not stifle it.

In Belsky’s words: “Now we can express ourselves creatively and with confidence, thanks to the tools we have.”

A system should learn you, not the other way around

Orchestration was one of the themes of the day at the DPW NYC Summit. In their session, ‘AI-powered humanised experience: Procurement orchestration at play’, Shachi Gupta, VP Strategy at Oro Labs, and Digital Procurement Futurist Dr Elouise Epstein, delved into this.

They explored the ways in which AI enables us to innovate and improve what we do, and Dr. Epstein reflected on the early days of being a CPO – particularly noting that many fell into the role without knowing what it meant. Change accelerated in 2020 and the concept of a CPO has become solidified since then. However, with that, it has become clear that the way we use technology has changed, and needs to change further.

“The suite providers are over,” Dr Epstein boldly stated. “They’re the old paradigm. The system should learn you. Orchestration is the next generation of procurement.”

Procurement needs a deeper understanding of data

How we use data is constantly evolving, but we need to understand it far better in order to get the best out of it. This was touched on in another session – ‘Next-gen tech: Managing complexity and delivering user simplicity’ – hosted by Mathew Shulz, VP Procurement Strategy at Airbase, in conversation with Christina Howlett-Perez, AVP Head of Procurement at Definitive Healthcare, and Pierre Mitchell, Chief Research Officer & MD or Spend Matters.

The trio explored the concept of procurement now having a seat at the table, and what that means. For example, it means understanding where your company is at, what the policies are, and knowing how to update procurement in a tactical way. It requires focus on gen AI, intake, and orchestration.

The challenge is understanding data better. There needs to be total transparency for end-users as well as the CEO and CFO, requiring easy, adaptable tools. As a result, procurement desperately needs more people with a deep understanding of data, otherwise advanced technological upgrades are just sticking a plaster on a gaping wound.

Digital transformation is not about technology

For obvious reasons, transformation was also a major theme of the DPW NYC Summit. David Rogers, author of ‘The Digital Transformation Roadmap’, led a talk entitled ‘Fueling AI adoption with a transformation mindset’, and highlighted the fact that digital transformation isn’t about the technology you choose.

As with Mark Perera and Scott Belsky’s talk, Rogers’s centred around why humans are still so important when making technological change. What digital transformation is actually about is a change in strategy in mindset; the technology is merely the tool. It’s used in the service of the business to solve what needs to be solved, but people and change management are at the core.

There are four big debts to overcome in procurement

Tony Philippone, Chief Research Officer at HFS Research, closed the DPW NYC Summit with some final remarks and additional words of wisdom. At the end of an inspirational event filled with practical, applicable advice, and discussions marked by ideas and challenges, Philippone reminded attendees that there are still roadblocks ahead.

“A lot of the technology we use today is dead,” Philippone stated, echoing the sentiments of Dr Epstein earlier in the day. He highlighted the fact that procurement is as people-driven as it’s always been – again, a theme felt throughout the day – but that there are still four big debts to overcome. Those are people, process, data, and technical, and they require plenty of attention in order to move forward.

It’s fair to say that DPW Amsterdam has taken the procurement world by storm over the last five years. Founder Matthias Gutzmann developed the concept for Digital Procurement World in 2019, after discovering that existing procurement conferences lacked originality and investor interest. The kernel of an idea for something inspiring and innovative to fill the void formed then, while Gutzmann was working in New York. 

Returning to his home country of Germany later that year, Gutzmann poured all his savings into launching DPW. The first conference, in September 2019, brought in over 400 industry leaders from across 33 countries – an incredible feat for a brand new concept. That response just goes to show that the industry was starved of a truly exceptional procurement conference. 

DPW NYC: The inception

Since then, DPW has gone from strength to strength. Last year’s Amsterdam event attracted over 5,000 attendees and the event has won multiple awards. It seems apt, then, that this incredible growth journey should see DPW coming to its spiritual home of New York for 2024. On the 12th of June, 2024 DPW hosted its first NYC event which dug deep into AI and what it can do for procurement – something that was a natural step for the organisation.

“New York has the highest density of CPOs in the US,” explains Gutzmann. “If you do well in Europe – which DPW has – the next big market is North America. New York is low-hanging fruit with so many pharma and financial services companies.”

As such, it made sense for Gutzmann to launch DPW in New York, where demand for conferences focused on digital transformation and technology is high. “CPOs in the US are looking for something new,” he continues. “They’ve heard about DPW Amsterdam and they’re ready for it here.”

Held in an ultra-cool penthouse in NeueHouse Madison Square, New York City, this intimate event brought together 128 procurement professionals for a day of talks hosted by experts in the field. The goal was to have 100 people, and several others had to be turned away at the door, such was the popularity of the event. The term of the day was ‘artificial intelligence’, the talks focused primarily on what advanced technology and AI can do for procurement – and how the human touch can be maintained.

Thoughts on DPW NYC

“The event has been exceptional from a networking perspective, and really understanding all the challenges that other leaders in similar positions are facing. It’s really heartening to know we’re not the only ones dealing with some of these situations.” – Ajay Khosla, Director, Procurement Digital Experience, Google

“It’s great to hear about what is available in the marketplace from new technology and procurement perspectives, as well as how generative AI is changing procurement as a function.” – Al Williams, Global Chief Procurement Officer and Corporate Services, Invesco

“The intimacy of this event has generated so many amazing conversations between companies. I think this is the perfect sized audience when you’re talking about innovation.” – Danielle McQuiston, Chief Customer Officer, Candex

“It feels like DPW is really starting to build a community and a network. The more of those we have in this space, the more we’re going to get done.” – Gabe Perez, Chief Strategy Officer, RiseNow

Inspiring sessions

Gutzmann opened the day alongside Herman Knevel, CEO of DPW, the attendees buzzing with anticipation. Gutzmann explained DPW’s backstory and how the point of the concept was to nourish the future of the latest thinking in procurement and AI. Where the question was once ‘what is AI?’, it’s now ‘what can AI do for me?’. Gutzmann urged attendees to lean into AI and embrace it and how it can support procurement.

The first in-depth talk of the event was ‘The radical impact of AI’, led by DPW’s Chairman, Mark Perera, in conversation with Scott Belsky, Chief Strategy Officer at Adobe. The two asked: what makes humans stand out? The answer is ideas. The key to positive change through AI lies within its ability to support humans, not replace them. 

Belsky stated that the deployment of productivity tools will evolve people’s ability to change minds and influence, and people themselves will always be necessary. AI tools give us the confidence to express ourselves creatively and unlock better personalisation. Belsky explained how he has watched the AI landscape evolve from low-end automation to decision-making, and as a result, procurement is low-hanging fruit from an AI perspective.

Belsky’s hope is that AI becomes a layer of understanding and more accessible within procurement, raising the bar further for humans. It’s time for 10x thinking, rather than 10% thinking, in his words.

Orchestration at play

The marrying of AI and people power continued with the next session, hosted by Shachi Gupta, VP Strategy, Oro Labs, in conversation with the Digital Procurement Futurist, Dr. Elouise Epstein. The session – ‘AI-powered humanized experience: Procurement orchestration at play’ – delved into the ways in which we can invest in and evolve procurement. 

The pair discussed how AI enables us to innovate and improve on what we already do. Dr. Epstein reflected on when procurement was nascent, with CPOs who didn’t know why they were in their roles or what they should focus on. Change only really accelerated during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and it solidified the CPO role at the same time. Which begs the question: how can procurement improve the topline as well as the bottom line? 

Dr. Epstein and Gupta talked about lessons learned from the pandemic – including that procurement needed to speed up and become more efficient, since squeezing of costs is an ongoing issue. They stated that UX and data are the focus, while AI is the umbrella, and that procurement orchestration is now absolutely vital. Dr. Epstein boldly stated that the suite providers are over; they’re the old paradigm, and it should be the case that systems learn users, not the other way around. Orchestration is something procurement is only now wrapping its head around, she concluded, but it’s firmly the next generation of procurement.

Five steps to apply AI in your business

David Rogers, author of ‘The Digital Transformation Roadmap’, stated in his talk that five vital steps to apply AI in your business are:

1. Define a problem to solve
2. Find your customer
3. Validate a definition of success
4. Experiment to see what works
5. Share what you learn

Procurement has a seat at the table; so what’s next?

Then came ‘Next-gen tech: Managing complexity and delivering user simplicity’, hosted by Airbase’s VP Procurement Strategy, Mathew Schulz. The session focused on user experience, and saw Schulz deep in conversation with Christina Howlett-Perez, AVP Head of Procurement at Definitive Healthcare, and Pierre Mitchell, Chief Research Officer and MD at Spend Matters. 

They discussed the fact that, with procurement now having a seat at the table, you need to understand where your company’s at when it comes to updating the procurement side. The solution needs to be tactical and cost effective. The group’s solution was to focus on gen AI, intake, and – as Dr. Epstein and Gupta had mentioned already – orchestration. 

The thing to remember, Schulz et al added, is the need for transparency for both the end-users and top leadership. This requires adaptable tools, meaning that procurement needs people who have a deep understanding of data.

The ongoing theme of people – and how they’re still at the core of procurement – was continued by David Rogers, author of ‘The Digital Transformation Roadmap’. His session – ‘Fuelling AI adoption with a transformation mindset’ – focused on the fact that digital transformation is less about technology and more about strategy and mindset.

The afternoon brought with it breakout sessions in smaller groups, with each group involved in lively, innovative discussions surrounding the main topics of the day and presenting their conclusions for everybody to muse upon. This was followed by Rujul Zaparde, Co-Founder and CEO of Zip speaking to Katie Streu, Senior Director Strategic Sourcing at Coinbase, and Guru Mohan, VP Global Procurement at Toast.

The trio brought together the much-dissected topics of AI and orchestration and delved into the best strategies for making them work well together and achieve improvements across the board. They also talked more broadly about practical applications of AI within procurement processes, and the results thereof. 

Thoughts on DPW NYC

“The size of the event is good, and despite how small the group is, the DPW team has managed to keep the vibe of the Amsterdam event. It’s really engaging and forward-looking, and you also get the chance to talk to everybody. I think that’s really great.” – Johan-Peter Teppala, Chief Customer Officer, Sievo

“It’s been phenomenal. The content, the fact that it’s an intimate group, and the quality of the people here. DPW is setting the standard for events.” – Rujul Zaparde, Co-Founder & CEO, Zip

“It feels like home. I feel like everything we’re discussing about solving procurement problems in more innovative ways, and taking a digital lens to everything – these are things I’ve been a crusader for for the longest time. I’m so glad it’s gained momentum and power so that we have this great community now.” – Shachi Gupta, Vice President of Strategy, ORO Labs

AI: Close up

Excitingly, the final session of the day involved everybody wearing a VR headset and being taken on a tour of the metaverse by Clive Teal, CEO of LavinirAI. This involved showing the users around the metaverse, demonstrating its applications, and digging into the benefits from a procurement perspective via multiple fascinating use cases. 

Then, Tony Philippone, Chief Research Officer at HFS Research, closed out the day with some brilliant insights and sobering reminders for the rapt attendees. In his words, a lot of the technology we used today is dead. We’ve spent the last 5,000 years advancing what we’ve always done in procurement, and it demands people-driven as it has advanced. And yet, four big debts remain: people, process, data, and technical. 

Gen AI has changed the game and AI assistants will change things even further, Philippone explained. He also added that implementing gen AI is not a slam dunk. Success requires the right strategy, quality data, and prioritisation to help meet procurement goals.

With a rapt, engaged, and lively audience from start to finish, DPW NYC 2024 was a huge success. Many attendees went on to join the DPW team for the after party at the rooftop of Arlo NoMad where the stirring conversations continued and positive feedback flowed. The event felt like the start of something even bigger for DPW NYC, with Gutzmann, Knevel, Perera, and the whole team openly excited for what’s next. And we at CPOstrategy can’t wait to see how this event evolves, too.