full of macro disruptions that turn conventional wisdom on its head , such as the pandemic .
The way businesses operate , and specifically global supply chains , compels us to come up with imaginative new ways of operating that make use of the sophisticated digital technologies available to us .
These tend to be my clients . The middle-of-the-road clients usually make incremental changes and that ' s fine , but that ' s not the role for a futurist .
In practical terms , I help clients prepare for tomorrow ’ s problems , today . I am continually looking at what threats are coming next and what we need to do to prepare for a disruptive future , because there will be a neverending set of disruptions facing tomorrow ’ s supply chains . This literally keeps me up at night . . Q . WHAT ' S THE TAKE-HOME MESSAGE OF YOUR BOOK ?
» That we must shed legacy processes , technology , and thinking . Businessas-usual has been good for the past 25 years but today ’ s world is vastly more complicated , and
Q . WHAT ' S THE BIGGEST MISTAKE PROCUREMENT LEADERS MAKE ?
» Not using the power of their platform . Chief procurement officers have the unique ability to bring about change because they control - or at least influence - where an enterprise spends its money . This is a significant role because they can bring ESG progress through the suppliers a company engages .
The other mistake CPOs make is to needlessly hold on to the legacy idea of cost control , instead of value creation . Far too often the focus is on how to control and limit where money is spent , and using legacy technology and processes .
Q . WHY IS PROCUREMENT MORE IMPORTANT THAN PEOPLE THINK ?
» At its core , procurement is about managing third parties . Today ’ s globalised supply chains predominantly consist of third parties . It is not uncommon for large enterprises to have 50k-100k third parties . That means building a secure , efficient , green , socially conscious , and fault-tolerant supply chain will require being excellent at third-party management . And who better than procurement to deliver on this promise than procurement ? supplychaindigital . com 23