PROCUREMENT PERSPECTIVES

Where January was the longest month of the year (to date), February has brought pace. We're halfway in already!? But was it a slow ramp-up into the year when it comes to procurement and supply chain? Of course not! Instead of a dry January, tariff talk, agentic AI, and our CPO report dominating the airwaves… and they continue to gain momentum.?

Starting with the sublime, Nicholas C. Wright , who heads up bp 's Procurement Digital Garage, took time out to talk digital and digital skills.

Nick is not only one of the coolest people in procurement, but he is also one of the nicest, and he took the time to build on the insights that we have already heard from and as three pioneers in the digital procurement space.

Nick talks about creating a world where it's just as easy to buy at home as within our private lives and how traits like empathy and resilience sit alongside some of the core technical and procurement skills that he looks for in his team. He also throws out loads of advice on running change programs and, more importantly, change programs that matter. Read our interview with him here.

It's CPO Report time! Seven leading CPOs talk 2025 – what they are thinking about and three themes for procurement

This year, we feature insights from Dan Bartel from American Airlines , Lauren Feery from DS Smith , and Angela Rametsi CPO at Franke Group . We pulled out three core insights that seemed common across the group:

1. It's great to be inspired by what's possible, but we have to do what's practical also;
2. Whilst all of our cohort were excited by AI, they all followed this up by reinforcing the importance of people
3. The importance of our role on cost for our businesses and how to find harmony between this and broader value.

The report is out now, and you can download it here.

Will they, won't they? Everyone is talking about tariffs.

Well, they did, and then they didn't, but they did again. But what does all this mean for us? We've been helping lots of our clients to understand how incoming tariffs could affect their supply chains and figure out how to face them using resilience strategies such as specification changes, new supply chain setups, and more straightforward cost reduction initiatives to mitigate costs. Speak to us if this is on your agenda for 2025. In the meantime, we've been featured talking tariffs in:

纽约时报 – Automakers Brace for Impact of Trump Tariff Plan for Canada and Mexico

CNBC - Trump tariffs could raise prices on laptops, smartphones and AI

Sifted - European startups brace for Trump tariffs rollout: ‘We’re completely in the dark’

Global Trade Review (GTR) Gone, but not forgotten: The lasting impact of Trump’s tariff threats

FoodNavigator - Trump trade tariffs - how industry can prepare

And finally, we've landed in Dusseldorf, and we're hiring!

In 2024, we launched in Europe, and the uptake has been nothing short of fantastic. As such, we've put down some roots in Europe, and we're hiring as we build out our team to service our clients across the continent. If you’re passionate about procurement and supply chain innovation, we’d love to hear from you! Explore open roles here.

Here’s to an exciting year ahead – and as always, we’re eager to hear your thoughts on these hot topics. Drop a comment or reach out if you’d like to chat!