CPO Crunch: Think big, be bold or go home - Procurement Leaders

CPO Crunch: Think big, be bold or go home By David Rae 26 May 2026 The World Procurement Congress demonstrated how true leaders are moving forward with purpose What. A. Week. It’s difficult to put into words just how awesome last week in London was for Procurement Leaders. But, perhaps not surprisingly, I’ll try. The World Procurement Congress , World Procurement Awards , AI and Resilience Forums brought the global procurement community together for three days of collaboration, connection and celebration. I had the privilege to see a lot of it from the front row, and left feeling both reassured and reenergised. Reassured that those leading this function are taking us into a bright future despite all of the challenges we face; and reenergised because of the sheer breadth of innovative work that’s taking place. When I brought the Congress to a close, I attempted to summarise some of the themes that I felt had bubbled to the surface across the week. This wasn’t straightforward given we’d heard from former prime ministers, space scientists, Hollywood creatives, as well as many of the finest minds in procurement. But here’s a brief framing of some of the things I took away. First, procurement holds a golden key to unlock huge amounts of value in the supply ecosystem. CPOs must first unlock and then fling open the door to proactively bring the outside in. Doing so can completely change internal and external perceptions of the function. Second, CPOs need to meaningfully design their future operating models, removing tactical activities, enhancing team capabilities, driving more strategic relationships internally so they can drive greater business impact. BAT, for example, has created a model where 20% of the team spend 100% of their time on innovation, with ZERO savings targets. What will the future function look like? Leaner, closer to the business, with staff as focused downstream as they are up. Third, leaders must think big and be bold or go home – something that’s even more important during times of serious volatility and deep uncertainty. While the instinct might be to retreat, batten down the hatches and move into survival mode, real leaders are driving forward with purpose, getting approval for long-term investment plans, and implementing strategies that create sustainable revenue growth and resilience by design. Finally, and inevitably, technology will be the most important enabler of all of this, as leaders focus on freeing capacity, releasing investment dollars and gaining deeper and faster decision-making insight. There was a huge amount of focus on AI across the week, and rightly so, but the real winners will be those who keep focused on the real business goal and the unique perspectives, innovation and value that the supply ecosystem brings. For all of those who attended the Congress, I hope you got as much out of it as I did. For those that didn’t, I recommend you prioritise it in 2027. To receive weekly insights from the Procurement Leaders community, sign up to the  CPO Crunch  newsletter using the link at the top of this page . The CPO Crunch Inspiring CPO community insights – straight from the source into your inbox. Subscribe to your CPO newsletter: Thanks for subscribing to the CPO Crunch newsletter. Keep an eye on your inbox for your first one. More insights Being a CPO: Probably the best job in the world READ MORE Research – Beyond centre-led: The future of procurement operating models READ MORE World Procurement Congress 2024: We’re only just getting started READ MORE Thought leader: How to get early supplier involvement right READ MORE Procurement – much more than a job READ MORE CPO Crunch: The procurement culture club READ MORE New research: supply chain transparency – enabling insights into the invisible READ MORE CPO Crunch: A rewarding time READ MORE CPO Crunch: Hydrogen making its mark READ MORE CPO Crunch: Looking back on the ‘year of AI’ READ MORE 2024 planning: Supporting growth by expanding strategic procurement and optimising operating models READ MORE Research: Purpose-driven procurement: Entering an age of holistic value READ MORE Research: High-velocity procurement READ MORE Can brands save profits without squeezing suppliers? READ MORE Next generation category management READ MORE CPO Crunch: Cause for (cautious) optimism READ MORE CPO Crunch: Building for the next crisis READ MORE CPO Crunch: Putting procurement at the heart of rapid investment READ MORE CPO Crunch: Communication key to cyber response READ MORE