About the event
Procurement leaders are being asked to deliver greater control, speed, and strategic value, while many organizations still rely on email, spreadsheets, shared inboxes, and fragmented approval processes. In this session, Anton Mack explores the gap between procurement ambition and operational reality, and explains why building an intelligent procurement function starts with fixing the foundations first.
The discussion looks at how broken processes create hidden costs across the business, from duplicate vendors and missed contract renewals to manual errors, delayed approvals, and limited spend visibility. It explores how a connected flow, from the first purchase request through to payment, can make the right process easier to follow while giving Finance, Procurement, Legal, and IT a clearer view of what is happening.
Anton also examines the role of AI in modern procurement, showing why intelligence and automation depend on clean, structured data. From dynamic intake forms and automated approval workflows to supplier risk scoring, contract analysis, anomaly detection, and predictive spend insights, the session outlines how procurement teams can move from reactive cost control to strategic enablement. It closes with three practical steps leaders can take now to improve AI readiness, centralise supplier and contract data, and build a procurement function that creates competitive advantage.