This is a challenging time of year for most as we move closer to the end of the calendar year, with many leaders deep into planning and budgeting discussions. Many more again will be feeling the pressure of the year-end, as commercial targets and deadlines loom ever closer.
It’s hyper-busy, intense and stressful. But, in the tradition of Thanksgiving week, it’s a good time to express gratitude to those who have played a crucial role in helping to drive impact throughout the year and will be crucial to future plans.
In that spirit, and after a week in which Procurement Leaders launched our World Procurement Congress 2026, I’d like to thank the CPO community for continuing to help us drive the function forward.
WPC next year will be focused on the concept of Designing the Future and will include four distinct areas of focus.
First, resilience by design and systemic risk visibility will be the opening segment of the event as we explore geopolitical dynamics, the emergence of new economic blocs and trading powers, and the dynamics at play in a rapidly evolving environment.
Our second pillar will be focused on helping participants find their digital edge, recognising that as we design for the future, every other strategic priority depends on a strong digital foundation. We’ll cover innovation in technology, consider the thorny issue of ethics in AI and address the risks that have manifested around cybersecurity.
Our third area of focus will be to reimagine ecosystem design and the role of sustainability. As regulations, brand exposure and stakeholder pressures intensify, it’s clear we must work harder to demonstrate sustainability ROI in a way that can pave the way for a fairer, greener, more equitable future.
Finally, we will spend time understanding how we build a digitally native workforce and drive new capabilities. Without people, even the best strategies cannot succeed.
It promises to be an incredibly rich and valuable event in London next May, and I very much hope to see you there. Crucially, though, a big thanks must be extended to all of our CPO speakers who have already agreed to share their expertise – from Cathy Budd at Dow Chemicals, to Klaus Staubitzer at Siemens, Alexandra Lopez at Cisco, Shailendra Sadera at Unilever, and the many others who will continue to help us drive the function forward.
