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Written by Marijn Overvest | Reviewed by Sjoerd Goedhart | Fact Checked by Ruud Emonds | Our editorial policy
Procurement Speakers 2024 – 10 Most Popular Experts
Key take-aways
- Procurement speakers play a crucial role in inspiring positive change in the field and across industries.
- These influential speakers offer valuable insights and expertise in procurement.
- Their stories of success and dedication can motivate others to drive innovation, sustainability, and transformation in procurement.
Procurement speakers share their knowledge to inspire people in procurement that they are making a difference in the world. However, not all in the field of procurement are updated as they are more focused on their work.
In this article, we will introduce to you procurement speakers in 2024 that have inspired many people throughout the years. We will look into their story of how they have climbed up from where they are now.
We hope that once you have finished reading this article, you will be inspired to continue and pursue your desire to make a change through procurement. We hope that their stories will uplift you to go on no matter what obstacles you are dealing with right now.
10 Popular Procurement Experts Today
1. Marijn Overvest
Marijn Overvest is the founder of procurement tactics which is an online training platform for procurement managers and he has trained multiple teams on and offline.
He has spoken at many seminars and summits. His most recent guest speakership is the 5th Annual Chief Procurement Officers Summit which was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
He has over 10 years of experience in procurement and negotiations, including more than 8 years within the commercial department of a large global retailer.
He has been responsible for all the important procurement processes and is in charge of multiple 500 million deals with companies like Unilever, Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo, and Nestle.
Currently, he is focused on upskilling procurement professionals around the world with procurement professionals through the online courses.
2. Ingrid De Ryck
Ingrid De Ryck is the Chief Procurement and Sustainability Officer for Anheuser-Busch where she is responsible for designing the most efficient and sustainable supply chain for the world’s largest beer brewer.
She leads a talented team that is dedicated to driving transformational change by igniting a passion for innovation founded on excellence.
She has been with AB InBev for more than 20 years. Ingrid is a key member of the executive management committee as she plays a critical role in shaping corporate strategy and driving company growth.
3. Jan Francis
Jan Francis is the director and Head of Procurement Operations and Supplier Management, Europe Sourcing, Visa.
He is a strategic thinker and an operational leader which excels in changing environments where clear decision-making is needed to deliver organizational goals.
He is a strategic thinker and an operational leader which excels in changing environments where clear decision-making is needed to deliver organizational goals.
He enjoys leading through transformation, formulating strategies, and establishing high-performing teams. Jan Francis has more than 20 years of management experience in retail, financial services, logistics, and technology organizations.
He stressed that there are a lot of decisions to make when it comes to sustainability. Quoting Larry Fink’s 2022 letter to CEOs, he added that, “every company and every industry will be transformed by the transition to a net zero world. The question is, will you lead, or will you be led?”
4. Mark Perera
Mark Perera is the founder and CEO of Vizibl. His mission is to help companies collaborate with their supplier ecosystem to drive sustainable growth. He founded Vizibl to put collaboration & innovation at the core of supplier relationships.
He has a long career history of working in procurement. It is worth mentioning that he founded a company known as Procurement Leaders to connect, inform, and inspire global corporations and their stakeholders to enhance the contribution of procurement in the industry.
He is also the co-author of the book “Procurement with Purpose” to inspire people to act and is a practical guide to implementing real change in procurement.
His company, Vizibl, is a leading SaaS platform that helps organizations deliver on their most ambitious objectives.
Vizibl allows enterprise organizations to align their suppliers and collaborate around key business goals to deliver value that benefits both parties.
5. Sheri Hinish
Sheri Hinish acquired her Master’s Degree from Harvard University with an emphasis on sustainability. She is certified in leading corporate sustainability & innovation by Harvard University and Organizational Leadership by Cornell University.
Sheri Hinish is a senior executive leading IBM’s Global Sustainability services practice. Additionally, she is recognized as the 2022 top supply chain leader by Supply Chain Digital. Many of her colleagues and clients know her as the “Supply Chain Queen”.
Sheri Hinish is also the People’s Choice 2020 Global Women in Supply Chain Leader and a recipient of the Corporate Vision Excellence award for the 2020s Most Influential Leader in Supply Chain & Technology.
She has made a career in simplifying complicated processes in the supply chain, rethinking supply chain strategy, and customer experience. Furthermore, she hosts a top podcast that talks about the future of the supply chain called “Supply Chain Revolution”.
Her vision is to change the world through shared purpose, sustainable supply chain, circularity, and building technology grounded in the principles of sustainable development.
6. Stephany Lapierre
Stephany Lapierre has been recognized as one of the top 100 most influential women in the supply chain. Additionally, she founded Tealbook which has been named top 50 companies to watch by Spend Matters and won the Cool Vendor Award by Gartner.
Prior to her establishment of Tealbook, she spent 10 years creating a successful strategic sourcing and procurement consulting firm that focuses on huge-scale sourcing optimization projects.
With her experience in the data issues that cripple procurement, she has made it her mission to provide a trusted source of supplier data to the growing e-procurement space.
Currently, Tealbook is the only big data company that offers a self-enriching and self-maintaining mechanism to fix supplier data.
Her company, Tealbook, is a supplier intelligence platform with the power to change the way buyers obtain supplier data. By using it, customers have the data to make informed decisions which results in empowered and transformative procurement strategies.
She is also a regular guest on popular procurement podcasts and blogs such as the Buyers Meeting Point, Art of Procurement, and Procurious.
7. Sheldon Mydat
Sheldon Mydat is the founder and CEO of Suppeco which is an award-winning transformational SaaS platform dedicated to delivering a paradigm shift in B2B attitude.
He is an experienced supply chain and procurement professional. His career journey started in 1986.
Throughout the years, he climbed through the ranks in multiple organizations until he founded his own award-winning company in 2017.
As of 2022, Sheldon is currently a sustainable procurement ambassador at the sustainable procurement pledge.
His company, Suppeco, is trusted by numerous market leaders. Suppeco allows its customers in any industry to optimize its customer-supplier ecosystem to push for innovation and growth.
8. Rajeev Karmacharya
Rajeev Karmacharya has more than 20 years of industry and consulting experience in business, supply chain, and technology strategy. With this, he was able to work with senior leaders and C-level executives at various leading Fortune 500 companies.
He began his career at A.T. Kearney where he spent 10 years in the consulting firm’s strategic IT and operations practice which drives client business transformation and optimization initiatives.
He has been with Fannie Mae, the Federal National Mortgage Association, for nine years where he currently leads the strategic sourcing and category management group addressing a $5 billion spend portfolio.
He is a member of the advisory board for the world’s premiere global association for sourcing and procurement professionals. Furthermore, he is a member of the supply chain advisory council for the University of Maryland.
9. Omid Ghamami
Omid Ghamami is one of the most globally recognized thought leaders in the field of purchasing and sales negotiations, making him the world’s most sought-after purchasing and supply chain management author, speaker, consultant, and trainer.
He has 18 years of experience with Intel Corp, holding responsibility for more than $1 billion in annual expenditures as purchasing executive and managing Intel’s global purchasing operations.
He is a highly sought-after public purchasing expert which made him discuss with all 50 Chief Purchasing Officers of the United States how to achieve breakthrough TCO results against their $3.2 Trillion budget.
Omid has also been asked to be an exclusive guest speaker at Harvard University’s prestigious graduate school of supply chain management.
He is well-known with the Institute for Supply Management, publishing a multitude of articles in their global journals and holding many highly successful speaking engagements for them.
Omid is the author of 2 purchasing books and has more than 50 hours of TV appearances as a purchasing industry expert. He is known as “the secret weapon of fortune 500 chief purchasing officers”.
Furthermore, he is the founder, chief architect, and exclusive adjunct professor of purchasing for the only purchasing curriculum and certificate program in the California State Community College System.
10. Sebastian Chua
Sebastian Chua started his procurement journey with Hewlett Packard/Agilent Technologies as their country manager for Singapore, India, Thailand, and the Philippines before he took on the job as the regional procurement manager.
He then moved on to join Microsoft and Alcatel-Lucent as the head of procurement to transform their procurement in the Asia Pacific region.
In 2014, he took a new role to transform public procurement at the Health Promotion Board (HPB) which is a statutory board under the Ministry of Health, Singapore.
In 2022, he was awarded the Special Mentioned Individual Award by Supply Chain Asia for his contribution to the national emergency procurement for the Covid-19 operation.
He was also awarded the 2021 Asia Procurement Leader Award at the China Procurement Success Summit, the 2019 APAC Procurement Leader Award by the Procurement Leaders, the Public Service Innovation Champion Award by the Prime Minister’s office of Singapore, the 2017 Asia Supply Management awards by CIPS, and the 2017 Supply Chain Professional of the Years by the Supply Chain Asia.
Additionally, from 2019 to 2021, he has led his team to win 4 Asia Awards which are the Most Improved Procurement Operation, Transformation, Best Public Procurement Project, and Best Supplier Collaboration.
Furthermore, He was voted by Supply Chain Digital as one of the top 10 procurement executives worldwide.
Conclusion
These remarkable individuals showcased in this article stand as influential figures in the realm of procurement in 2024.
Their stories, achievements, and dedication to the field serve as a wellspring of inspiration for professionals seeking to make a difference through their work. Despite the challenges often faced in the procurement domain, the experiences of these experts highlight the transformative power and impact that individuals can have.
From Sebastian Chua’s diverse roles to Sheri Hinish’s commitment to sustainability, each expert brings a unique perspective and a wealth of experience to the table. Their journeys underscore the potential for growth, innovation, and positive change within the procurement landscape.
The intent is for readers to draw motivation from these narratives, recognizing that their own efforts in procurement can contribute to substantial and meaningful outcomes.
The stories presented here illuminate the pivotal role that procurement plays in organizational success and societal betterment, demonstrating that individuals within the field possess the capacity to drive impactful change.
Despite challenges, the article encourages businesses to adopt sustainable practices, showcasing how leading companies have proven that sustainability can be a competitive advantage, ultimately contributing to long-term profitability.
Frequentlyasked questions
What are procurement speakers?
Procurement speakers are people who wanted to share their journey in procurement to inspire others through the extensive experience and knowledge they gained in the industry.
What is procurement?
Procurement is the overall process of the acquisition of needed goods or services for it to operate. To simplify, it is what makes the organization move.
What does it take to be successful in the field of procurement?
It may be a cliché but it takes a lot of courage, effort, and sacrifice to be successful in the field of procurement. Nonetheless, you must remember that we have our own timelines where our hard work will see the light of day.
About the author
My name is Marijn Overvest, I’m the founder of Procurement Tactics. I have a deep passion for procurement, and I’ve upskilled over 200 procurement teams from all over the world. When I’m not working, I love running and cycling.
