ProcureCon Asia ↔ Australia

If there’s one thing ProcureCon Asia made clear, it’s this: Procurement is no longer just about cost, it’s about influence, innovation, and impact. That’s why we’ve pulled together some of the sharpest thinking from the region’s top leaders in The 2025 CPO Playbook from CPOs at Asahi Global Procurement, A. Magsaysay, Inc ., and Permata Bank. Here’s what you’ll get: ✔️ How to turn supplier risk into growth opportunities ✔️ What a 360° partnership model really looks like ✔️ Why digital + human-led transformation is the future ✔️ The KPIs you should be tracking (but probably aren’t) ProcureCon brought the energy. Now bring the impact back to your team. 📥 Download the 2025 CPO Playbook now: https://lnkd.in/gA4YR9f7

📦 Cutting costs without cutting corners? It’s possible — if you rethink the playbook. At our keynote on Reducing costs, simplifying supply chains, and delivering excellence, leaders from across industries shared how they’re simplifying operations and reducing total acquisition costs without compromising quality or delivery. Here are the key shifts driving results: 🔁 Total cost over lowest price. It’s not about squeezing suppliers—it’s about aligning spend with long-term value. 🔧 Simplify everything. From 40+ ERPs to 1. From bloated processes to ESSA: Eliminate, Standardise, Simplify, Automate. 🤝 Suppliers are partners, not line items. Invest in their growth and capability—and they’ll return the favour with innovation, speed, and trust. 📊 Use data to stay ahead. AI-powered insights are now predicting disruptions—before they hit. Think bird flu, floods, freight delays… all managed proactively. 🎯 It’s not just about cost or compliance—it’s about clarity, capability, and collaboration. Procurement excellence isn’t just operational—it’s strategic. Thank you to the panel Gerard G. Magadia, hCPP, Ashhad Alam, Pierre Vignaud, MCIPS, Saeyorn Sivanesan, and of course our media partner CASME Network | A Global Procurement Community, Graham Crawshaw - thank you Mr chairperson!

Highlight from last night! The entire pan Asian procurement audience came together to celebrate the amazing achievements of the profession. We are delighted to be able to witness the CIPS - The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply Excellence in Procurement and Supply Awards, and especially excited to see two amazing individuals take the title of Young Talent, with a highly commended coming from the shortlist - the future is very bright for the procurement profession! The 2025 winners will be made available on the awards page, please stay tuned! For now, let us congratulate the winners: ONGC Port of Tanjung Pelepas Banglalink Digital Communications Limited Olam Agri Micron Semiconductor Asia Pte Ltd Resorts World at Sentosa Pte Ltd DBS Bank Ltd PepsiCo Strategy & Technology (Harsh Ratan Mehta) HSBC Yuchengco Group of Companies – House of Investments, Inc. CLP Power Hong Kong Limited Shell Business Service Centre Sdn. Bhd. (Jurleo Jurit) PSA Singapore (Clarisa Madilao) DBS Bank Ltd - congratulations for taking the 2025 Overall Win

An amazing first day and even wilder evening last night But everyone's back here and roaring to go for Day Two! It's the last chance to future proof strategies so let's open with the Leader’s Talk on Designing your 2030 roadmap: How can you apply lessons learned and capitalise on new trends to future-proof your procurement strategy? Take it away Elaine Chen, Eddie Lim, Shivam Soni, Graham Crawshaw, and take it away ProcureCon Asia!

🤝 Supplier “partnership” is more than a buzzword — but are we living up to it? At our keynote panel on Maximising business impact with supplier engagement, one stat sparked real reflection: 🔍 77% of suppliers don’t believe buyers truly want collaboration. To them, “partnership” often just means “please lower your price.” Here’s what the experts Edgardo Guevara Apitana, Lina Deacon, nisa camalia, Yit Ming Ng, Jake Bristow (Achilles Information Limited), and Sharon Morris had to say: ✅ Start early. Strategic suppliers should be brought into the conversation at the planning stage—not just when the RFP lands. ✅ Co-own value. Move beyond savings KPIs. Measure innovation, resilience, ESG impact, and speed to market. ✅ Segment and tailor. Not every supplier needs deep collaboration—but the right ones can unlock real advantage. ✅ Walk the talk. Trust-building is about consistent actions, not polished words. ✅ Change starts within. Culture, leadership buy-in, and internal advocacy are the foundation of any successful supplier strategy. The real shift? From procurement managing suppliers to businesses engaging partners.

Cost control, value amplified – How do you balance cost reduction with value creation to optimise business outcomes? At the CFO/CPO Strategy Exchange amongst Francis Lai, Jorge Juan Munoz Fernández, Kaye Sumanga, Khairul Azman and Jonathan Cheung, (张英杰) FCIPS (Chartered)/CITP (Chartered IT Professional), one truth was clear: today’s CFOs aren’t just looking for savings—they’re looking for strategic impact. Here's what you missed: 📊 CFOs want long-term value, not just bottom-line cuts. Whether it’s growth enablement, risk mitigation, or innovation, procurement must align with broader business goals. 🤝 Align on what 'value' really means. Soft metrics like supplier resilience or ESG contribution matter—but you must translate them into business impact CFOs can champion. 🔁 Shared KPIs drive better results. Leading organisations co-own procurement success metrics across cost, risk, compliance, and capital efficiency. 📣 Procurement must tell a better story. If value isn’t clearly mapped to outcomes, it’s invisible. Educate, communicate, and connect the dots. ⚖️ Reporting lines aren’t the issue—alignment is. Whether procurement reports to the CFO, COO, or both, success depends on shared priorities and mutual understanding. 🧩 Resilience is now a performance metric. Supply chain agility, risk diversification, and continuity planning are business-critical—and finance wants to see it measured. The bottom line? Procurement must evolve from cost cutter to value creator. The CFO is ready—are you?

BREAK TIME! If you're grabbing coffee and looking to make the most of this time, head over to the LanceSoft, Inc. booth. They’re not your average staffing firm — LanceSoft combines AI, machine learning, and a patented recruitment engine to help companies like yours find the right talent, faster. ✅ See how their tech automates resume harvesting and candidate profiling ✅ Learn how their curated crowdsourcing model gives you access to a deeper talent pool ✅Talk to a team that’s built a reputation on integrity, innovation, and doing things the right way Whether you’re hiring now or future-planning, it’s a smart stop to make this break. 📍 You’ll find them at Lot #14

ProcureCon Asia 2025 officially kicks off this morning! Just look at that CROWD 🤯 After the introductions by Gladys Caligagan and Jorge Juan Munoz Fernández, it's right into the Opening Keynote by our lovely "Economist Perspectives Unveiled" panel Geopolitics, inflation, and trade realignments are rewriting the rules for procurement and supply chain leaders in Asia. Here's what you need to know: 🔻 US tariffs are back — and they’re not just noise. Expect ripple effects on manufacturing costs, trade routes, and supplier strategy across Asia. 📉 China’s growth is stabilising, but fragile — with domestic deflation and weak consumer confidence weighing on momentum. 🌐 ASEAN is stepping up — economies like Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia are gaining from the shift in supply chains and friend-shoring. 🏗️ Supply chains are permanently shifting — China is no longer the top source of US imports. Investment is flowing into “China+1” markets like India and Southeast Asia. 💱 The dollar may have peaked — but de-dollarisation will be a slow burn, not a sudden pivot. 🧭 Procurement’s focus must evolve — resilience now trumps cost. Diversify suppliers, hedge against volatility, and double down on regional intelligence. 🌍 The big takeaway? Agility is everything. In a world of shifting alliances and unpredictable policies, those who adapt fastest will lead. Thank you Selena Ling, Khoon Goh and Tom Bollen for bringing this to the forefront today. Watch this space as we deliver more top notch procurement insights across the day!

Still think Digital transformation is a pipe dream?    Next week at ProcureCon Asia, hear first-hand how Pos Malaysia Berhad reimagined its source-to-pay process with Zycus — and what’s next as Agentic AI enters the spotlight. 🎯 POS Malaysia’s Source-to-Pay Transformation Journey with Zycus and Its Agentic AI Outlook for Procurement Join:  🗣️ Carl Kimball, Regional VP, EMEA & APAC, Zycus  🗣️ Lim Thiam Chiew, Head, Group Procurement, POS Malaysia In this fireside chat, they’ll discuss: ✅ Key challenges and lessons from POS Malaysia’s transformation  ✅ How digitalisation unlocked greater efficiency, control, and visibility  ✅ Where Agentic AI fits into the next wave of procurement innovation  ✅ What future-ready procurement teams should be doing today 📅 If you're looking for a grounded case study with a forward-looking AI lens, this is a must-attend session at ProcureCon Asia. Link to join: https://lnkd.in/ggabF5s4 

In today’s VUCA world — volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous — procurement leaders need more than automation. They need autonomy. At ProcureCon Asia, join Karthikeyan Subramanian, Vice President, Consulting at GEP Worldwide, for a forward-looking session on the next evolution of AI: 🎯 Agentic AI: The New Procurement Frontier in the VUCA World In this expert-led session, you’ll explore:  🤖 What sets Agentic AI apart from traditional AI and GenAI  🌐 How autonomous agents can adapt, reason, and act in dynamic procurement environments  📉 The potential to boost resilience, efficiency, and strategic impact amid constant disruption  🔮 Why Agentic AI is shaping the next frontier of digital procurement If you're rethinking your operating model in response to disruption, this session will help you understand where Agentic AI fits - and how to prepare for it. 🗓️ Happening next week - be there at ProcureCon Asia to stay ahead of the curve: https://lnkd.in/ggabF5s4