SPECIAL EDITION: #SAP #SAPPHIRENOW Procurement Sessions

In this special edition procurement event recommendations post, I will focus on the procurement sub tracks and sessions taking place on June 8 (for the North American audience). Keep in mind that the Global Keynote delivered by Christian Klein on June 2^nd is also available on demand if you’re just discovering these opportunities now.

All of the 2021 SAP SAPPHIRE sessions and information can be accessed here.

There are three procurement sub tracks:

1. Digital Transformation of Technologies and Processes
2. External Labor Spend Optimization
3. Trading Partner Collaboration & Innovation

Although there are excellent sessions happening in all three tracks, both overlapping and back-to-back, each of us is going to have to make tough choices – procurement has come a long way, but we can still only be in one place at a time! When I looked at all of the sessions individually, I found myself the most drawn to the ones in the Trading Partner Collaboration & Innovation track, reflecting the increased emphasis being placed on supplier partnerships in the aftermath of 2020.

The sessions I would like to call your attention to include:

SAPPHIRE NOW Studio Broadcast: Propel Your Business with Intelligent Spend and a Unified Business Network

10:00 – 11:15am

This live broadcast features a number of impressive executives talking about how procurement can become more agile and resilient – attributes that don’t always naturally go together hand in hand. Put this session in your SAPPHIRE calendar to hear from:

• John Wookey, Pres., Intelligent Spend and Business Network, SAP
• Salvatore Lombardo, SVP, Chief Product Officer & Head of Engineering for Procurement, SAP SE
• Paige Wei-Cox, SVP, Global Head, SAP Business Network, SAP
• Rodrigo Brea, Dir, Supply Chain Planning, Natura & Co Holding SA
• Greg Mekjian, Global VP & GM of SAP Business Network COE, SAP
• Tonatiuh Barradas, Sr VP and Head, Intelligent Spend Mgmt, SAP
• Stuart Van Houten, Head of Intelligent Spend Mgmt, SAP North America, SAP America (Reston)
• Rich Martin, Senior IT Director - Global Procurement, Workplace Technologies, Digital Agriculture, and PepsiCo Ventures, PepsiCo
• Jeff Collier, COO, Intelligent Spend & Business Network, SAP
• Thomas Saueressig, Member of the Executive Board, SAP Product Engineering, SAP
• Nicholas McFetrich, SAP Digital Transformation Dir, HCL America Solutions Inc
• Shawn Brodersen, SVP, Global Head, SAP Practice, HCL Technologies Ltd.
• Dinesh Rao, EVP & Global Head Enterprise Application Services, Infosys Ltd
• Danny Sack, Director of Product Marketing, SAP Ariba and SAP Fieldglass, SAP
• Maryclaire Hammond, XPO Logistics

Discover Actionable Tips for Better Spend Management in Uncertain Times

11:30 – 11:45

Many of procurement’s strategies are rooted in the idea of predictability. Once we throw that out the window, we still have to be able to effectively bring spend and suppliers under management. In this session, Kristen Jordeth, Dir, Procurement Product Strategy, SAP AMERICA, INC., will provide advice for leveraging procurement data and processes to mitigate risk, manage supplier lifecycles, and build valuable new insight.

Women Leaders in Digital Transformation

1:00 – 1:30

While leadership and digital transformation are not gender specific, I always find it interesting to hear the thoughts of highly accomplished women in procurement and supply chain. Join these women for a look at the change management and innovative approaches required for transformation:

• Roxanne Kits, Branch Mgr, Corporate Procurement and Supply Srvcs, City of Edmonton
• Jennifer Sieber, Senior Director Procurement Center of Excellence, Gilead Sciences
• Lisa G. Smith, Pres., LG Smith LLC
• Lori Averso, VP, Global Procmt, PVH Corp.

Note: Thanks to a collaboration with SAP, I had the opportunity to interview Lisa G. Smith about the transformation program at Ford Motor Company at the end of 2019. You can read that article here.

To view the complete SAP SAPPHIRENOW Program of Tracks and Sessions, click here