There’s always been procurement in supply chains — but today’s CPO is a whole different animal.

Procurement sits at the center of every global supply chain, for acquisition of raw materials, components, assembly, finished goods, transportation and a range of other business functions. But this individual known as the chief procurement officer is something quite different today. Having ascended to the C-suite, the CPO is critical to the organization’s ability to react to changes in taxation, pricing, geopolitics and sourcing strategies. On this episode, we’re joined for a discussion about the changing role of the CPO by Anders Lillevik, chief executive officer of Focal Point, a provider of software for managing procurement. He explains what a CPO does today, as well as the different set of skills that are required for that discipline. And we discuss whether artificial intelligence is stepping in to support the human CPO, who remains more vital to the business than ever. Hosted by Bob Bowman, Editor-in-Chief of SupplyChainBrain.

Show notes:

A blog post from Focal Point: “Defining Procurement Management: Key Concepts and Essential Processes.”