How Sarantis Group is Building Best 3rd Party Procurement

In an era defined by technological disruption, supply chain volatility and mounting sustainability pressures, procurement teams face unprecedented challenges. For Dimitris Antonopoulos, Head of Group Procurement for 3rd Party at Sarantis Group, these challenges represent opportunities to fundamentally reshape how the organisation operates.

With Over 20 acquisitions in the last 20 years and operations spanning cosmetics, home care Solutions & Health Care, Sarantis Group has built a procurement function that balances complexity with efficiency, scale with agility and innovation with sustainability.

Scaling through growth and acquisitions

The recent acquisition of Stella Pact provides insight into how Sarantis approaches post-merger integration. For procurement teams, acquisitions bring both hurdles and opportunities

"Integrating new acquisitions always brings both challenges and opportunities," Dimitris explains. "I would say the key challenges include aligning different operating systems, which can initially limit information flow, and harmonising diverse ways of working, internal structures or even corporate cultures. Another critical aspect is the consolidation of supplier bases to ensure efficiency."

Several challenges are inherent in acquisitions: disparate ERP systems create data silos, different negotiating approaches lead to inconsistent pricing, varying quality standards can slow decision-making, and cultural differences undermine collaboration.

Yet Dimitris views these as pathways to value creation. "Bringing companies together enables economies of scale, strengthens negotiation power, and leads to better deals. Ultimately, it allows us to operate as one group and deliver consistent value globally."

This philosophy underpins Sarantis Group's broader approach to procurement transformation, reflecting the function's strategic importance in driving enterprise value.

SAP S/4HANA: the digital backbone

The implementation of SAP S/4HANA Cloud represents a fundamental reimagining of how procurement operates across the organisation.

"SAP S/4HANA is a major project for Sarantis Group. So if I had to choose three words, I would say standardisation, efficiency and improved user experience," says Dimitris.

One of the platform’s biggest advantages is its ability to eliminate fragmentation across multi-entity organisations. "First of all, it drives unification of all entities under one platform, which is very important for us," Dimitris says. The system introduces the concept of a business partner, consolidating suppliers and clients previously managed separately – a change that brings significant implications for relationship management and analytics.

"Flexible workflows for price lists, purchase orders, purchase requisition approvals – we are talking about a centralised design which streamlines hierarchies, material types, whilst advanced reporting capabilities provide better insights for better decision-making," Dimitris explains.

SAP S/4HANA Cloud strikes the right balance, providing guardrails through centralised design while offering the workflow flexibility that allows procurement teams to operate effectively.

"SAP S/4HANA Cloud is transforming procurement into a more integrated, agile and data-driven function," Dimitris adds, explaining that this data-driven foundation sets the stage for AI adoption.

Embracing the AI era

With robust digital infrastructure in place, Sarantis Group is positioned to leverage on AI and advanced analytics across its procurement operations.

"We are in the AI era, so this is an everyday discussion,” Dimitris says. “I would say automation, data and AI are transforming procurement into a faster and smarter function."

The organisation is taking a multi-pronged approach. "We're implementing both AI agents with improved research speed and accuracy, whilst enhanced data visibility provides you with historical insights,” he says. “So integrating platforms actually enables real-time analysis and forecasting in a more accurate way than before."

The foundation laid by SAP S/4HANA pays dividends here. By unifying disparate systems and standardising data structures, Sarantis Group has created conditions for AI to deliver genuine value.

Dimitris explains: "Predictive analytics and supplier risk assessments will further strengthen decision-making, which is very important for our procurement department." This ability to anticipate market movements and identify emerging risks represents the next frontier of procurement excellence for the company.

Procurement's role in sustainability

For Sarantis Group, digital transformation and sustainability are inseparable priorities, with digital tools enabling the transparency necessary for environmental progress.

"On the ESG agenda, procurement plays a key role in our sustainability strategy," Dimitris states, “We work with suppliers to reduce waste and to optimise energy use. We focus on high-impact areas like aerosols and packaging redesign." 

Sarantis Group is moving beyond ad hoc initiatives towards integrating sustainability into core processes. "ESG criteria are being embedded into our sourcing process through a digital framework that has automated scoring by 2026," Dimitris says. 

This automated scoring moves ESG considerations from subjective assessments to data-driven evaluations applied consistently across the supplier base. Sarantis prioritises local sourcing to reduce transport emissions and is developing joint decarbonisation programmes with key partners to support Scope 3 reduction targets by 2027.

"I would say that sustainability is integrated into every sourcing decision we make," Dimitris adds. 

Supporting suppliers on the sustainability journey

Rather than simply imposing requirements, Sarantis has adopted a collaborative approach with suppliers at different stages of ESG maturity.

"We recognise that our suppliers are at different stages than we are in our ESG journey,” says Dimitris. “So, our goal is to support progress, not just to enforce compliance with them.

"We are finalising the ESG-informed Group Supplier Business Partner Code of Conduct, which will be sent for formal acknowledgement with them in 2026. This will set clear expectations for environmental, social and ethical practices.

"Beyond compliance, we engage regularly through audits, data collection, providing guidance on packaging, waste and energy usage so as to collaborate on initiatives that deliver low-carbon materials and circular packaging."

This approach requires more resources than traditional compliance but builds stronger supplier relationships and drives genuine progress.

"In general, we believe that this approach fosters transparency and drives continuous improvement across our value chain," Dimitris explains.

Navigating inflationary pressures

While digital transformation and sustainability dominate strategic conversations, procurement teams have simultaneously grappled with inflation and supply disruptions.

"In the last five years, starting with COVID then seeing conflict across the world, inflation has been a constant discussion," Dimitris says. "We manage it quite well through a combination of transparency, agility and scale.”

Transparency comes through innovative supplier agreements, says Dimitris. "One of the first things we did was with strategic suppliers. We implemented an open-book structure tied to market indices like salaries, inflation, energy and commodity components, ensuring fairness and visibility both ways."

By tying prices to objective market indices, Sarantis Group has built collaborative relationships with strategic suppliers that can weather volatility more effectively.

Agility comes through frequent reviews. "Price lists are reviewed quarterly, semi-annually or annually, depending on the case, so as to track fluctuations and hedge when opportunity arises," Dimitris explains.

He also says that scale provides leverage: "We use cost modelling to anticipate trends and consolidate suppliers where possible, adjusting the minimum order quantities to leverage economies of scale.

"Different tools that at the end of the day help to maintain our competitiveness whilst mitigating inflationary pressure.”

A holistic approach to supplier management

Underpinning these initiatives is a comprehensive framework for supplier management. Sarantis Group is building what Dimitris describes as a "full-cycle approach from supplier pre-qualification to ongoing evaluation”.

Managing suppliers across five distinct functions requires careful orchestration. "The priority is to establish a common modus operandi across the third-party functions," Dimitris explains. “This standardisation enables consistent monitoring, easier team mobility and the ability to apply lessons across categories.

"Key procedures are already in place, including vendor approval through quality questionnaires and signing NDAs, financial checks with the finance department, service level agreements, price list approvals, payment terms approvals. These have quickly become part of everyday life," Dimitris notes.

Sarantis Group is enhancing its framework with two additions. First is innovation. "Joint innovation workshops focus on NPDs, packaging redesigns and reformulations, which help with process optimisation,” Dimitris explains. “And this is made through annual innovation days, fostering collaboration with strategic partners."

These innovation days transform suppliers from vendors into development partners.

Second, says Dimitris, is sophisticated segmentation: "This includes risk-based supply segmentation – strategic, critical, leverage or transactional – supported by financial health checks, geopolitical risk assessment based on what we have seen in recent years, as well as the sustainability scoring we mentioned before."

This method allows the organisation to calibrate its approach based on both supplier importance and risk.

Skills for the future of procurement

As Sarantis Group's procurement function evolves, so too must team capabilities. When asked what skills future procurement professionals need, Dimitris offers a comprehensive vision balancing technical expertise with human capabilities.

"I would say it's a blend of technical, strategic and interpersonal skills," he begins. "First of all, digital and analytical intelligence is critical. We are living in the era of AI, so AI fluency and familiarity with advanced systems are essential foundation skills.”

But technology alone is insufficient, he says: "Strategic thinking and risk management remain essential for navigating volatile markets and ensuring supply continuity. AI gives you the data, but you need to analyse it on your own."

This cuts to the heart of AI's role. Technology can process vast amounts of data and identify patterns far faster than humans, but it cannot replace the strategic judgement and creative problem-solving that experienced professionals bring.

"Strong negotiation skills combined with resilience, agility and creativity – again, you are doing the negotiation, not the machine, so this needs to always be at a high level – will help professionals adapt quickly,” says Dimitris.

Finally, Dimitris emphasises human connection:. "Emotional and social intelligence, because at the end of the day you have collaborative relationships with internal stakeholders and suppliers."

In an era of increasing automation, these distinctively human skills – empathy, relationship-building, communication – become more valuable, not less.

"So taking all as one, I would say that the most important thing is to have a continuous learning mindset that will ensure that everyone stays ahead in a rapidly evolving environment," Dimitris concludes. 

Procurement as strategic differentiator

The transformation at Sarantis Group illustrates how procurement has evolved from a cost-focused tactical function to a strategic differentiator. Through business understanding and appreciation, digital infrastructure investments, AI capabilities, sustainability integration, sophisticated supplier management and capability building, the organisation is positioning procurement at the centre of value creation.

The result is a procurement function that is simultaneously more efficient and strategic, more data-driven and collaborative, and more standardised and agile. These contradictions are resolved through thoughtful implementation of enabling technologies and robust processes.

For procurement leaders navigating similar transformations, Sarantis Group's experience offers a valuable lesson: success requires patience – transformations take years, not months. It also demands investment in both technology and people, and requires leadership that can articulate a compelling vision whilst maintaining operational excellence.

As Sarantis Group continues its journey, it demonstrates how procurement can evolve to meet the demands of a complex, volatile business environment. Digital transformation and sustainability are not competing priorities but complementary imperatives, and procurement sits at the intersection of both.