Webinar: Coupa & Pepco on Thriving Under Pressure

Coupa and Procurement Magazine hosted an exclusive webinar looking at how procurement teams can thrive under pressure, managing cost, risk and spend.

Modern procurement teams face a brutal balancing act: cut costs, mitigate supplier risk and maintain control amid relentless market volatility.

For fast-growing organisations, the stakes are even higher. Scaling operations, standardising processes and maintaining visibility across multiple markets adds immense pressure to deliver consistent results.

Overcoming the hurdles of rapid growth

In this exclusive webinar, titled Procurement Under Pressure: Managing Cost, Risk and Spend, the Pepco Group pulled back the curtain on how it tackles these challenges head-on.

Discover how it built the internal business case, secured executive buy-in and laid the foundations for scalable growth while navigating continuous supply chain disruption.

This practical, no-nonsense discussion focused on real-world decisions, critical trade-offs and what actually works in today’s market is now available to watch on demand.

Watch "Procurement Under Pressure: Managing Cost, Risk and Spend" on demand.

Karolina Tarnawska, Group Procurement Director at Pepco Group

Karolina Tarnawska is a seasoned executive with over two decades of experience leading global transformations across the retail, FMCG and financial sectors.

In her role at Pepco Group, she oversees end-to-end procurement processes, focusing on cost optimisation, digitalisation and risk management for one of Europe’s fastest-growing retailers.

With a career that includes senior leadership roles at Heineken (Grupa Żywiec), ING and McDonald’s, Karolina brings a unique perspective that blends procurement excellence with deep financial expertise in treasury and credit risk.

She is also a passionate advocate for sustainability, serving as President of Agro Woman and Vice President of the Polish Association of Sustainable Agriculture.

Joe Catling, RVP UKI at Coupa

Joe Catling is a leading expert in helping organisations unlock multi-million-pound spend optimisation through AI-driven Source-to-Pay solutions.

As a top-performing leader at Coupa, the global leader in Business Spend Management (BSM), Joe specialises in guiding enterprises through the complexities of digital transformation.

His expertise is in demonstrating how technology can be harnessed to mitigate risk and accelerate growth, ensuring that procurement departments evolve from back-office functions into value-generating engines.

Joe is a frequent contributor to industry strategy sessions, focused on the intersection of process optimisation and innovative software.

Watch the webinar on demand.

Five insights on procurement transformation

• Procurement as the heart of organisations: Karoline emphasised the central role of procurement in aligning processes and decisions across an organisation, highlighting its strategic importance in driving growth and mitigating risk.
• Challenges of rapid growth: Rapid scaling at Pepco exposed the limitations of fragmented and manual procurement systems, leading to the realisation that foundational systems, including data, processes and technology, are essential for effective transformation.
• Importance of building foundations for AI: Both Karoline and Joe stressed that implementing AI requires a strong foundational base of clean data, streamlined processes and prepared teams. Without proper groundwork, AI cannot deliver its full potential.
• Change management and stakeholder buy-in: Successful procurement transformation relies heavily on balancing consistency with flexibility, clear communication and ensuring stakeholders understand the "why" behind changes. Securing leadership buy-in was described as a collaborative effort across multiple functions.
• Standardisation enables speed and transparency: While the transition to standardised processes may initially slow operations, it ultimately facilitates faster decision-making, transparency and business continuity. Prioritizing user experience, impactful training and effective communication emerges as key to driving user adoption.

Watch the webinar on demand.