How Essity Uses AI and Agility to Boost Procurement
Disruption doesn’t slow down and neither do supply chains at Essity.
As industries face unpredictable challenges, supply leaders like Ilham Smaali continue shaping global operations that stay one step ahead.
Speaking at Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE London 2025, Ilham sets out how agility, AI and people-first leadership combine to create logistics systems that don’t buckle under pressure.
Global supply chains remain under strain. Disruptions now average over a month, occurring roughly every 3.7 years.
For businesses, the financial consequences are sharp—around 94% report losses, amounting to up to 8% of their annual revenue. That pressure isn't letting up, and in this landscape, companies need strategies that turn fragility into flexibility.
Ilham Smaali, Global Vice President of Planning & Logistics at hygiene and health multinational Essity, knows what that requires.
With a background spanning Procter & Gamble, Nike and The Estée Lauder Companies, she brings a strong understanding of both operational excellence and customer-focused logistics. Since joining Essity in July 2023, she now leads the charge on end-to-end supply chain transformation.
She outlines her approach in a keynote session titled Orchestrating Resilience: Building Agile Planning & Logistics at Global Scale, taking place at 10:10 on 24 September during PSC LIVE London 2025.
From the Supply Chain Stage, Ilham shares how Essity strengthens responsiveness across logistics systems without losing sight of the people who keep them running.
Ilham Smaali
At Essity, Ilham is responsible for steering the company’s transformation in planning and logistics. Her approach is digitally connected and customer-centred, but rooted in clear operational execution. She focuses on practical tools that reduce delays, strengthen supply reliability and help businesses adapt quickly when transport or demand shifts unexpectedly.
She explains how digital solutions only work when embedded within a leadership style that includes and empowers people across the chain. Ilham believes this human-centred strategy is essential in building resilience that lasts.
Her session at PSC LIVE explores what this looks like at global scale. Attendees will hear how to design systems that absorb disruption, manage risks across complex networks and improve visibility throughout.
Resilience isn’t optional
Organisations continue to feel the weight of global disruptions. Almost 80% of companies report at least one disruption in the last year. But the threats extend far beyond economics. Climate change now impacts 63% of firms, while geopolitical tensions affect 56%. Cybersecurity adds another layer—supply chain-related attacks have increased by more than 400% in recent years.
In parallel, organisations deal with internal obstacles. Skills gaps remain persistent, with 90% of supply chain leaders citing a lack of digital expertise as a barrier to transformation. Visibility remains a problem too, especially across distributed global networks—57% report this as a core issue.
Delivery times remain 25% longer than before the pandemic, further stretching systems already close to capacity. These combined pressures expose the need for planning and logistics functions that do more than respond—they must anticipate, adapt and act in real time.
This is exactly where agile, AI-supported models come in. Ilham says building supply chains that flex without breaking requires a dual focus: designing technology systems that support fast decision-making and leading teams that know how to use them.
About Procurement and Supply Chain LIVE London 2025
Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE is returning to the Business Design Centre in London for its annual Global Summit on 23-24 September.
This unmissable event is aimed at facilitating knowledge sharing and connections among the world's procurement and supply chain leaders.
Those attending can enjoy inspiring keynotes, engaging panels and exclusive workshops covering a diverse range of topics, including supply chain transformation, procurement technology, sustainability and ESG, AI, finance, logistics and supplier relationship management.
To secure your tickets, click here.
