Ivalua Now 2026: Emilie Génin at Elkem

In the fast-paced world of global manufacturing, the leap from the factory floor to the procurement office might seem unconventional. Yet, for Emilie Génin, Divisional Procurement Manager at Elkem, it was a transition born of pure pragmatism.

A Chemical Process Engineer by trade, Génin began her tenure at Elkem leading the Engineering Department. It was here she encountered a recurring hurdle: operational frustrations rarely stemmed from the technical intricacies of engineering, but rather from the "how", the way needs were specified, prioritised and ultimately sourced.

"I quickly realised that many operational frustrations didn’t stem from the technical work itself, but from how needs were specified and prioritised," Génin shared during the Women & Procurement session at Ivalua NOW. Today, she utilises that structured, engineering mindset to drive procurement transformations that are as functional as they are strategic.

Bridging the cultural divide

Elkem is a powerhouse in advanced silicon materials, headquartered in Oslo and spanning five continents. Managing such a vast footprint requires more than just a standard process; it requires cultural intelligence.

As the company moves from a decentralised model to a more unified structure, recently reorganising into three distinct divisions, Génin acts as a vital bridge. She highlights that when working on transformational projects, it is essential to remember that Elkem is a multicultural organisation.

Even when the mandate is to implement one standard process, you still need to understand local cultures and ways of working. In many ways, you become a bridge: recognising individual needs while guiding teams toward a unified approach and clearly demonstrating the benefits for users.

The blueprint for global standardisation

The scale of Elkem’s operations is formidable. Purchasing approximately two million tonnes of raw materials annually, the company operates in a sector where supplier visibility and collaboration are essential to managing risk effectively.

Previously, a decentralised system led to process fragmentation, inconsistent supplier interactions and difficulty translating ESG goals into practices.

To address these challenges, Elkem selected Ivalua. By implementing Ivalua’s Supplier Relationship and Performance Management (SRPM) solution, seamlessly integrated with two existing ERP systems and a third-party risk assessment solution, Elkem now manages its entire supplier lifecycle.

This system covers several thousand supplier records, with Ivalua acting as a single source of truth for supplier data. With this digital foundation, Elkem has centralised supplier information, standardised management processes and accelerated ESG performance.

The human side of AI

While the backend technicalities are impressive, Génin’s focus remains on the end-user. When asked about the future of AI in procurement, she sees its greatest potential in its ability to democratise expertise for non-procurement staff.

"What I love actually is using AI for non-procurement people. They can ask something and then if you have a good prompt, you can put all your processes and they just ask something and they don't know, but all the processes are in there and the answer is compliant. I think that's the most interesting part of AI today."

By blending the rigour of engineering with a human-centric digital strategy, Emilie Génin is proving that the future of procurement isn't just about buying better, it’s about building better systems for everyone involved.