The Future of Agentic AI: Procurement’s Next Big Leap

According to McKinsey & Company, procurement is undergoing a major evolution. The function has shifted from a mere cost-cutting tool into a critical driver of business growth and resilience. 

However, many teams are still drowning in administrative tasks, fragmented data and volatile market disruptions, currently utilising less than 20% of available data to support their decisions.

The solution lies in a transition from traditional analytical AI to agentic AI. Instead of just presenting data for humans to analyse, autonomous AI agents ingest information, explore solutions and execute end-to-end tasks from sourcing suppliers to tracking post-agreement performance. 

This allows AI to handle scale, speed and synthesis, freeing up humans to focus on complex judgment and relationship building.

Scaling efficiency and rapid returns

Early adopters are already seeing massive returns. One company using autonomous sourcing boosted staff efficiency by 20% to 30% and increased value capture by 1% to 3%.

With the right foundations, businesses can pilot this technology in weeks and fully scale it in less than a year to secure high savings and rapid operational efficiency.

At Procurement LIVE, The Future of Agentic AI panel will explore applications in spend analysis, supplier selection and process automation that drive strategic value and operational efficiency.

The session takes place on Day 1, September 8, 2026 between 15:50 - 16:30 (BST).

Meet the speakers

Nico Bac, Founder, Digital Procurement Now (Moderator)

Nico is a seasoned procurement executive with over 20 years of global experience leading category spend in packaging, contract manufacturing and IT. Having managed and upskilled teams across Europe, Asia and North America, he specialises in driving large-scale digital procurement transformations.

From 2014 to 2020, Nico spearheaded Procter & Gamble’s global Source-to-Pay (S2P) digital transformation. Under his leadership, spend under management surged from 70% to 95%, dramatically increasing transparency and control. By shifting to contract- and catalog-based POs and automated e-invoicing, he also slashed business process outsourcing (BPO) costs by 80%.

Driven by this success, Nico founded a digital procurement consultancy to help organisations maximise the value of their technology investments. His comprehensive expertise spans the entire procurement lifecycle, including Spend Analytics, E-sourcing, Contract and Catalog Management, Supplier Onboarding, E-invoicing and Supply Chain Financing.

Stephen Day, Chief Procurement Officer at Kantar

With over six years as Chief Procurement Officer at Kantar, a Bain Capital portfolio company, Stephen leads the procurement and real estate functions, focusing on organisational design, process and systems optimisation, governance, diversity and inclusion.

His role centres on driving transformative change, including the delivery of a significant savings plan, to support Kantar’s strategic objectives.

Leveraging expertise in sourcing, operations management and contract management, Stephen contributes to enterprise-wide transformations, focusing on value creation and realisation. He is committed to innovation, with an aim to empower organisations by aligning procurement strategies with long-term business goals, ensuring sustainable growth and operational excellence.

Lauren Richards, Chief Procurement Officer at Revolut

An experienced Global Procurement leader with a demonstrated history of working in the tech and retail industries. Lauren is skilled in purchasing across various categories, an expert negotiator trained by the GAP partnership with an MA in Leadership; MCIPS and six sigma qualifications.

Lauren has spent her most recent experience setting up and growing procurement functions and implementing procurement systems. Operating as a Global CPO, with responsibilities spanning commercial ownership, risk and contracting as part of the full third party lifecycle and bringing extensive experience in digital transformation.

To see this panel, and the full agenda of the incredible two day event, secure your tickets for Procurement LIVE 2026.