The Procurement Interview: Andrew Roszko, CEO at JAGGAER

Andrew Roszko's first few hours as JAGGAER's new CEO could hardly have been more intense.

After 60 minutes on the job, the software-engineer-turned-supply-chain-leader found himself presenting to the company's Customer Advisory Board committee of 50 customers. There was, as he says, “no better way to get started.”

Hours later, Andrew spoke at the procurement technology provider's REV2025 conference in Miami. The event gave him the perfect platform to outline an ambitious vision that extends far beyond JAGGAER's traditional procurement strongholds. 

His plan? To listen closely to the market and employees; to leverage what he sees as an inevitable convergence between procurement and supply chain management; and to accelerate the company’s transformation into the most comprehensive procurement software and supply chain solution  where humans and AI agents enable autonomous operations.

A supply chain background

Andrew brings considerable pedigree to the role, having spent the past 25 years immersed in supply chain and logistics.

The majority of his career to date was spent at Descartes Systems Group, where he helped scale the business from US$40m in revenue to more than US$700m. Prior to this, his journey began as a software engineer and company founder, where he experienced first-hand the challenge of "listening to customer needs during the day and coding it up at night". 

That technical background, combined with his supply chain expertise, positions him uniquely to understand both the technological possibilities and operational realities facing JAGGAER's customer base. It's a perspective that has shaped his view of where the procurement industry is heading.

The perfect storm for change

When asked why he chose JAGGAER and why now, Andrew describes a perfect alignment of several factors: "I think everyone in the world has materially changed over the last five years. COVID, post-COVID tariff chaos… the list goes on.

“The one thing that's certain in all of this is that what JAGGAER does in supply chain and procurement has never been more relevant and never been more important.”

This macro-level disruption has accelerated trends that were already emerging.

"I have a supply chain background and so I've observed first-hand there's this convergence between procurement and supply chain,” Andrew adds.

“We're going to see it in org structures and business processes. And I think the procurement industry is going to evolve to much more closely combine with the supply chain.”

This convergence represents more than just operational efficiency. Instead it reflects a fundamental shift in how organisations approach their extended value networks. As supply chains become increasingly complex and interconnected, the traditional boundaries between procurement and supply chain management are blurring.

Mission-driven customer base

During his evaluation of JAGGAER, Andrew was particularly impressed by the company's customer base and their missions.

The 'impact element’, as he calls it, proved compelling: "I think I've been incredibly impressed. The JAGGAER team is really on a mission to support our customers' missions. And you think about what our customers do: they support public education, support global supply of a huge range of goods and services as well as critical research and public communities."

He recounts a particular conversation with a customer from a New York university: "I was speaking to one of our customers. She was at one of the universities in New York – the number one institution that takes kids out of poverty – and there isn't a more heartfelt mission than that."

This mission-driven aspect extends to JAGGAER's workforce as well.

"More than almost half the team has been here for five years or longer," reveals Andrew. "So, that kind of expertise and commitment is unheard of in the supply chain, particularly in the enterprise software space.”

From procurement strength to supply chain platform

Andrew's strategic vision for JAGGAER centres on building from existing strengths whilst expanding into adjacent opportunities. "I think there's incredible people, incredible IP and a great foundation here. I think we will start as a really strong procurement business and turn it into a world-class, broader business that is a supply chain platform."

This evolution won't abandon JAGGAER's core competencies. The company maintains strong positions in specific verticals, particularly in higher education and public sector markets where it holds market leadership positions. On the manufacturing direct side, Andrew emphasises that JAGGAER is a "market leader in that space with a very defendable position."

The expansion strategy appears to focus on leveraging these strongholds whilst gradually extending into broader supply chain use cases, Andrew reports, suggesting a measured approach to growth that builds on existing customer relationships and market positions.

AI enthusiasm exceeds expectations

Perhaps one of the most significant surprises for Andrew has been the enthusiasm around artificial intelligence, particularly following JAGGAER's recent announcement of JAI, its AI innovation initiative that builds on the company’s existing AI offerings. 

Even among customer segments traditionally viewed as technology laggards, the response has been overwhelmingly positive. "We have some public sector customers, some higher education customers which are maybe known as laggards in the tech space to some extent, but the amount of excitement about AI has been incredible to me. Our customers are hiring AI engineers, some of them are playing with Copilot Studio."

The practical application of AI into procurement and supply chain challenges represents a natural fit, says Andrew: "You think about what JAGGAER does for a living – messy data, networked enterprise problem – there isn't a better set of use cases for Gen AI and Agentic AI? So the opportunity for the future, particularly for this business, is just incredible."

The early adopter programme for JAI has apparently exceeded expectations, with what Andrew describes as "the rush of people that want to get engaged with us, really prioritise use cases to get after it" proving surprising even to him.

Competitive positioning through specialisation

In addressing the competitive landscape, Andrew takes a measured approach that acknowledges both the challenges and opportunities. "I'm a big believer in specialisation, so it is very competitive, but I think we've got very differentiated IP in certain vertical markets," he explains.

Rather than attempting to compete across all segments, JAGGAER's strategy appears focused on deepening its expertise in areas where it already holds strong positions.

"Certainly we're the market leader in higher education, we also do very well in the public sector," Andrew goes on. "On the manufacturing direct side, we are the market leader with a very defendable position and differentiated offering."

This specialisation strategy extends to the company's expansion plans.

"I feel like it is very, very competitive," continues Andrew. "I think it's a growing market with room for all of us and we're going to continue to double down on where we're strong.

He suggests confidence that focused excellence can coexist with broader market competition.

Building community and momentum

The REV2025 conference provided Andrew with an intensive introduction to JAGGAER's customer community, an experience that appears to have reinforced his confidence in the company's direction.

I think like anyone coming into a new job, there was a commitment to listening," Andrew explains.

REV served multiple purposes beyond typical conference objectives.

"Our customers felt very heard,” Andrew states. “There was a genuine intent to listen, to really understand what they were thinking about today and what they were thinking about five years from now."

The community aspect proved particularly valuable, with Andrew adding: "I think our team members are really passionately engaging with our customers and the optimism for really accelerating the pace of innovation – our customers wanting to engage to do that with us has been so energising for me."

Looking ahead

As Andrew settles into his role, the trajectory he's outlined suggests JAGGAER is preparing for significant evolution whilst maintaining its core strengths. The convergence of procurement and supply chain management, accelerated by recent global disruptions and enabled by advancing AI capabilities, presents both opportunity and challenge.

His approach appears characteristically methodical – listening extensively, building on existing strengths and expanding thoughtfully into adjacent areas. Whether this measured expansion can keep pace with rapidly evolving market demands remains to be seen, but Andrew's early interactions with customers suggest strong support for the direction he's charting.

The transformation from procurement specialist to supply chain platform represents a significant ambition, one that will likely unfold over years rather than quarters. But, with a customer base increasingly excited about AI possibilities and a team with deep domain expertise, JAGGAER is well-positioned to navigate this evolution under Andrew's leadership.