Top 10 sustainable speakers: Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE

Did you attend Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE 2022? Catch up on the sustainability speakers from the two-day hybrid Risk & Resilience Conference

In April 2022, Procurement Magazine, Supply Chain Digital and Bizclik Media Group returned to London's Tobacco Dock to host our second Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE.

Dubbed ‘The Risk & Resilience Conference’ the two-day hybrid event featured keynotes, roundtables, Q&As, and networking opportunities with inspirational and knowledgeable leaders in the procurement and supply chain space.


Jacqui Rock, NHS: Tackling climate change and patient care and demystifying procurement in the NHS

Taking to the stage for a second year, Jacqui Rock, Chief Commercial Officer of NHS England and NHS Improvement spoke on two occasions at Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE: The Risk & Resilience Conference. 

Rock first took part in a panel discussion alongside Scott Birch, Chief Content Officer at BizClik Media Group, Preeya Bailie, Director of Procurement at NHS England and NHS Improvement, and Pia Larsen, Director of Procurement & Supply Chain at UCLH.

During the panel, the four highlighted the important role of procurement professionals in the organisation to account for its use of funding. The emphasis of the organisation seems to have shifted from the focus on cost to the incentives of value. 

“Supply chain visibility was our Achilles heel and the fact that we weren’t mature enough in our own organisations to have that end-to-end visibility in the supply chain was something that was deeply problematic,” says Larsen. 

“The lack of investment in the NHS in supply chain technology, visibility and intelligence has probably been the biggest lesson to come out of the pandemic.”

Continuing the sustainability discussion, Rock spoke on the Main Stage after lunch. During her keynote speech, Rock discussed: 

  • The importance of tackling climate change and why its a top priority for the NHS
  • The net zero supply chain expectation of the healthcare system 
  • The importance of supplier innovation
  • The impact of climate change on health conditions such as asthma, cancer, heart disease and heat-related illnesses

“Tackling climate change isn't a problem for the future, it's a problem right now!” stresses Rock.

She adds: “It was in 2010 that we first said that we were going to focus on cutting emissions, and I'm really proud to say we've reduced our emissions by 30% since 2010. Recently we have made a very bold statement to become the first health service in the world to commit to reaching net zero by 2040 for direct, and by 2045 for indirect emissions.”


Sheldon Mydat, Suppeco & Stephany Lapierre, Tealbook: Could procurement do more to track Scope 3 emissions?

On the Main Stage, Sheldon Mydat, Founder and CEO of Suppeco and Stephany Lapierre, Founder and CEO of Tealbook took part in a panel discussion at Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE alongside Scott Birch, Chief Content Officer at BizClik Media Group (BMG).

During the panel, the three reflected on the monitoring of Scope 3 emissions in the industry, its complexities, the benefits of technology, and the importance of supplier visibility. 

“I typically say that we already have a very difficult - maybe even impossible - time collecting data from Tier 1 suppliers and categorising spend at the invoice level [...] So I think the challenge will be how do organisations execute and drive accountability and ownership in a way that is quantifiable,” commented Lapierre.

Mydat adds: “Supplier relationships are essential. You’ve got to break down barriers, it's down to those Tier 1 suppliers in collaboration with customers to drive those behaviours and bring smaller companies on the journey to drive more business, open up new opportunities, and develop new innovation and shared research and development (R&D).”


Sheri Hinish, IBM: Breaking down barriers to environmental sustainability

Kick-starting Day 2 on the Main Stage, Sheri Hinish, Executive Partner, IBM Sustainable Supply Chain, Finance and Circularity delivered her keynote on breaking down barriers to environmental sustainability. 

“Sustainability is not someone else's problem,” begins Hinish. “More than 50% of CEOs believe that business leaders must take responsibility for the business impact on communities in which they operate.”

Hinish highlighted the significant gap when it comes to delivering on sustainability initiatives despite the topic being a top priority. According to Hinish, 86% of CEOs currently have a sustainability strategy, but only 35% have acted on these strategies. 

With the supply chain being a constantly changing environment, “you can’t just turn on a solution and transform,” says Hinish. To achieve trust and transparency organisations need more than due diligence and compliance, an organisation also needs optimisation, transformation, innovation and experience.


Mark Perera, Vizibl: The power of supplier collaboration and innovation for sustainable business growth

After lunch on Day 2 of Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE, Mark Perera, CEO of Vizibl took to the Main Stage to discuss the power of supplier collaboration and innovation for sustainable business growth.

“There is no greater crisis than climate,” says Perera. “There is uncertainty on a global scale. We are in very disruptive times, sustainability is affecting organisations not only in how they run today but in the future too.”

Despite the growing global awareness of the importance of climate change, Perera remains concerned: “We’re not far enough along the journey to achieve 2030 goals. We need to make a more of a collective effort to increase the pace of change.”

He adds: “We have to start. Organisations are focused on getting the ‘right data’ but we have to start the movement, we can’t wait for the ‘perfect data’.”


Jan Francis: Building a sustainability strategy in a new reality 

Echoing Perera, Jan Francis, Director and Head of Procurement Operations and Supplier Management, Europe Sourcing Visa during his panel stressed that “the time has been ‘now’ for 50 years!”

But there are a lot of decisions to make when it comes to sustainability, Quoting Larry Fink’s 2022 letter to CEOs, Francis said: “Every company and every industry will be transformed by the transition to a net zero world. The questions is, will you lead, or will you be led?”


Nedra Dickson, Accenture & Mauricio Coindreau, AB InBev: Supply chain sustainability

On Day 1 of Procurement and Supply Chain LIVE, Nedra Dickson, Managing Director of Global Supplier Inclusion and Sustainability Lead at Accenture and Mauricio Coindreau, Head of Sustainability and Procurement at AB InBev sat down for a fireside chat with Sean Ashcroft, Editor in Chief of Supply Chain Digital.

During the chat, the three discussed innovative design and packaging, ESG in supply chains, Scope 1,2 and 3 emissions, scoreboards and benchmarking, and the war on waste (WOW).

In today’s organisations, Coindreau stresses that sustainability is not just mission critical, it’s survival, not only for humans but for companies that want to survive the next generation of challenges. 

“The disruptions we've seen through COVID is nothing that I've ever experienced in my career. We're seeing congestions in all types of transport, delays in lead time from machinery and raw materials, and of course prices are going up throughout the supply chain. This is obviously having an impact on sustainability efforts,” said Coindreau.

Dickson added: “COVID-19 has changed the way we work. We’ve realised we can’t do this alone, partnerships are more crucial than ever, and it can be a partnership on many different levels. We are finding that those small and diverse owned businesses are coming in to fill those critical gaps. We are relying on these smaller businesses to not only partner with them, but to innovate with them too."


Fabrice Blanc, Nestlé: Leveraging new technologies to improve sourcing sustainability and flexibility

On Stage 4 of Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE, Fabrice Blanc, Procurement Director S&IM and PPA, at Nestlé, Canada discussed with Sean Ashcroft, Editor in Chief of Supply Chain Digital how organisations can leverage new technologies to improve sourcing sustainability and flexibility.

During the discussion, Blanc discussed Nestlé sustainability journey, the technology currently being leveraged by the company such as machine learning, AI and automation, the biggest challenges faced by organisations today, and the need for a shift in mindset in order to thrive. 


Mariam Saad & Ashifa Jumani, TELUS: Environmental, social, and governance (ESG)

On Stage 3 at Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE, Scott Birch, Chief Content Officer at BizClik Media Group, was joined by Mariam Saad, Director of IT and Technology Services, and Ashifa Jumani, Director of Procurement at TELUS

The two begin the discussion by walking the audience through a presentation of the company’s sustainability efforts and why it’s important to TELUS. 

“We are committed to leveraging our world-leading technology and compassion to drive social change and enable remarkable human outcomes,” said Jumani.

Following the presentation, both Saad and Jumai answer questions relating to current events in the industry driving the need for sustainability and transparency, how organisations can achieve a competitive advantage with a sustainable supply chain, advice for those starting out on their sustainability journey, and whether enough companies are setting achievable goals. 

“There is a big debate around gaining a competitive advantage with sustainable supply chains. For me personally, 100%. Expectations from our customers and shareholders show that sustainability is truly a differentiator,” added Saad.


Ingrid De Ryck, AB InBev: Achieving Net Zero

Speaking with Scott Birch, Chief Content Officer at BizClik Media Group on Stage 3, Ingrid De Ryck, Vice President Logistics Europe at AB InBev where she discussed the topic - Achieving net zero.

De Ryck began by walking the audience through the AB InBev organisation and its sustainability strategy to reduce, by 25%, its carbon emissions across the entire value chain - Scope 1, 2, and 3 - by 2025. 

“We dream big to create a future with more cheers. A future with more cheers is shared prosperity for our communities, our planet, and our company. It is growth that is inclusive, value that is shared, and wins for the world that are truly worth celebrating. It's a sustainable, equitable future for all,” said De Ryck. 

De Ryck also discussed AB InBev’s wider role in decarbonising the supply chain industry, the challenges of technology implementation, and alternative fuel technologies.


Graham Copeland, GEP: Improving procurement’s impact with simple decision-making models 

Speaking on Day 2 of Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE, Graham Copeland, Senior Director of Business Development at GEP delivered an interactive keynote presentation, on how organisations can improve procurement’s impact with simple decision-making models. 

Copeland also walked the audience through how to navigate the challenges facing the industry today including: 

  • How Kraljic’s famous model may inadvertently support modern slavery, and a lesser-known but superior alternative model to Kraljic that addresses the triple bottom line
  • The right choices to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions
  • Making choices around the right approach for driving the right type of savings agenda
  • How to approach make versus buy of your procurement capabilities
  • Deciding where the boundaries for procurement should lie
  • Reducing tension with Vendor management teams

To watch any of our other speakers from Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE: The Risk and Resilience Conference, click here


PROCUREMENT & SUPPLY CHAIN LIVE 2022

This October, Supply Chain Digital and Procurement Magazine return to London for an all-new event - PROCUREMENT & SUPPLY CHAIN LIVE LONDON 2022. Click here, to find out how you can attend.

Held at the QEII Centre from 12-13 October, BMG’s all-new hybrid event incorporates two zones - SupplyChain LIVE and Procurement LIVE - to create a single EXPO style experience.

The event will give those attending the chance to showcase their values, products and services to partners and customers.

To find out more about PROCUREMENT & SUPPLY CHAIN LIVE LONDON 2022, click here.

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