PSC LIVE Singapore 2025: Holly Miller of Quantexa’s Keynote
At Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE Singapore 2025, Holly Miller, Global Head of Supply Chain Intelligence at Quantexa, delivered an engaging keynote on how AI is transforming supply chain transparency.
Sharing her expertise in tackling fraud, corruption and supply chain disruptions, Holly highlighted practical approaches to using AI and data to enhance organisational integrity and resilience.
Maintaining transparency in global supply chains
Holly began by discussing the complex landscape facing supply chain professionals today.
“You only need to pick up the newspaper or look at the headline on your phone to see the latest political announcement or climate event impacting global supply chains,” she said.
With factors such as geopolitical conflicts, sanctions and logistical issues disrupting operations, businesses are often forced to onboard new suppliers rapidly, sometimes sacrificing due diligence.
This urgency, coupled with an increased reliance on intermediaries, can diminish transparency and introduce integrity risks.
The critical question Holly posed was, “How can we protect against regulatory and reputational risks if we don’t have a clear view of our supply chain ecosystem?”.
She noted that, without comprehensive transparency, it becomes nearly impossible to anticipate the impacts of global events on supply chains or to detect issues such as sanctions evasion and foreign interference.
How AI is enhancing visibility
Holly delved into the role of AI in improving supply chain transparency, focusing on both machine learning and generative AI technologies.
While machine learning involves analysing historical data to predict risks and opportunities, Gen AI enables deeper insights by making sense of complex data and simulating potential scenarios.
"Machine learning is only as powerful as the data that powers it," she cautioned, stressing the importance of high-quality, well-structured data.
One of Holly’s key insights was the need for organisations to prepare their data for AI-driven analysis. She described how techniques like entity resolution and graph analytics can unify disparate data sources, offering a complete view of the supply chain ecosystem.
"When you have that unified view, you can start to build much more context," she explained.
These techniques allow businesses to identify hidden connections, detect potential risks and simulate the impact of world events on their supply chains.
Holly illustrated this with a practical example: by integrating internal data with external sources such as corporate registries, shipping data and news reports, companies can not only respond to current events but also anticipate disruptions.
For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, early warning signals could have been detected through advanced data analytics, allowing organisations to act proactively.
Real-world applications of AI for supply chain integrity
To demonstrate the tangible benefits of AI in supply chain management, Holly shared real-world case studies.
One example involved a European health contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars, where the supplied products failed to meet requirements and were ultimately destroyed.
By applying advanced data techniques, including machine learning and graph analytics, Holly’s team identified red flags that could have prevented the supplier from being onboarded.
"If this approach was applied, the supplier would never have been onboarded," she noted.
Another case study showed how AI can improve supply chain resilience by highlighting financial risks within a multi-tier supply chain.
Using unified data from internal systems and external financial records, Holly’s team detected that a second-tier supplier in Thailand was insolvent. The system not only flagged this risk automatically but also recommended alternative suppliers with stronger financial performance, showcasing how AI can support strategic decision-making in real time.
Holly emphasised that businesses don’t need to leap straight into advanced AI implementations. Instead, they can adopt an iterative approach, gradually expanding data sources and refining AI models to enhance supply chain transparency over time.
“You don’t have to start right at the deep end; it can be iterative,” she said, encouraging organisations to build incrementally on early successes.
The future of AI in supply chain management
Looking ahead, Holly is optimistic about the potential of AI to transform supply chains. She highlighted how AI’s predictive capabilities could help businesses stay ahead of emerging risks by analysing early warning signals and simulating the effects of potential crises.
"The technology exists, but we need to get it there," she remarked, underscoring the need for organisations to not only adopt AI tools but also integrate them effectively into their existing processes.
Her presentation at Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE served as a powerful reminder that, while AI is not a silver bullet, it offers invaluable tools for building resilient and transparent supply chains.
By harnessing the power of data and adopting a strategic approach to AI, businesses can better navigate an increasingly complex global landscape, reduce risks and ensure operational integrity.
Essential diary dates for 2025
Discover the essential diary dates for Procurement Magazine and Supply Chain Digital, as well as its sister publications, Manufacturing Digital and Sustainability Magazine.
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- Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE: Sustainability | 5-6 March
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- Sustainability LIVE Chicago | 28-29 May
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