Claire Brockdorff

Entry-level professionals always want to know, “How do I stand out ?” The latest CIPS Salary Guide offers a pretty clear answer for #Procurement professionals. The data shows that MCIPS-qualified professionals earn, on average, 22% more than their non-accredited peers - and in the UAE, it is 28% more ! Yes, more money in your pocket is nice - But the biggest benefit will be what changes once you start applying what you’ve learned. > You start asking better questions in supplier meetings. > Your cost-saving initiatives are tied to category plans and long-term sourcing strategies. > You’re able to balance price, value, continuity, and ESG without being told what to prioritise. > You become the person everyone relies on for logical decision-making and training others. And your manager notices. So does their manager. Because MCIPS doesn’t just give you a credential, it additionally gives you a language for communicating #Value, a framework for strategic thinking, and the kind of #Confidence that comes when you understand the bigger picture. If you're wondering whether it’s worth pursuing #MCIPS, I’d say this: 👉 It’s not just about levelling up your knowledge. It’s about being seen differently by your organisation, your peers, and most importantly, by yourself. I will put the link to the full CIPS - The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply Salary Guide in the comments. Take a look and you’ll see just how much difference #ProfessionalDevelopment can make !

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The labour market is forever changing. The availability of talent we saw 3 years ago is vastly different to what we see now and in 12–18 months it’ll change again. From 2021-23, many procurement leaders struggled to secure strong talent that met most elements of a brief and had to flex their expectations yet still paid top end salaries to secure the best person in the market. This was due to very limited supply. Throughout 2024 and now, supply has increased at all levels and competition for roles is strong. Many of our clients are now able to hire those SME’s and category experts they’ve been wanting for many years now. These resources are contributing to both the increase in performance and internal brand of procurement which is critical right now given the pressure on procurement functions to deliver. #procurement #talent #recruitment #hiring #cpo #gmprocurement #

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🧾 Procurement isn’t just about buying stuff. It’s about buying smart — and making sure your company isn’t lighting money on fire 🔥 every time a PO goes out the door. As someone who lives and breathes procurement tech at Precoro | B Corp Certified, here’s something I’ve been thinking about lately: Procurement has gone from the basement to the boardroom. It’s a critical part of supply chain management — and the tech behind it is catching up fast. 👉 The procurement software market is projected to more than double by 2031, hitting $13.2B. Why? Because the old way just doesn’t cut it anymore. Automation now lets teams manage 27% more spend and drive 2.4x ROI. That’s not a typo — it’s what happens when you stop using spreadsheets as a procurement strategy. CFOs and CPOs: Real-time visibility = better decisions. Streamlined approvals = faster operations. Smarter sourcing = stronger supplier relationships. And yes, maybe fewer all-nighters before quarterly close 😉 If your procurement tech still feels like it was built in 2005, it’s time for a change. Your finance and procurement teams will thank you. Let’s stop thinking of procurement as a cost center and start seeing it as the strategic powerhouse it really is.

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The BIG challenge from now to 2035: A high demand for leaders with transformation skills, but not enough supply! Nearly 60% of C-suite reports increasing worries about sourcing leaders with the skills to meet the challenges of the next decade. The survey was done in Q1 2025 of 400+ European C‑Suite executives and 100 private equity investors (EU + US). Organizations face a convergence of disruptive forces: ✅ Digital acceleration & AI transformation ✅ Workforce transformation spurred by talent shortages, shifting values, and generational change ✅ Geopolitical & economic volatility, including inflation, new regulations, and fragile supply chains ✅ Succession uncertainty, as many lack resilient, forward-looking leadership pipelines How are you taking on this challenge as a C-suite leader or an Executive Search recruiter? Johanna Frelin Pernilla Ramslöv Marie Berner Moberg Azra Osmancevic Patrik Hofbauer Lena Franzén Lindfors Jeanna Tällberg Annelie Nässén Lovisa Ekman Linn Roslund Martin Hansson Monica Längbo Magnus Tegborg Jan Jendeby Håkan Ekström Liv Gorosch Eva Ekedahl Scott Newton Liselotte Hägertz Engstam 🌏♦️Maria Zalamans Furenmo ♦️ 👉 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dCqrX-dk #leadership #succession #transformation #ai #data #boardofdirectors #talent #digitalacceleration #strategy #business #resilience #future #skills

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I'm often asked if public procurement is a Pull orientated process, or a Push orientated process. My answer is always the same. It is, and it will always be, a Push orientated process. ⬅️ Pull orientated process - You advertise your requirements in a public forum, and the market arrives, en masse, to take part in your tender. ➡️ Push orientated process - You identify the market, speak with them, advise them what you are proposing to do, take their feedback on board, and keep them regularly updated on the status of the process. If public procurement was a Pull oriented process, we wouldn't be seeing the alarmingly low levels of participation that we are currently experiencing. To encourage participation, all international public procurement frameworks normally suggest some level of engagement between the contracting authority and the market. For me, this is the cornerstone of professional public procurement. When I think about the modern day category management structure, it is difficult to imagine proper category management without understanding and nurturing the market. There are a number of areas that can result in little, or no, market engagement. 📌 Planning: Market consultation not forming part of the annual procurement plan. 📌 Risk appetite: A fear that engaging the market is a high risk activity (e.g. favouring certain suppliers). 📌 Complexity: Not fully understanding how to best undertake a market consultation. 📌 Buy in: The business like what the like and are resistant to consider other options, solutions, or suppliers. 📌 Understanding: A lack of appreciation for how powerful market consultation can be, and how it is an effective risk management approach to procurement. Practical insights on how to avoid! If you are not currently undertaking market consultation, then start small. Select a process to run a trial on, prepare a market consultation document, and seek soundings via a PIN. See how it goes. You have nothing to lose. However, my top tip goes broader than this. The best piece of advice I can give you is to use the opportunity strategically. Don't ask generic closed questions and waste the opportunity. Be focused on what is best for your organisation, and ask all participants the same series of bespoke open questions to get a more rounded view of what is available in the market. Provide context to the market participants as to where you currently are, and what it is that you are looking to achieve. Instead of 'How many employees do you have?' ask 'Tell me about your 5 or 10 year product roadmap, and where you think the market is headed?' 'Are there any barriers that might prevent you from participating in a future tender process?' 'What would be the 3 biggest pieces of advice you could give me to help inform our procurement process so that we get it right?' Always ask the better questions!

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Reflections from Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE London Hurtling back to Leeds on the East Coast line has given me a moment to reflect on the past couple of days at the Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE conference in London—an excellent opportunity to engage with Chief Procurement Officers and Chief Supply Chain Officers from a wide range of industries. A consistent theme throughout the event was the transformational impact of AI on the profession. It’s clear that AI is enabling procurement teams to make faster, more informed decisions, tackle previously unresolvable challenges, and uncover new opportunities across the value chain. That said, the message was equally clear: successful adoption must be people-first, technology-second. Any implementation needs to be anchored in a clear understanding of the problem to be solved and the outcomes to be achieved. Organisations must also invest in training and support—not only for those energised by the possibilities of an AI-enabled function, but equally for those who feel uncertain about the future of their roles. Creating space for skill development and confidence-building will be critical. There were also valuable discussions around how teams can prepare for the evolving nature of roles impacted by AI. As manual, repetitive tasks become increasingly automated, the shift toward strategic, value-driven work is accelerating—and reshaping the function in meaningful ways. Finally, the importance of strong supplier relationships was reinforced—especially in times of disruption. While technology can enhance visibility and responsiveness, trust and collaboration remain the foundation of resilient supply chains. Overall, there’s a growing sense of optimism and confidence in AI’s potential within procurement—but that confidence is strongest when paired with clear strategy, thoughtful change management, and measurable outcomes. Thank you to all the speakers, organisers, and attendees for a truly insightful and energising event. #ProcurementSupplyChainLive #BerwickPartners #Odgers #AI #Leadership #Transformation #DigitalProcurement #PSCLive #StrategicSourcing

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Most SRM strategies stop at performance reviews, but that’s not where risk starts - And it’s definitely not where value ends... After 20+ years in procurement, I advocate a simple blueprint that I call the 3-Layer SRM Checkpoint. It's a framework you can use to assess supplier relationships that are built to last. Use it in your next supplier review and let me know in the comments below if you found this helpful. #Procurement #SupplyChain #CIPS

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