Providing a unique platform for procurement transformation and delivering the insight to accelerate change in organizations: Procurement Leaders

In today’s world, procurement function plays a pivotal role in the success of global firms. But it is observed that the procurement teams which are traditionally tasked with procuring key resources for an organization are now facing new business challenges and difficulties. The team members handling the procurement function should exhibit in-depth analytical, collaborative and problem solving skills. Keeping the team focused on tactical activities and not recognizing the strategic opportunities in the procurement function is a major risk that might destroy the firm’s relationship with its customers, the production department and suppliers to mention a few. This led to the establishment of Procurement Leaders as “a global membership network serving major corporations and their procurement, sourcing and supply chain executives.” 

The Procurement Leaders™ is the world’s foremost procurement insight and peer networking company. It provides independent intelligence, professional development and peer-to-peer networking through its online platform, global industry events, publishing and training. The company’s business has an international client base of over 700 global member firms and thousands of senior executives accessing online best practices and connecting each year.

Dawning of the Company

In the year 2004, Procurement Leaders was founded with an idea to support the growth and development of procurement, sourcing and supply chain function, which plays a crucial but sometimes under appreciated role in large enterprises. Procurement function and its executives work in close collaboration with almost every part of a business, while also managing billions of dollars and strives well as key manager of strategic supplier relationships. The company’s goal is to accelerate the change that the function is experiencing by connecting executives together through its extensive research and event platforms. Powered by a community of over 700 leading global corporations and 27,000 senior procurement, sourcing and supply chain executives, it attempts at accelerating its members’ journey from functionally oriented to leaders in value chain coordination, thus providing access to in-depth insights, practical tools and expert guidance that they need to transform procurement into a critical business driver.

The company, in today’s sphere is a flourishing international business combining activities in Europe, the USA and Asia, a close-knit membership group, an on-line collaboration network, advisory services, research and insights, case studies and how to guides, conferences, training, and an award-winning magazine to go along with an interactive web platform. Their latest product focuses on diagnosing the state of procurement function’s capabilities against company’s and shareholder’s expectations while designing a specific acceleration path for its executives and their teams.

In conversation with Eva Milko, Managing Director

Tell us about your first product that was launched.

In October 2004, soon after we launched the company, we hosted a major event for senior purchasing executives in Europe. It was a big success and we realized that there was a considerable gap in the market for senior level knowledge exchange, learning and networking, and that the function was crying out for support in its development and for a voice for the profession. We developed our business model based on this need.

What were the grounds on which you have expanded your company and its offerings over the years?

We knew early on that there was a lot of potential to grow and expand to meet the needs of the community internationally and we now work with members in over 50 countries. We needed to listen to the community and deliver what it asked for, but we also needed to think of new ways to support it that would help it on its journey long into the future. That has been our guide to expanding the business.

Are there any trigger factors/events/individuals that have played key roles in shaping your organization’s road map?

Selecting Procurement as our niche when we did, staying there and going deep in the topic has been a major factor in our success. We discussed many times the opportunities in other functions but they all had their specific set of challenges, which would have taken our focus from our core. Our members respect and appreciate our independent view of the procurement function, seniority of our procurement executive network and almost myopic focus on transforming the procurement function. 

‘It is difficult to start a venture. But far more difficult to maintain it’ - How would you and your team interpret this saying?

At every major stage in the business evolution there are new challenges. Today’s rate of change in technology and information is only speeding up the rate at which our business has to change and our people need to be adaptable and flexible to this change for the business to succeed. What remains is our entrepreneurial and fun culture despite process, technology and organizational changes that need to be made.

The Roadmap ahead

The company has been tailoring its products keeping in member’s needs and wants as its priority. This has helped in creating a larger and loyal customer base for the company. Keeping its priority close, it has started working on launching a suite of tools including its Procurement Transformation Accelerator tool. The product is an online platform in which functions input key information about their operational capabilities, which then will benchmark them against others, but most importantly it aligns their performance against the expectations of the C-suite and their shareholders.

In that, Procurement Leaders organization aspires to create a unique niche by providing a discrete and vital destination that connects, inspires and accelerates its members to become more successful and more valuable to the organization while carving a whole new value proposition for procurement. “Our vision is to be the world’s most valued procurement knowledge network,” wraps up Eva Milko.

Greeting to the Key Executive

As the Managing Director for Procurement Leaders Americas, Eva Milko is responsible for rapid expansion of the Americas markets. She joined Procurement Leaders in 2014, as the Vice President of Product Development. Eva is a tenured procurement, supply chain and change management executive, her career spanning over two decades of contributions to procurement progress at Motorola, 3Com Corporation, Coors Brewing Company, Molson Coors Brewing and SABMiller. She is an advisor on change management and transformation programs, a published author and a regular contributor to Procurement Leaders magazine. 

“Our Board and leadership team are laser-focused on maximizing the value procurement professionals are able to bring to their organization.”