In the rapidly evolving landscape of procurement and supply chain, Tanya Wade stands at the forefront of digital transformation. With a career spanning 20 years in procurement and a decade specializing in SAP technologies, Tanya is a strategic leader renowned for her expertise in SAP-driven innovation and AI adoption.
Currently focused on harnessing SAP BTP’s AI capabilities, Tanya is dedicated to redefining how businesses leverage technology to drive efficiency, streamline operations, and unlock new strategic value. Her deep understanding of procurement, combined with a hands-on approach to digital transformation, sets her apart as a thought leader in the industry.
In this exclusive keynote interview, Tanya shares her insights on the evolving role of procurement, the impact of AI and automation, and what organizations must do to stay ahead in an increasingly tech-driven world.
Over to Tanya.
Tanya, what do you love about Procurement?
I love that we are the hidden powerhouse of a business. When done right, it makes everything run smoothly, but when done badly, everything grinds to a halt. What really excites me is that no two days are ever the same. One day, you’re negotiating a critical contract, the next, you’re problem-solving a supply chain disruption, and the day after that, you’re shaping a long-term strategy that impacts the entire business. It’s a constant challenge, and that’s what keeps it engaging for me.
Procurement also gives you exposure to every part of a business. It touches finance, operations, legal, sustainability, technology… you name it. This is exactly why I did my MBA. I wanted to deepen my understanding of how businesses work, and there’s no better function to learn that from than procurement. You see firsthand how decisions affect the bottom line, how different teams operate, and how companies navigate risk and opportunity. It’s a role that requires both strategic thinking and problem-solving, and that’s why I still love it nearly 20 years later.
How did you get into Procurement? Was your perception of procurement different to the reality?
Like most people I know, I didn’t actively choose procurement – it chose me!! Being brutally honest, I had never even heard of procurement before getting into it, but I know I’m not alone in that. Although I did have a degree in Economics, which was handful, I was brought in purely because of my language skills, not because I had any background in the function. My first role involved buying marketing materials from the Far East for a large drinks client, and at the time, I genuinely thought procurement was just about cutting costs because that’s exactly the only thing we were doing. We were constantly chasing cheaper suppliers, trying to shift from higher-quality European vendors to lower-cost Chinese alternatives, all while dealing with issues like breakage rates and logistics challenges.
It’s only a few years later that I realised procurement is really about balancing cost, quality, risk, and business objectives. But in those early days, the job reinforced the stereotype that procurement’s only focus was savings. Looking back, I can see how narrow that approach was, and unfortunately, that perception still lingers in a lot of organisations today.
What can procurement do better?
I might get some hate for saying this but I honestly think Procurement needs to stop playing the victim. There’s always this narrative about procurement not having a seat at the table, being underappreciated, or being seen as just a back-office function. But I believe that if procurement wants to be taken seriously, it needs to stop waiting for an invitation and start proving its value in ways that actually matter to the business. That means speaking in commercial terms, not just procurement jargon.
Another area procurement needs to improve is its adaptability. Too many teams are still clinging to outdated processes, manually chasing suppliers when technology could do half the work for them. Procurement should be leading digital transformation, not lagging behind. And we need to stop just talking about adding value and actually do it—whether that’s through better supplier collaboration, reducing risk, or finding smarter ways to save money that don’t just involve squeezing suppliers to death.
The ecosystem of service and solution providers is rapidly growing. What are the benefits of this growing ecosystem? What are the shortcomings? How do you compare and select in an efficient time frame and what do you feel vendors could do better?
The explosion of procurement technology we are currently experiencing is both a blessing and a headache. On the one hand, the right tools can automate processes, improve visibility, enhance risk management, and even push sustainability goals forward. On the other hand, there are so many vendors promising “the future of procurement” that selecting the right one can really feel overwhelming.
The benefits – Done right, these solutions can remove a lot of the admin burden from procurement teams, allowing them to focus on strategic work rather than chasing paperwork. AI and automation can streamline supplier onboarding, contract management, and even negotiations. Risk management platforms can give procurement real-time insights into supplier stability. You cannot deny that the potential is huge.
The shortcomings – Too many providers are offering similar solutions with minor differences, making selection a nightmare. Implementing technology without proper integration into existing processes just creates more inefficiencies. Vendors also tend to oversell and underdeliver, meaning procurement teams need to do rigorous due diligence before investing in any tool.
How to compare and select efficiently – Procurement needs to treat software selection like any other category strategy: define the problem first, set clear evaluation criteria, and avoid falling for flashy demos that don’t translate into real business impact. A pilot phase is critical, as is getting stakeholder buy-in early to ensure adoption.
What could vendors do better – They need to stop selling generic “end-to-end” solutions and start understanding the actual problems procurement teams face. They also need to sell solutions that are “market ready” rather than flashy demos of future products. More transparency around implementation timelines and realistic ROI would also go a long way in improving trust.
Will there be a need for a Procurement Technology Officer in the future to handle the dynamic and complexities new solutions can offer?
In some companies, they already have something similar like Procurement Excellence teams and Procurement Product teams (though the latter often sit in IT teams), which focus on digital transformation, process optimisation, and tool adoption. It’s unfortunate that these roles aren’t yet widespread because they should be. The Procurement Technology Officer (PTO) is really just the next step in the evolution of these roles.
As procurement becomes increasingly tech-driven, there will be a greater need for dedicated specialists who can bridge the gap between procurement, IT, and vendors—ensuring that the right tools are selected, integrated properly, and actually delivering value. This role would also ensure that procurement doesn’t just adopt tech for the sake of it but aligns digital transformation with broader business goals.
So, while the PTO (or CPTO?) role may not exist as a formal title in most organisations yet, the skill set absolutely should. Forward-thinking companies have already started investing in these capabilities, and those that don’t will struggle to keep up as procurement technology continues to evolve.
Procurement vs Sales. In general terms it appears that these two functions do not always seem to work hand in hand. Why and what is the solution?
Let’s be honest, procurement and sales often hate each other. We think sales is full of pushy, commission-driven people trying to sell them overpriced rubbish, and sales thinks procurement is a bunch of bureaucratic blockers who just say no to everything. And sometimes, both are right!
The real issue is that procurement and sales don’t understand each other’s incentives. Sales teams are measured on revenue, while procurement is measured on savings and risk reduction. But in reality, both functions actually have the same overarching objective: making the company more profitable. If we work together, we can both hit their targets while delivering better outcomes for the business. Procurement can help sales secure sustainable, cost-effective deals that make their offering more competitive, and sales can help procurement align with market trends and strategic supplier partnerships.
Jokingly, maybe procurement should get commissions too—after all, a well-negotiated deal can be just as valuable to the bottom line as a big sale! But let’s not go down that road, or we’ll end up with procurement folks pushing cost-cutting just for personal gain, and that’s the last thing we need.