With 26 years in Procurement at Reckitt, Xavier Benti has built a global career spanning three industries—Hygiene, Consumer Health, and Baby Nutrition—while living and working across five countries in Europe and South America.
What began as a five-month contract quickly evolved into a leadership journey. Over the years, Xavier has held senior Procurement Director roles, spending more than 15 years as part of Supply Chain Leadership Teams. From managing multi-million-dollar budgets to navigating complex, highly regulated markets, he has transformed Procurement into a strategic advantage—driving efficiency, fostering innovation, and strengthening supplier partnerships on a global scale.
Always at the forefront of Procurement’s evolution, Xavier actively explores new methodologies and best practices to keep the function ahead of the curve in an ever-changing business landscape.
We sat down with him to discuss his journey, insights from the evolving world of Procurement, and what lies ahead for the industry.
Why do you like Procurement?
Procurement is a vast and dynamic field. For a long time, the function was primarily viewed through the lens of cost-cutting. You were considered insightful if you referenced total-cost management, and the most strategic professionals recognized that Procurement could improve the bottom line far more effectively than significant investments in Marketing and Sales.
However, Procurement is about much more than just the bottom line!
First, it is essential to the top line. Strong sales start with a reliable supplier base—offering consistent service, short lead times, and the agility to quickly adapt to changes in demand.
Procurement also plays a critical role in innovation. If you work with direct materials, you collaborate with R&D and Marketing to develop new products. If you manage an External Manufacturing portfolio, you may even introduce ready-to-launch innovations to your company and negotiate licensing agreements that generate millions in additional sales.
Beyond this, Procurement contributes to operational efficiency. You might help acquire manufacturing lines, participate in discussions on expanding production capacity, or even contribute to the construction of a new factory optimized for sourcing raw materials and packaging with streamlined logistics.
If your focus is on indirect procurement, you will manage third-party providers who supply Marketing with critical insights, collaborate with creative agencies on product packaging, or help select temporary resources for in-store promotions. You may negotiate travel arrangements that balance affordability with comfort, work alongside HR to outsource payroll management, secure new office spaces, or facilitate maintenance and renovations.
At times, you may also be involved in mergers and acquisitions, helping to buy new companies or divest non-strategic brands.
Procurement enables so much more than just financial success. In fact, I cannot think of an area where Procurement does not provide value—it is a true enabler across the business.
What has changed since the beginning of your career?
A lot has changed. We have become more structured and strategic in selecting suppliers and optimizing our relationships with them.
New dimensions have emerged, for example in sustainability. Over 20 years ago, sustainability efforts were rudimentary. I remember a company initiative to plant trees in Canada annually to offset carbon emissions. Then, attention shifted to packaging—its composition and quantity. Next, we examined raw material sourcing—were they renewable? Over time, our focus deepened: Do suppliers uphold human rights standards? How do they manage waste, water, and energy? Could logistics be optimized?
The pandemic reinforced the importance of supply chain resilience. Companies learned the hard way how devastating disruptions could be and have since invested heavily in strengthening supply chain understanding and management.
When I started, vulnerability analysis was already part of a good buyer’s toolkit, but it was much more limited. We primarily examined the proportion of spend that can be purchased from one supplier only and worked to reduce that risk. We managed safety stock carefully, balancing financial concerns over cash flow. We assessed suppliers’ maintenance and capacity, monitored financial health, and sometimes hedged currency or material volatility. These efforts largely focused on Tier 1 suppliers and were often homegrown solutions.
Today, technology enables a much deeper approach. We can analyze Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers—and sometimes even further down the chain. Automated systems now monitor financial stability, reputational risks, cybersecurity threats, geopolitical factors, environmental crises.
Did the emergence of digital procurement make a difference?
Absolutely. We have always had data, but it wasn’t digital. When I inherited my first portfolio, my predecessor left me six boxes of documents. Everything I needed was there—but it was not easily accessible or processable.
The transformation over the past 25 years has been monumental. Today, data is digital, enabling real-time processing at lightning speed. Information can be shared with relevant stakeholders in seconds, creating a single version of the truth that ensures company-wide alignment in decision-making.
Beyond accessibility, data now drives action. Processes are increasingly automated. For example, most invoices can now be processed automatically from submission to payment. Buyers can electronically gather requirements from internal customers, consolidate them into tenders, collect and compare supplier offers in a unified format, award contracts, and generate agreements—all within a single platform.
Standardized purchases can be managed through online catalogs, further improving efficiency.
This digital shift has significantly increased productivity and enhanced the value Procurement delivers.
Of course, it comes with challenges. Data must be normalized, reporting formats harmonized, and approval workflows adhered to. Additionally, tools require ongoing maintenance and updates to keep pace with evolving business needs and technological advancements. Regular user training is also crucial.
Data has become a true asset. Just as you wouldn’t run a production line without a maintenance plan, you shouldn’t neglect Procurement data and its surrounding ecosystem. Leading organizations have recognized this and now have dedicated, permanent teams focused on managing and optimizing Procurement data, tools, and processes.
Is AI the ultimate step that will replace procurement jobs?
I don’t think so.
When the first e-Procurement platforms emerged around the turn of the century, I remember a senior executive gloating, after a successful reverse auction, that the company would no longer need expensive Procurement teams.
What happened instead? Computers took over low-value, repetitive tasks, allowing Procurement professionals to cover a larger portion of expenditures in greater depth. Technology enabled us to deliver more and better value.
We are still here—doing even more interesting work.
I believe AI will follow the same trajectory. We should embrace it, using it to simplify, automate, and accelerate our current tasks, build more efficient and resilient supply chains, and strengthen sustainability efforts. Most importantly, AI will help us discover new ways to enhance the value Procurement delivers to our organizations.