How can Procurement act strategically and deliver value consistently without investing a fortune in technology?
The answer is simple: the same way they did before technology arrived 5 years ago.
There is no statistical correlation between the availability of digital Category Management solutions and the strategic capability of a Procurement team (we are currently researching this question in the Global Category Management Survey, participate here).
On the contrary, implementing tools without training on the strategic tools in CatMan platforms has resulted in low adoption and opportunity identification - creating frustration in category managers and their leaders.
And while LLMs are quick at offering opinions and lengthy texts for building category strategies, they lead to inconsistency across categories and neglect the fundamentals that 23 years of experience in designing and implementing connected strategic tools has proven to be essential.
If you want to improve your strategic approach to managing spend, join us for an interactive discussion on what Strategic Procurement actually means,the frameworks, tools, processes, and templates of the Track8 Strategic Procurement Toolkit, and how to drive governance in strategy development and execution.
There are no shortcuts to being strategic. A consistent framework makes sure you get there without losing focus or value along the way.
Join our webinar to discover how it works.
The speakers
Mark Webb
Future Purchasing
Mark is the managing director of Future Purchasing – a specialist procurement consultancy and educational provider. Since establishing the firm in 2003, he has supported over 100 global organisations to successfully implement category and supplier management.
With a career covering multiple sectors - including technology, industrials, energy, pharmaceutical, telecoms, transport, hospitality, media, FMCG, financial services sectors, and the public sector – Mark brings deep cross sector expertise to every client.
Before founding Future Purchasing, Mark spent 11 years in consultancy and operational roles at Price Waterhouse, Mobil Oil and QP Group, where he developed a strong foundation in procurement and business transformation.
He is also the co-author of six influential global reports on category management in collaboration with Henley Business School. The most recent, “Influence the Future”, was published in April 2024 and continues to shape thinking in the procurement profession.
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Mark Hubbard
Future Purchasing
Mark Hubbard is a Director at Future Purchasing and facilitates this webinar. With over 30 years of experience in procurement and supplier management across both industry and consulting roles, he has held positions at a range of organisations. He holds a BSc in Engineering Metallurgy and an MBA from the University of Plymouth, and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS).
At Future Purchasing, he contributes to thought leadership in procurement, focusing on areas like category management, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable procurement practices. He has authored many articles including discussing the integration of net-zero carbon objectives into category strategies, AI application in procurement and the importance of aligning procurement activities with organisational goals
He also plays a role in Future Purchasing's Global Category Management Study, which benchmarks procurement practices worldwide to identify key success factors in category management.
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Fabian Lampe
Advance Procurement
Fabian spent the last decade in Procurement working as Global Category Manager, Procurement Consultant, and Head of Marketing for a ProcureTech provider across different industries, categories, and geographies.
His focus on category management, sourcing, and procurement technology provides him with a deep understanding of strategic and operational procurement challenges and the potential of digital tools for driving improved outcomes through and for Procurement.
With his background in category management, supplier management, sourcing, and negotiations, Fabian connects technical capabilities with on-the-ground challenges to deliver practical relevance for sourcing professionals and solution providers.