"Play the game in front of you": steering through trade and commodity price turbulence – without a rulebook

Mike Soutar on "three storms of change" reshaping procurement (and everything else)

The AI revolution, shifting geopolitical alliances, and a new generation in the workforce. Mike Soutar, author of Next Gen CEO and star from the BBC’s The Apprentice describes these as "the three storms". What does this mean for the next generation of leaders? Mike has 60 lessons, but here are just two: it's a leader's job to maintain momentum; and people don't follow pessimists. Plus, why procurement and supply chain professionals are in a unique position to lead organisations in an uncertain, fast-moving world. From creating space for constructive dissent to building culture in remote organisations, this revealing conversation with CIPS CEO Ben Farrell is a fascinating insight into the future of leadership. This episode is sponsored by Vantify, the vantage point for connected compliance. Find out more at Vantify.com  [https://vantify.com/] Related links... * Where to buy: Mike Soutar's new book, Next Gen CEO [https://linktr.ee/NextGen_CEO] * What are your views on future leadership traits? Contribute to The Great Conversation [https://www.cips.org/knowledge-and-insight/the-great-conversation] * Check out the GitLab Handbook [https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/] mentioned by Mike * Leadership training: Book your place on the CIPS behavioural leadership training course [https://www.cips.org/employers/people/procurement-training/procurement-leadership]

Confronting nature loss and climate change: why it’s a procurement problem

At a point where biodiversity loss is higher now than at any other time in human history, the World Wide Fund for Nature's (WWF) New Zealand CEO Kayla Kingdon-Bebb has an urgent message for procurement: every sourcing decision you make is a chance to shift the needle. The picture is stark. Wildlife populations are in sharp decline, while nature loss and climate change are amplifying each other. The consequences are playing out before our eyes. For procurement and supply chain professionals, this is an economic risk as much as it is an environmental one. Economies are heavily dependent on nature – its destruction creates new risk exposure. But it’s not all doom and gloom, assures Kayla. Sustainable procurement practices are a critical part of the solution to protecting nature and improving business resilience. This is “procurement’s moment” concluded CIPS’ global head of sustainability, Maxfield Weiss. Plus: why the whales should offer us hope... Related links... * Join The Great Conversation [https://www.cips.org/knowledge-and-insight/the-great-conversation] - share your perspectives with CIPS on the future of the profession * Find out more about WWF New Zealand [https://wwf.org.nz/] and the global WWF mission [https://www.worldwildlife.org/] * Useful CIPS resources for sustainable procurement [https://www.cips.org/intelligence-hub/sustainability/sustainable-procurement] * Connect with CIPS Global Head of Sustainability, Maxfield Weiss [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxfieldweiss/]

Chokepoints, supply webs and risk concentration: is your organisation resilient enough?

As CIPS launches The Great Conversation – a world-wide dialogue about the future of the profession – we talk to David Shillingford, a leading investor in supply chain innovation. His message to procurement and supply chain professionals: extreme complexity is here to stay. Also on the agenda: why procurement professionals must learn cross-functional scenario planning; where your hidden vulnerabilities lie; why conflict zones are everywhere; and the most important company you've never heard of. Related links: * Join The Great Conversation [https://www.cips.org/knowledge-and-insight/the-great-conversation] - share your perspectives on the future of the profession * Visit the CIPS Situation Room [https://www.cips.org/knowledge-and-insight/situation-room?si=YM3R1OoUPXLyVbqp] - get more advice and insight on how current events are affecting procurement and supply professionals * Watch the CIPS Webinar [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoxuqvcpwZU] assessing the economic fallout from the Middle East conflict * Follow David Shillingford [https://www.linkedin.com/in/shillingford/] for more insight

Managing supply chain challenges: insights from NHS Supply Chain

A critical supplier goes into administration. There are only eight weeks of stock left, yet it will take nine months to switch to a new supplier. What would you do? In this episode, we hear how the NHS Supply Chain's head of supply chain resilience, Tom Brailsford, and his team responded to ensure hospitals and healthcare providers never ran out of the stock they needed after an essential hand hygiene supplier went bust. Brailsford also explains how the NHS Supply Chain have transitioned to a sophisticated resilience model to ensure that 600,000 healthcare products and services a year make it to the frontline of patient care. Plus, we uncover the "cliff-edge" risks keeping healthcare procurement professionals up at night and how a UK cross-government initiative is helping to map multi-tier supplier risk. Further reading: * Find out more about the NHS Supply Chain [https://www.supplychain.nhs.uk/] * Read the full story on how the NHS Supply Chain navigated supply disruption [https://www.supplychain.nhs.uk/news-article/navigating-a-major-hand-hygiene-supply-disruption/] * Get more insight into managing risk - watch CIPS Risk & Resilience webinar week 2025 on-demand [https://cips-download.cips.org/risk-resilience-week-2025]

From back office to boardroom: why supply chain leadership is now business critical

We're joined by Nick Nanos, chief supply chain officer and SVP of wholesale at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), an organisation on the frontline of navigating tariffs, labour disruption and complex global logistics. Hear how his team is spearheading change and innovation in practice to become the strategic lever the  crown agency now relies on to respond to challenges and consistently deliver value. Nick reflects on the qualities required of procurement and supply chain leaders amidst today's volatility. And, as a member and advocate for both the National Institute of Supply Chain Leaders (NISCL) and CIPS, the role he feels professional bodies play in developing those skills. Related links:  * Discover more about the National Institute of Supply Chain Leaders (NISCL) [https://niscl.ca/] * Find out how you can achieve NISCL-CSCL and MCIPS dual designation [https://niscl.ca/dual-designation] and what it can do for you * About the Liquor Control Board of Ontario [https://www.lcbo.com/content/lcbo/en/corporate-pages/about-LCBO.html]