Mauro Erriquez

Why the Next Generation of Procurement Talent Will Not Look Like the Last

Many leaders still picture procurement as a career for negotiators and category managers with a narrow remit; that view is rapidly going out of date. As AI, data, and sustainability move to the centre of the function, procurement needs people who can connect analytics, commercial judgment, and cross-functional influence—not just run tenders. Mauro talks candidly about what he looks for when building teams, how to make procurement an attractive career path for high-potential talent, and why capability building has become a strategic priority for CPOs.

What the C-Suite Gets Wrong About AI’s Impact on Procurement Decisions

Generative AI is already changing how information is gathered, analysed, and acted on in sourcing and supply markets, but most leadership teams are still experimenting at the edges. Many executives assume AI in procurement is just about faster spend analysis; in practice, it will reshape how negotiations are run, how risks are priced, and how strategic decisions are made across the value chain. Mauro draws on McKinsey’s 'Reimagining Procurement' work to show what this means at board level—what to centralise, what to automate, and where human judgment and talent become even more important.

Reimagining Procurement as the Engine of Margin Resilience in Volatile Markets

Energy, commodity, and tariff swings now move faster than planning cycles, yet many organisations still treat volatility as something to react to rather than something they can design for. The misconception is that resilience comes from hedging or tougher negotiations; in reality, it comes from reimagining procurement as a strategic function that shapes margins, not just defends them. That means rethinking sourcing choices, specifications, footprint, and how demand adjusts when markets shift. Mauro draws on work with steel, pulp and paper, machinery, and aerospace companies to show how analytics, digital twins, and modern operating models allow procurement teams to stabilise costs and protect competitiveness even in highly turbulent environments.