One week ago, delegates, speakers, and supply management solutions providers descended upon the historic Harvard Club of Boston for Ardent Partners’ third-annual CPO Rising procurement executive summit. The Ardent team had arrived the day before to set up shop, greet sponsors and early arrivals, and steady ourselves for yet another whirlwind day-and-a-half procurement event here in Title Town. For some of us, like Ardent’s Founder and Chief Research Officer, Andrew Bartolini, and our VP of Research and Research Director, Christopher J. Dwyer, the CPO Rising summit was another win in a long line of successful supply management symposiums produced in their career. But for me, this was my third event; it was indeed a charm. Here are three reasons why.
- You gotta burn to shine. About a month ago, Andrew asked me if I’d be interested in delivering a breakout presentation at this year’s event on a topic of my choosing. I chose to speak on two of my favorite things: intelligent technologies (like advanced analytics, Blockchain, and IoT) and supply risk management. Weeks of preparation done in parallel with event planning and execution boiled down to the final few moments before the session. With material rehearsed, slides set, and my timing down, I waited for the last few stragglers to trickle in before starting. After a thumbs up from the hall, the doors closed on the room and off we went. I have to say, my CPO Rising debut was a great success. And what a thrill and a joy it was to stand and deliver to a packed room and attentive audience. Sign me up for next year!
- The Familiar and the Faithful. One of the great joys of the CPO Rising summit is that, year after year, we see many familiar faces come out and be a part of our community of procurement practitioners. CPO Rising “Hall of Famers” Gregg Brandyberry and Hal Good are faithful attendees, as are rising procurement executives, Meghan Truchan and Beatriz Loizillon. And there are countless procurement pros and “friends of the firm” that travel from across the state, the region, and the world to attend and participate each year. It really brings home the notion that what we’re doing here is more than “just” putting on an event — we’re bringing together a community and building a worldwide network in the process. It’s a great feeling.
- Fresh Faces. Another great feeling is seeing younger generations of supply management professionals not only come out for the event but also take the main stage and present. On Day 1, Meghan Truchan, Head of Procurement at Bain Capital, tipped her hand as a Millennial and then delivered a fantastic presentation on procurement transformation. And on Day 2, Brent Rosenbaum, business process director for procurement systems at Honeywell International, shared his experiences and lessons learned from simplifying the source-to-pay process. There were some fresh faces in the crowd, as well, from Emerson College, Spartan Races, and Unum, and we expect to have an even better showing among us Millennials next year.
Final Thoughts
Putting on this annual event is a lot of work, for sure; but seeing it all come together like it did, seeing all the familiar and friendly faces, and welcoming new community members from across the globe make it all worthwhile. And being able to present at this year’s event on a topic that fascinates me, and to be able to connect with like-minded peers who are in the proverbial trenches with these issues made for a charmed experience.
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