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Resilient Supply Chain — How Leaders Keep Business Moving

Resilient Supply Chain is for supply chain, operations, procurement and technology leaders who need practical ways to manage disruption, reduce risk and keep business moving.

Each Monday, technology and sustainability analyst, keynote speaker and former SAP Global VP Tom Raftery speaks with the executives, operators, founders and innovators redesigning how goods, information and decisions move through global supply chains.

These are candid conversations about what works in practice—not polished PR narratives or vague predictions. Guests explain how they are responding to supplier failures, geopolitical shocks, volatile costs, capacity constraints, changing regulations and rising pressure to improve both performance and sustainability.

The podcast examines:
Faster planning and decision-making under uncertainty
Supplier risk, sourcing strategy and business continuity
AI, automation, visibility and operational intelligence
Warehousing, logistics and fulfilment performance
Scope 3 emissions, circularity and responsible sourcing
The systems, incentives and organisational changes needed to turn data into action

The central question is simple: what helps a supply chain withstand disruption, adapt quickly and continue serving the business?

New episodes are published every Monday at 7am CET. Resilient Supply Chain+ subscribers also receive bonus analysis, highlights and briefings on emerging industry trends.

Follow Resilient Supply Chain for practical lessons from the people solving real operational problems—and building supply chains that perform when conditions do not go to plan.

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Resilient Supply Chain — How Leaders Keep Business Moving

Why Procurement Must Become a Profit Centre

August 04, 2025 • Tom Raftery • Season 2 • Episode 79

0:00 | 46:36

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Procurement’s role is changing, or at least, it should be. In this episode of the Sustainable Supply Chain podcast, I sat down with Conrad Snover, CEO of ProcureAbility, to unpack why procurement still struggles to evolve beyond a transactional role, and what it’ll take to transform it into a true driver of value.

We covered a lot, from why most procurement teams still don’t have a seat at the strategy table, to how utilities are coping with 2+ year lead times on transformers while trying to hit electrification targets. Conrad shared real-world examples of how procurement leaders can build resilience without stockpiling inventory, and why relationships, not just contracts, are the key to sustainable supply chains.

We also talked about the path from tactical to strategic to profit-generating procurement, how digital tools (including AI) are shifting the playing field, and the operational basics that still hold too many teams back.

If you’re leading supply chain or sustainability efforts, and you’ve ever been frustrated by the inertia of outdated procurement practices, this episode is well worth your time.

🎧 Listen now to learn:

Why procurement needs to earn strategic influence, not demand it
How to balance cost efficiency with supplier reliability and sustainability
What electrification means for supply chain resilience in utilities and beyond

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If disruption hit tomorrow, would you know where your supply chain was most exposed? In 15 minutes my free scorecard helps you assess 27 resilience statements, calculate your score, and turn the result into three priorities and a 30 day action plan. You can download the scorecard free at tomraftery.com/scorecard.

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