At CPO Outlook 2025, Michael Hansén, Chief Procurement Officer at SEB, shared a candid and inspiring story of transformation. With over two decades of procurement experience across industries, he joined SEB in 2021 to build a procurement function almost from scratch — within one of the Nordic region’s largest financial institutions.
From a blank slate to structured transformation
“When I joined SEB, we had no procurement system and limited processes,” Michael said on stage. Procurement was fragmented, processes unclear, and data scattered across systems. In a 170-year-old bank known for structure and risk management, this created both a challenge and an opportunity.
His first goal was simple: establish the foundation — a clear operating model, a common way of working, and the data needed to make decisions based on facts, not assumptions. “You can’t improve what you can’t see,” he said. “And to see, you need the data.”
A roadmap built on structure, data, and people
SEB’s procurement roadmap stretches from 2021 to 2027. It starts with building structure and transparency, continues with digitization and category excellence, and leads toward automation and AI-driven insights. The work is both strategic and operational — bringing sourcing, contracting, and purchasing into one coherent process.
Michael described it as a fact-based transformation where every step builds capability for the next.
“Technology is the engine, data is the fuel, and users are the drivers.”
Michael Hansén
The message was clear: digitalization succeeds only when it is grounded in how people actually work.
Choosing Coupa — and focusing on adoption
For SEB, the choice of Coupa was not about technology alone but about enabling alignment and scalability. “We wanted a system that could help us harmonize processes and create visibility — not just a tool, but a platform to build on.”
Implementation was not without complexity, but the value came from persistence and prioritization. “It’s 60% change management,” he said, emphasizing how culture, communication, and leadership matter more than configurations.
From compliance and risk to value creation
Banking is a regulated business, and Michael was clear: “Compliance and risk are equally important as cost.” SEB’s procurement function is designed to balance these priorities — ensuring control without slowing progress. The goal is a procurement organization that drives resilience, manages risk, and still delivers value.
Looking ahead, SEB’s AI Playbook will define how to use new technology responsibly. “Digitization is an enabler, not a quick fix,” Michael said. The message resonated with many in the audience navigating similar change journeys.
Lessons from SEB’s journey
- Start from the foundation. Structure, processes, and data come before digitalization.
- Focus on adoption. Systems only create value when people use them.
- Balance risk and agility. Control and speed can coexist when governance is clear.
- Keep learning. Procurement is evolving fast — and collaboration across industries matters more than ever.
About SEB
SEB is a leading northern European financial services group, with a history dating back to 1856. Today SEB has 19000 employees. SEB is a northern European bank with an international reach.
From SEB Annual Report 2024: SEB serve customers with a wide range of products in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany and the United Kingdom.
About Coupa
Coupa makes margins multiply through its community-generated AI and industry leading total spend management platform for businesses large and small. Coupa AI is informed by trillions of dollars of direct and indirect spend data across a global network of 10M+ buyers and suppliers. They empower you with the ability to predict, prescribe, and automate smarter, more profitable business decisions to improve operating margins. Coupa is the margin multiplier company.
Learn more at coupa.com and follow them on LinkedIn and X (Twitter).
Networking with EBG
Continue these practitioner-to-practitioner conversations at CPO Outlook 2026, held in Stockholm on October 14–15, and through the EBG | Xperience 2026 workshop series.
Each EBG | Xperience brings together a limited group of procurement and business leaders to explore how strategy becomes execution — through dialogue, mapping exercises, and shared examples.
These smaller, hands-on sessions are designed to bridge ambition and reality, helping peers translate insights into tangible actions.