Procurement at an Inflection Point: Insights from The Hackett Group at CPO Outlook 2025
At CPO Outlook 2025, Vicky Kavan from The Hackett Group delivered a keynote that captured both the speed of global change and the structural realities inside procurement teams. Her message connected Hackett’s global data with what Nordic leaders experience every day. Priorities are shifting faster than most operating models, processes, and skill sets can keep up.
For the first time in more than twenty years, Hackett had to refresh its annual Key Issues Study mid-year. Geopolitical volatility and rapid developments in technology, including generative AI, meant the results published at the start of the year no longer reflected the world procurement was operating in. That alone says a lot about the environment leaders are navigating right now.
Shifting priorities: from cost and continuity to digital and GenAI
Some priorities are stable. Cost reduction and supply continuity remain firmly at the top of the list for procurement leaders globally. Those have been moving around the top spots for years and continue to do so as economic pressure and supply risk remain intense.
What changed during the year was everything around those pillars. Digital transformation moved into the top three priorities. GenAI, which earlier in the year still sat further down the list, climbed rapidly and is now one of procurement’s highest-ranked concerns and areas of focus.
Vicky illustrated this shift in a very simple way. She asked the room who was not using tools like ChatGPT, Copilot or similar AI assistants in their work. Few hands were raised. Just a few months earlier, when she asked a similar question in Copenhagen, the response looked very different. The pace of adoption, at least at an individual level, has been remarkable.
However, the fact that people use AI does not automatically mean organizations are ready to capture its full value. That distinction – between experimentation and structured impact – ran through the entire keynote.
Four interdependent levers: data, talent, tools and operating model
A central point in Vicky’s session was that procurement cannot treat data, talent, tools and the operating model as separate topics. They are deeply interdependent. If one of them lags, the others will never really deliver.
This shows up most clearly in the data discussion. Across presentations and discussions at CPO Outlook, the same expressions kept coming back. Scattered master data, multiple sources of supplier risk data, fragmented sustainability information. The problem is not lack of tools. It is that the information those tools depend on is split across systems, formats and owners.
EBG’s own surveys – through both the CPO Outlook 2025 pre-survey and the EBG | Xperience series – confirm the same picture in the Nordic community. Most organizations place themselves in the “developing” stage of digital maturity. They have implemented several digital tools, but they are not yet well integrated. Many leaders describe data quality, system fragmentation and integration with ERP and platform solutions as the single biggest barrier to doing more with analytics and AI.
Talent is the second prerequisite Vicky highlighted. It is not enough to have people who know procurement and people who know technology. The real need is for hybrid profiles who understand categories, risk and stakeholder management. People who also feel comfortable with data, automation and AI-enabled workflows. EBG’s survey data shows many organizations are now consciously building such hybrid models. Combining traditional procurement expertise with new digital and analytical capabilities. While others still struggle to redefine what the future competency mix should be.
Operating model transformation: still essential, even if it dropped down the list
One of the more surprising moves in Hackett’s data was how “transforming the operating model” dropped in relative priority compared to the beginning of the year. Earlier, it sat near the top of the agenda as organizations anticipated a “new world” of work and wanted to understand what it would mean for people, roles and governance. As the year progressed, urgent pressures and technology-related questions dominated attention, and operating model change slid down the list.
That does not make it less important. On the contrary, both Hackett’s findings and EBG’s workshops suggest operating model confusion is one of the biggest barriers to turning digital and AI potential into real performance.
During EBG | Xperience and CPO Outlook workshop mappings, many organizations ended up in zones described as “clarifying path forward”. They are committed to change and in motion, but processes, roles and decision rights are not yet clearly defined. Another recurring pattern was “skilled but stuck”. Individuals or teams who have the competence to act, but not the empowerment or structural support to do so.
Taken together with Hackett’s global view, the message is straightforward. Without deliberate operating model design, investments in tools, data and skills will never reach their full effect.
GenAI: from curiosity to urgency – and the readiness gap
The movement of generative AI up the priority list reflects a wider shift in mindset. At the start of the year, many leaders acknowledged that GenAI was coming, but were unsure what it would really mean for procurement. Within months, the conversation changed. Now, the question is less whether to engage with AI and more how to do it safely, effectively and in a way that genuinely adds value.
Across both Hackett’s work and EBG’s research, a similar pattern appears. Most organizations are beyond the stage of ignoring AI. They are experimenting, using embedded AI features in existing platforms, or testing copilots and assistants in discrete areas. Very few, however, say they are using AI in a structured way to support decision-making or end-to-end processes.
The main reasons are not surprising when you look at the data and workshop outcomes:
- Data is fragmented and often incomplete.
- Systems are not yet well integrated.
- AI governance and ownership structures are still being defined.
- Talent strategies have not fully absorbed what AI means for roles, responsibilities and required skills.
EBG’s survey results add another important nuance. When asked about digital and risk maturity, no respondents placed themselves in the “leading” category. That does not mean there are no strong capabilities. It does mean Nordic procurement leaders are realistic about where they are on the journey. The same realism applies to AI: there is momentum, but also a clear recognition that foundations must improve.
Why this matters for Nordic procurement leaders – and for advisors and solution providers
For practitioners, Vicky’s keynote and the combined Hackett and EBG insights offer a kind of map. They make it easier to see why so many teams feel pressed between expectations and capacity.
On one side, there is unrelenting pressure to reduce cost, secure supply and support the business through uncertainty. On the other, there is growing expectation that procurement will lead or at least contribute strongly to digital transformation, risk and resilience, sustainability and now AI-enabled ways of working.
For consultants and solution providers, the message is equally clear. The Nordic market is sophisticated, honest and early in many respects. Organizations have already invested in tools. They are increasingly aware of their data and governance gaps. They know they need new skills and operating models. What they are looking for are partners who can help them connect these elements. Connect in a way that works in real life – not just in framework slides.
A wide-open opportunity
One of the most striking aspects of EBG’s survey data is the absence of any self-declared “leading” digital or risk management organizations. Combined with Hackett’s benchmarks, this suggests that while some companies are clearly ahead in specific areas, no one believes they have “cracked the code” end-to-end.
For Nordic procurement leaders, that should be seen as an opportunity rather than a problem. The field is still open. There is space to experiment, to learn from peers a step ahead. To design structures that fit local conditions rather than copy-pasting models from other markets or industries.
Working differently: where EBG and Hackett meet
Vicky ended her keynote with a simple but powerful invitation: what if procurement worked differently? Not just faster, not just with more tools, but on different terms. With better data foundations, clearer operating models, hybrid talent, and a more deliberate approach to how AI is woven into daily work.
That question fits perfectly with EBG’s role in the Nordic community. Through CPO Outlook and EBG | Xperience, EBG brings together leaders who are willing to share. Both what works and what is still difficult. The combination of Hackett’s global research and EBG’s deep, discussion-based insights provides a rare vantage point. A way to see both the big picture and the operational detail needed to move forward.
CPO Outlook 2025 is one milestone in that journey. The next steps will be taken together in the coming EBG | Xperience gatherings and at CPO Outlook 2026. Then data, AI, risk, sustainability and operating model questions will continue to be explored. Not in theory, but in conversation with those doing the work every day.
About CPO Outlook 2025
CPO Outlook 2025 took place October 15-16, 2025 in Stockholm, Sweden, organized by EBG | Network. The summit brought together procurement leaders from across the Nordics for keynotes, panels, and interactive discussions on procurement transformation. You can >>register to join CPO Outlook 2026 now
Do you want quality conversations in the spring? Sign up to >>learn more about EBG | Xperience 2026 visiting Helsinki, Stockholm and Malmö