Episode 119: Strategic Procurement in an Era of Risk with SAP’s Gordon Donovan

This week we, together with SAP’s Gordon Donovan, delve into strategic procurement in an era of polycrisis. We unpack the Economist Impact Report findings, discuss top risks from geopolitics to AI, the need for agility, and how procurement leaders are adapting their strategies for resilience and value. Guest: Gordon Donovan, Vice President of Research for Procurement and External Workforce, SAP Gordon Donovan is a seasoned procurement professional with over 30 years of experience in leading transformations and establishing functions that deliver enterprise-wide value. He holds a graduate diploma (1996) and a master’s degree in strategic procurement and is a Fellow of CIPS. Recognized as a thought leader within procurement, Gordon is a sought-after speaker, writer, and presenter. He has led procurement teams across various sectors including Health, Rail, Finance, and the public sector in the UK, as well as across Asia. In his role at SAP as Vice President of Research for Procurement and External Workforce, Gordon is responsible for tracking the latest trends in procurement, conducting in-depth research, and forming insights that help SAP plan their strategy accordingly. Host: Richard Howells, SAP Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability. Richard’s LinkedIn & Twitter Host: Oyku Ilgar, SAP Oyku Ilgar has been working in the digital supply chain area at SAP since 2017. As a marketer and blogger, she creates written and visual marketing content about ERP and Supply Chain solutions and focuses on the topics of business trends, IoT, Industry 4.0, and sustainability. Oyku’s SAP Community & LinkedIn Useful Links: Download Transcript The resilient edge: procurement in an era of polycrisis (The Economist Impact report): https://www.sap.com/documents/2025/05/6e17a518-067f-0010-bca6-c68f7e60039b.urc.html Social Media Links:   Supply Chain Management:  SAP Supply Chain Management  SAP Insights: Supply Chain   Follow Us on Social Media Gordon Donovan: LinkedIn  Richard Howells: LinkedIn, X   Oyku Ilgar: LinkedIn   SAP Digital Supply Chain: LinkedIn   Please give us a like, share, and subscribe to stay up-to-date on future episodes!