Blogs

​The Biggest Procurement Challenges in 2025 — And How Smart Leaders Are Tackling Them​During Q1 1st Executive explored the issues that have been identified as key challenges for our network of CPO’s and Supply Chain Directors globally. The last 12 months have been a masterclass in resilience for global supply chains. From geopolitical tensions to economic volatility and t...

​Chief Procurement Officer of the Future: Key Skills and Attributes As global business landscapes evolve, so too does the role of the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO). As part of our Market Insights Series 1st Executive gathered opinion from our global CPO and future procurement leaders network asking, “Future CPO what does it take? “ To remain effective and drive strateg...

​​In September, 1st Executive explored the emerging impact of AI tools across our clients Procurement & Supply Chain functions. Through discussion with our network of global CPO’s and Supply Chain Directors we sought insight on the benefits that can be derived, and the impact the changing landscape is having on talent and hiring plans.​Have you invested in Procurement AI ...

​​In July, 1st Executive explored the driving factors that are currently influence candidate decision making when it comes to career opportunities across the Procurement, Supplier Management and Supply Chain space in the UK, EU and North America.With the well publicised global cost of living challenge, is salary still king or are other key factors shaping decision maki...

February 2024 - Are Procurement KPI's & Performance Metrics Changing?In January, 1st Executive Ltd engaged with our network of Global CPO’s, Procurement Directors and Supply Chain Directors to investigate how Procurement is being measured, and how success is viewed in the eyes of key stakeholders given the evolving landscape of increased inflation, Sustainability targets and...

In December 1st Executive engaged with our network of Global CPO’s, Procurement Directors and Supply Chain Directors to explore their objectives and challenges for 2024. The conversations also provided an opportunity to reflect on innovation and achievements delivered throughout 2023.​What are the key strategic objectives for your team in 2024?Talent – remains the bigge...

One of our key FTSE100 clients has been speaking about achieving a 6% year on year reduction in contract numbers; as such 1st Executive assessed the current health of the interim Procurement, Supply Chain and Sustainability market through conversations with our key clients globally in September.95% of clients are using Interim Resource in Procurement, Supply Chain and Sustai...

​Does Procurement have ownership of the Sustainability challenge?In July, 1st Executive explored the hugely topical subject of Sustainability as part of our monthly market insight series. ​​António Guterres, the UN secretary general, stated "The era of global warming has ended and the era of global boiling has arrived”, after scientists confirmed that July was on track to be...

​1st Executive Ltd are delighted to bring to market a campaign of exclusive & retained IT and Technology Procurement vacancies for Transport for London- led by Jake Stone, Alex Steel and Diane Marjoram.TfL are playing a key role in London’s economic recovery, generating in excess of 9bn in revenue for the capital p/a, whilst supporting the Major’s objective of achieving ...

FUTURE SKILL SET DEMANDS - 2023During April 1st Executive explored across a wide selection of our clients, what future skill set demands will become an emerging need within their teams. We discussed the obstacles and challenges associated with sourcing and delploying these skill sets and how we would successfully deliver on them.For more information please reach out to:sall...

Procurement Tools & Technology – Trends for 2023 In February 1st Executive explored, with our clients, their intentions in regard to their Procurement Technology infrastructure; identifying key tools that are on the radar for implementation in 2023 and the driving forces behind these decisions. We discussed the obstacles and challenges associated with deployment and user ...

What’s the Market Telling Us? In the past 3 months; hybrid/agile working opportunities are the most prevalent in the market In the UK market: 81% of roles currently offer hybrid/agile working – typically 2 - 3 days p/w in the office 14% of roles are fully remote 5% of roles are mandated as 5 days p/w on site Across our International Markets:...

​What’s the Market Telling Us?In the past 3 months; hybrid/agile working opportunities are the most prevalent in the marketIn the UK market:81% of roles currently offer hybrid/agile working – typically 2 - 3 days p/w in the office14% of roles are fully remote5% of roles are mandated as 5 days p/w on siteAcross our International Markets:83% of roles currently offer hybrid/agi...

High-performing procurement functions have helped businesses build resiliency, gain a competitive edge and boost performance during periods of change, instability, and transformation. Coming to the fore of business operations, senior procurement officers and managers are challenged with maintaining high levels of productivity in their teams as procurement takes on a more str...

It has never been more important to address the global talent shortage in procurement as many companies are increasingly faced with doing more with less. A recent survey revealed 52% of procurement leaders have seen their headcount decrease significantly over the last two years, yet 70% face considerably higher expectations to deliver results on sustainability, diversity or ...

Many businesses are looking to speed up the digitalisation of procurement to help improve business operations and satisfy customer expectations. CPOs must ensure their teams have the right skills to use new technologies effectively, though identifying and acquiring the digital skills their organisation needs is no easy task. For many, talent deficits threaten to slow prog...

As procurement plays a more strategic role in business, many professionals in the field are having to adapt their skillset to keep pace with the function’s evolution. Although this is an exciting time, many procurement leaders are under increased pressure to reinvent traditional operations, whilst taking on more responsibility for end-to-end customer experience and other gro...

Going into 2020, it’s undeniable that the role of the modern CPO is changing. As a company deeply embedded in the procurement and supply chain sector, we’ve gone to great lengths in our blogs to reflect the views of our peers, in considering what skills CPOs will need to continue to be successful and relevant in the next decade. In a recent write-up of a company roundtabl...

The debate on whether procurement should have a seat at board level has been an active topic of discussion for a while now, as more and more professionals make the transition to senior positions. However, compared to other departments the number is still negligible, and for many in the industry the procurement function is still severely undervalued. While this argument rages...

Telecommunication procurement can be a lengthy process at the best of times, but with the current pressures facing the industry, it’s proving more difficult than ever. At a time when successful procurement functions are needed for the roll-out of 5G and other large-scale projects, uncertainty over Brexit and tensions with China could cause havoc in the industry. So, what are...