Unveiling the Best of SievoFriends 2024

The SievoFriends 2024 event held in Helsinki brought together leading minds in procurement to explore the transformative power of AI and data insights. In this post, we share the event highlights and industry insights.

Event Highlights

The 16th edition of SievoFriends revolved around the theme "AI and Insights," a topic that is reshaping the landscape of procurement. The day began with insightful remarks from Sammeli Sammalkorpi, CEO and Co-Founder of Sievo, who emphasized the critical role of data-driven and agile procurement. "Procurement is at the crossroads of internal and external data, and Sievo is helping you to create a winning data architecture with curated insights," Sammeli remarked. He also noted, "Analytics has zero value; it’s the actions that drive value."

Image: Sammeli Sammalkorpi - CEO & Cofounder, Sievo

Keynote Speakers & Partners

Our distinguished speakers provided deep insights into the evolving world of procurement:

• Sammeli Sammalkorpi set the tone by discussing the future of procurement, emphasizing the need for automating routine tasks while preserving human decision-making for strategic initiatives. He highlighted, "Procurement is experiencing a huge AI transformation sooner than we expected."
• Heta Pirttijärvi, VP of Product at Sievo, envisioned a future where procurement analytics serve as a "procurement action hub," enhancing decision-making through personalized recommendations. "Ultimately, closing the data-to-action gap means making more decisions faster," Heta explained.
• Sarah Morfoot from Stanley Black & Decker shared her journey towards digital transformation, stressing the importance of agility, integrated data, and strategic partnerships in procurement excellence. ”Digital enablement is all about integrated data that drives action and reduces complexity,” she advised. "Don’t let perfection get in the middle of progress; you’ve got to start somewhere," Sarah concluded.
• David McClintock of EcoVadis and Janne Katainen of Accenture tackled data-driven sustainable procurement strategies, urging companies to go beyond compliance and use sustainability as a strategic lever for growth and resilience. "Sustainability is not a threat; it's an opportunity to bring your supply chain ahead of the competition," David asserted.
• Gianluca Colombo from dsm-firmenich demonstrated how Sievo facilitated their merger, emphasizing the value of standardized and harmonized data in creating a unified procurement language. "If it’s not in Sievo, it doesn’t exist," Gianluca stated.

Image: Gianluca Colombo - CPO, dsm-firmenich

Panel Discussions

Our panels delved into the practical implications of GenAI on procurement:

• Navigating the GenAI Revolution featured insights from Maija Hovila, Henri Schildt, and Tommi Vilkamo, who discussed the future impact of GenAI on procurement processes and decision-making. Maija noted, "Processes will look very different in the future, which means organizations will look very different in the future." Henri added, "GenAI as such is super accessible."
• CPO Panel Discussion: what keeps CPOs up at night with Sigrid Brendel, Jafles Pacheco, and Kimmo Kemppinen explored the current and future priorities for CPOs, from cost reduction to growing complexity and the evolving role of AI. Jafles highlighted that sometimes CPOs need to think outside the box and be creative in doing more with same resources. Sigrid emphasized the need to understand business and keeping a positive outlook, while challenging our organizations. "You need to listen to your heart and brain”, Kimmo concludes.

Image: Jafles Pacheco - CPO, Oerlikon

Customer Success

In "Customer Success Secrets Revealed," Johan-Peter Teppala, Chief Customer Officer at Sievo, highlighted the impact of training on product adoption. "Users use the product more when they are trained. They use the product more independently," he noted. With 3,200 students enrolled in Sievo Academy, the focus is on enabling training at scale while maintaining a personalized experience and verifying the proficiency of trained users. This approach ensures that users can fully leverage Sievo to drive procurement excellence.

Future Vision

Flavio Monteleone of Bain & Company provided a compelling vision of the future, emphasizing the shift towards agile and business-led procurement. He highlighted the significant role of advanced analytics and AI in driving procurement transformations, enhancing compliance, reducing costs, and fostering strategic partnerships. "There’s a new world ahead of us and infinite possibilities," Flavio proclaimed.

Closing Remarks

As we wrap up SievoFriends 2024, we are inspired by the discussions and connections made. We wish to thank our customers, sponsors, and partners that made the event possible. The inspirational keynotes and juicy panel discussions confirmed our vision and commitment to pioneering in procurement through AI and data insights. We are excited about the digital future with our customers and look forward to seeing everyone at SievoFriends 2025.

Image: Ilona Kivimäki & Antti Poikolainen - Sievo

Thank you once again for sharing these moments with us. Let's continue to innovate and drive procurement excellence together!

Stay tuned for updates.