Outsmarting Uncertainty: How Leading Teams Navigate Category Complexity and Risk
akirolabs
01:04:57
Category strategy can no longer rely on cost optimization alone. As volatility and disruption become constant, procurement must evolve toward resilience-driven value protection.
In this session, we'll explore:
How organizations can strengthen category strategy by shifting from cost‑focused optimization to resilience‑driven value protection? We examine how a resilience lens changes the fundamentals of category management across core dimensions:
- The data you need – Risk‑proofing category strategy requires going beyond cost and spend to include market volatility, supply risk, supplier exposure, and scenario‑based intelligence.
- The way you strategize - Resilient category strategy is built through data‑first scenario modeling, using intelligence to test assumptions, expose where risk truly concentrates, and design targeted actions rather than blanket responses.
- The way you operate – When risk materializes, procurement is often the most exposed function. Effective category strategy therefore depends on strong cross‑functional collaboration and clear ownership across finance, supply chain, and operations.
Who should attend?
- Procurement and category managers responsible for strategic sourcing decisions
- Senior procurement leaders accountable for risk, continuity, and business value
- Supply chain, finance, and risk stakeholders involved in category planning
- Organizations looking to move category management from cost focus to resilience and value protection
Speakers
Sabrina Heuren
Manager - Strategy Consulting, Sourcing Champions
Sabrina Hueren is a dynamic procurement and sustainability consultant with a blend of technology and industry expertise shaped by an international career. As a manager and strategy consultant at Sourcing Champions, she helps leading organizations turn procurement into a driver of business transformation, value creation, and climate leadership.
Sabrina began her career as a consultant at IBM, specializing in cognitive procurement transformation for global clients, and has contributed expertise in sustainability, net zero strategy, category management, and digital processes to Fortune 500 firms. Passionate about the critical intersection of procurement, technology, and sustainability, she is recognized for her thought leadership on supply chain decarbonization and her drive to embed impactful, pragmatic procurement strategies in organizations across Europe.
Christian Herdelt
VP Customer Success
Christian is a seasoned procurement and customer success leader with deep expertise in strategic category management and AI-powered transformation. As Global Head of Customer Success at akirolabs, he enables enterprise clients to generate measurable value from strategic procurement initiatives, supporting organizations in unlocking sustainable impact through digital and AI-driven solutions.
He brings a proven track record of working with procurement teams across industries including manufacturing, FMCG, pharmaceuticals, energy, and banking. Christian is recognized for his ability to translate strategy into execution, helping organizations strengthen category management capabilities and drive tangible business outcomes through customer-centric transformation.
Replays
See all
Outsmarting Uncertainty: How Leading Teams Navigate Category Complexity and Risk
01:04:57