An interview with JAMES BELSHAW WHO LEADS PROCUREMENT PERFORMANCE at PRIMARK
To cut through the noise of the digital market, Proxima’s EVP, Simon Geale, sat down with some of those leading the way in the great digital procurement transformation.
One of them is James Belshaw, currently leading procurement performance at Primark, who is setting out the functional strategy with a real focus on technology and data. (The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views of Primark or any affiliated parties).
[SG] “Let’s start by looking at the market; which emerging technology currently excites you the most?”
[JB] “It’s a really exciting time for emerging tech and those of us that work in the space, and as much as I am excited right now by Intake and Orchestration as a category, I am going to focus on data.
We are surrounded by data, but much of it is unstructured, so we can’t/don’t understand or use it. But tech is emerging to help us do just that. We can get our hands and eyes on a pool of data that we have never had before and that will undoubtedly contain rich insights, not least into how we behave. This is an area that I find particularly interesting because the more we understand human behavior, the closer we can get to predictive and prescriptive procurement.
This is going to enable procurement to operate with much greater levels of customer and supplier centricity and, in some cases, flip our value proposition and how we operate.“
[SG] “Following this lead, if we just have more data, what does this mean from a skills perspective if you are going to turn that data into value?”
[JB] “Now we are talking about some of the new core skills for a more digitally enabled workforce: curiosity and questioning in a more digital context. We’ve heard a lot about the term Prompt Engineering, which is the ability to ask the machine the right questions to enable it to go to work and do what it does best – interrogate data at a scale and speed that humans can’t. If the technology is a given, then the ability to be curious and turn this curiosity into questioning through prompting becomes a core skill for procurement professionals in general, a dedicated data team servicing procurement, or both.”
[SG] “And more broadly for digital skills in procurement teams?”
[JB] “We are going to be surrounded by technology—more technology than we’ve ever had before—and more of it will be niche, designed to serve us in specific ways that we haven’t seen before in procurement. So, this opens possibilities—lots of possibilities. When presented with new possibilities that challenge convention, adaptability, critical thinking, and strategic thinking become core skills for the next-generation procurement team.Let me give an example. Many procurement teams are stretched. This resource constraint prompts certain behaviors, relationships, and trading patterns. Now imagine that tech gives us back some time. You can use this time to do more—the traditional business case—but you can also use this new time and new data to do things differently.
We want people who have the appetite to challenge convention, adapt as they learn, and plot a new pathway. We need people to question everything and ask themselves what needs to be true to achieve different outcomes. I think that is a material mindset shift for many procurement teams, one that digital leads need to enable.
Finally, I don’t believe we are dumbing down procurement here, and a deep understanding of procurement processes and technical skills will continue to be advantageous. When driving any change, you have to understand why you are doing it, so opportunities, pain points, and the measures by which you will judge success are aligned with that why.“
[SG] “One of my favourite topics to ponder is the extent to which digital and sustainability can drive a new wave of transformation at a category rather than a functional level. Do you see this happening?”
[JB] “Yes, I totally agree. While we still depend upon bigger applications that can support us at a functional level, our digital jigsaw can now also have many smaller pieces: most functional solutions but increasingly category-specific tech. This tech’s depth and the focus on tailored UX are critical for adoption and ultimately driving a more self-serve culture.What this means is that we are looking to category experts to plot a strategy that, where appropriate, considers tech as a change enabler for what we do and how we do it. It has to be at a category level because each category faces different challenges and is subject to different technological innovation cycles. This is where critical thinking meets cultural awareness and change management skills within our teams. Across the entire function, we see a shift towards architects and engineers.”
[SG] “And consultants.”
[JB] “Yes. Architects, engineers, and consultants. Or, moreover, a shift towards a procurement version of those profiles.I believe that this model will drive efficiency in some functions but also much more intimacy around transactions between procurement and the business in others, and that intimacy can be tailored and very different from one category to the next.”
[SG] “We are talking about the best-of-breed market gathering pace, but what is your current assessment of where it is?”
[JB] “I don’t think that many companies have tested using an ecosystem of best-of-breed. I think there are lots of examples of people using best-of-breed tech, but I don’t think there are a lot of people who have really demonstrated how they can get best-of-breed tech to work together in an ecosystem effectively. This will be enabled by intake and orchestration technology. As an industry, we are looking to pioneers and leaders to test that out. It’s never really been done before, and I think part of the answer is there’s lots of big technical debt with big technology implementations in procurement.There is also no doubt a challenge for some concerning the innovation and change culture within their companies. This can have a material impact on the associated process, governance, and data governance that comes with driving a change. Too little and it may be difficult to embed change; too much and you may be facing either a lack of agility or difficulties getting smaller best-of-breed implementations up the prioritisation queue.“
[SG] “You mention agile there. Do you think agile will become a more mainstream approach in ProcureTech implementations?”
[JB] “I definitely think that understanding agile project management generally across procurement will be a massive help for best-of-breed implementations. But also, if we examine and make use of the Citizen Developer concept (or democratization, whereby the lines between technical and non-technical users are blurred), we could well be on the cusp of giving people access to data and options and alternate ways of working that can be very category-specific, and I think an agile approach works best in this context.”
[SG] “From a skills perspective, do you see a generational challenge or at least a learning challenge for balancing digital and technical procurement skills? While data and tech can inform, guide, and do, context is important. “
[JB] “I think the people who will be the digital leads of the future will balance the two off because you cannot get the best of the technology without being an expert in procurement. But you need to think about procurement differently. I align with the statement that someone using AI will outpace and outperform someone who isn’t, but also that human plus AI will outperform AI when it comes to anything which requires challenge and context.”
[SG] “What would your advice be for someone looking to build a digital roadmap?”
[JB] “If you are really looking to challenge convention when building a digital roadmap, then I would advise thinking about tech rather than just ProcureTech. Inspiration can come from how we deploy tech in other business areas where the challenges may be very similar when you strip it back. Take Project Management functions, for example. Some of these teams are really pushing the boundaries of data and have nailed the agile approach, doing lots of testing and learning even when delivering large programs. I think that seeing this firsthand can bring some inspiration for how to switch things up in Procurement.”
[SG] “What are the skills that CPOs should be looking for in choosing someone to lead their digital programs, i.e. someone in your position needs?“
[JB] “I will say Change Management experience straight out of the blocks. Any business transformation initiative needs effective change management to be adopted and deliver the benefits foreseen. We kind of take it for granted; it’s not as celebrated as front-end ideation or innovation, for example, but change management is a fundamental skill. Getting change right keeps me awake at night.Then there is having a curious mindset, both in terms of always wanting to improve and also adopting a test-and-learn, agile-style approach to transformation, asking questions about what really makes the difference. I think this is important because we’ve got many options that can ramp up the complexity of how we operate, which consequently needs to work and feel better and simpler to the customer.
I think project management, more specifically agile, will be an important skill for people in my position.”
[SG] “And what about emerging or upcoming talent? What advice would you give those aspiring innovators and change leaders in the business?”
[JB] “I would say not to be afraid of stepping out of a typical, linear career path. A varied career brings a mix of different perspectives on how problems can be solved and a deeper appreciation of how decisions can impact and are impacted by other business areas. It will help you develop an effective mix of skills, taking something from each role – whether it’s deep process expertise, an understanding of data and architects in terms of thinking, or developing a focus on the outcomes and the vision that needs to be delivered. It’s your collective experience that will put you in good stead.
Then I would say to engage with the market. It’s something I enjoy the most; the suppliers in this space are bringing a new level of energy and focus on procurement that I haven’t seen in a long time. Meeting new providers regularly, even setting yourself a target of meeting with so many a month, gives you the best insight into what people are doing and the solutions available. It expands your thinking.
To hear from other experts in the great digital-procurement crossover, download our Digital Skills paper today.
READ MORE ABOUT THE DIGITAL OPPORTUNITIES AND SKILLS REQUIRED TO DRIVE PROCUReMENT FORWARD – DOWNLOAD THE REPORT
