**London**: Zip’s Forward Europe event brought together 200 professionals to discuss the evolution of procurement amidst today’s economic complexities. Insights focused on modern intake orchestration’s role in driving strategic value, compliance, and resilience in business operations, highlighting a shift towards proactive procurement strategies.
Zip’s inaugural Forward Europe event was held on 20 September 2023 at Convene 22 Bishopsgate in London, drawing an impressive crowd of around 200 procurement and finance professionals from across Europe. The sold-out one-day event was designed to explore the potential of modern intake orchestration and its capacity to unlock strategic value in business operations.
The gathering underscored the increasing recognition of procurement’s evolving role in navigating complexities inherent to today’s economic landscape. Key elements such as supplier ecosystems, regulatory pressures, and geopolitical uncertainties have prompted a renewed focus on procurement as a strategic facilitator rather than merely a cost management function. Roque Versace, Managing Director EMEA at Zip, set the day’s tone by stating, “Business resilience begins with procurement resilience,” highlighting the necessity for organisations to rethink procurement strategies in light of current challenges.
Since establishing its London office in 2024, Zip has experienced significant growth, with a 400% increase in employees and a doubling of its EMEA customer base within a year. This rapid expansion reflects a burgeoning demand for modern intake solutions adept at addressing the complexities of regional compliance and operational diversity.
The event’s agenda emphasised a critical shift: procurement is no longer tasked solely with cost control but must evolve into a proactive entity that can enable value generation. Zip outlined its platform not just as a tool for intake automation but as a governance mechanism that supports compliant and efficient workflows in the business process.
The day included a presentation from Zip’s co-founders, Rujul Zaparde and Lu Cheng, who highlighted the company’s momentum and promised upcoming innovations, particularly around risk orchestration. Attendees learned how procurement teams are transitioning from reactive risk management to a more embedded resilience framework that increases compliance and adaptability within their organisations.
Nick Heinzmann, Zip’s Head of Research, presented new product features intended to bolster procurement resilience. Highlighted enhancements included pre-built questionnaires and workflows aimed at standardising data collection, alongside integrations with third-party risk and ESG platforms such as EcoVadis. These developments are designed to provide early insights into supplier risks, ensuring that businesses can make informed decisions.
In terms of invoicing, Zip demonstrated advanced capabilities, including AI-driven invoice encoding, automated hold management, and expanded compliance measures, employing AI methods from industry leaders such as OpenAI and Google.
Throughout the day, practitioner-led sessions transformed the theoretical discussions into practical insights. Speakers from various European organisations shared their strategies for transforming intake processes through technological advancements, change management, and stakeholder alignment. Breakout discussions allowed attendees to delve into subjects such as the integration of Zip with existing systems and the management of global approval processes.
The final keynote was delivered by Dr. Elouise Epstein, Partner at Kearney, who addressed the evolving landscape of AI in procurement. She urged attendees to look beyond the excitement surrounding AI applications, presenting statistics indicating that over 80% of digital transformations currently fail. Dr. Epstein attributed this to a lack of alignment between technology and strategic organisational goals, arguing for the importance of orchestration in maximising the potential of AI tools.
Dr. Epstein explained that organisations must invest not only in AI technologies but also in developing new skills that differ from traditional procurement competencies, such as data literacy and critical thinking.
In conclusion, Forward Europe showcased Zip’s transition from its origin as a simple intake solution to becoming integral in shaping an organisation’s broader procurement strategy. This evolution signifies a growing understanding that intake orchestration can significantly contribute to business agility and value creation, moving beyond merely guiding purchasing requests to facilitating strategic inquiry into organisational needs.
As such, the event reaffirmed Zip’s commitment to enhancing its products, positioning itself at the forefront of procurement innovation, and reaffirming the essential role of procurement in today’s rapidly changing business environment.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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