Leaders Forum
Invite Only
- Wednesday, 16 SEPTEMBER 2026
- 07h00 to 08h25
07h05
OPENING | Welcome by Breakfast Sponsor
Executive: Commercial Issuing, Absa Group
07h15
PANEL DISCUSSION | Turning Supplier Payments into a Strategic Advantage
Presenter, Carte Blanche
Executive: Commercial Issuing, Absa Group
Senior Vice President, Customer Solutions Center Lead, Africa, Mastercard
Chief Executive Officer, Topmed Healthcare Distributors
07h40
Round Tables
Roundable 1: Empowering Procurement Decisions Through Advanced Payment Solutions
Senior B2B Lead Acquisition, Absa Group
Commercialisation Manager : Commercial Issuing, Absa Group
Roundtable 2 : The Spark, The Middle, and The Finish: AI as the Execution Engine.
Regional Vice President, Sub Saharan Africa, Coupa Software
Roundtable 3: Beyond the Algorithm: Leading with Human-in-the-Loop Procurement
Supply Chain and Operations Lead, Accenture Strategy and Consulting
Roundtable 4: What Would Rassie Do? Benchmarking Procurement for World-Class Performance
Managing Director, Oxalys
Roundtable 5: What Happens When AI Becomes Your Best Category Manager?
Director: Smart Manufacturing & Industry MEA, NTT DATA
Roundtable 6 : Trust & Integrity: Building Trust That Enables Supplier Collaboration
Editor, Smart Procurement
Roundable 7: Value Beyond Savings: moving from “we save money” to “we drive business performance”
Procurement Leader, PWC
Roundtable 8: Sustainability Data: From Measurement to Financial Impact
Associate Director, SLR
Roundtable 9: The Spark, The Middle, and The Finish: AI as the Execution Engine
Managing Director: Africa, Cogniviti Labs
Roundtable 10: Can Your Procurement Team See the Next Disruption Before It Happens?
Director, NTT DATA
Roundtable 11: Unlocking the Strategic Value of Public Procurement Analytics
System Manager – Supply Chain Systems and Data, Transnet
Data Manager, Transnet
Roundtable 12: Empowering Procurement Decisions Through Advanced Payment Solutions
Payment Specialist- B2B Lead Acquisition, Absa Group
Director Regional Head B2B Acceptance Africa, Mastercard
Conference Day 2
Smart Procurement: The People. The Platform. The Purpose.
Innovation, Influence, Impact
- WEDNESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 2026
- 08h30 to 15h40
09h20
OPENING KEYNOTE: Smart Procurement for Africa – The Continental Playbook
As Africa accelerates its integration agenda, procurement is playing a pivotal role in shaping more connected, resilient, and competitive supply chains. This keynote explores how regional collaboration, trade frameworks, and policy alignment are influencing procurement strategies and unlocking new opportunities across the continent.
From enabling intra-African trade to strengthening local value chains, the session will highlight how organisations can navigate complexity and leverage continental scale—reinforcing that a coordinated, Africa-focused procurement approach is essential to driving sustainable growth and building a truly competitive economy.
Secretary General, ASCON
President, African Supply Chain Confederation
09h50
KEYNOTE PANEL | Discussion by the banks: Markets in Motion: The Investor’s View on Procurement and Economic Growth
In an era of shifting markets, constrained capital, and heightened regulatory scrutiny, banks are uniquely positioned at the intersection of procurement, investment, and economic development.
This keynote panel brings together leading voices from the banking sector to unpack how procurement decisions are increasingly shaping investment outcomes, risk profiles, and long-term value creation across Africa.
The discussion will explore how financial institutions are leveraging procurement insights to inform capital allocation, unlock new growth corridors, and support sustainable economic expansion.
Takeaway: Procurement is no longer a back-office function — it is a catalyst for investment, a driver of competitive advantage, and a powerful force in accelerating national and continental
growth.
Regional Vice President, Sub Saharan Africa, Coupa Software
Senior Trade Finance Transactor, Standard Bank
Senior Economist and Head of South Africa Macroeconomics Research. Absa Group
Divisional Executive of Trade, Nedbank CIB
10h35
Sponsored by Next-Gen: RAPID-FIRE REFLECTIONS | Next-Gen Procurement Talent – The Future is You(th)
In a rapidly evolving landscape, the future of procurement will be shaped by those entering the profession today. This session gives the stage to young professionals and students to share bold, forward-thinking ideas on what procurement could, and should, look like in 2045.
Through a series of short pitches, participants will present fresh perspectives on technology, sustainability, enterprise development, and new ways of working. Unconstrained by legacy thinking,
these future leaders will challenge conventional models and offer innovative solutions to tomorrow’s challenges.
Managing Partner, Talanta Consultancy Services
Procurement Officer, Tsebo
Comodity Buyer, Weir Minerals
Sourcing: Category Manager, African Bank
What will procurement look like in 2045, and what must today's leaders start doing now to prepare for that future?
11h05
SUCCESS SHOWCASE | From Assembly to Opportunity: The ESD Success Stories Every Practitioner Should Know
South Africa has seen powerful examples of how localisation, supplier development and ESD can move beyond policy and compliance to create real economic opportunity. This showcase brings together success stories that demonstrate what is possible when organisations deliberately invest in local content, build supplier capability, open markets to SMEs, and create meaningful opportunities for women and youth.
From growing local supply chains to strengthening SME participation and building future competitiveness, delegates will explore the approaches, partnerships and decisions that made these initiatives successful. Most importantly, they will walk away with practical lessons and proven approaches they can apply to their own ESD, localisation and supplier development strategies.
Founder & COO, KAI Connect
Chief Operating Officer - Corporate Funds Management, Absa Group
Chief Executive Officer, TMP Africa
Managing Director, Jalusi Tech
Head of Transformation and Corporate Investment, BMW Group
11h45
MID-MORNING BREAK
PUBLIC SECTOR SUPPLY CHAIN SUMMIT
Presenter, Carte Blanche
12h30
TREASURY LEADERS DIALOGUE | Public Procurement Reform: Readiness, Leadership and Delivery
South Africa’s procurement landscape is undergoing unprecedented change. Treasury leaders discuss institutional preparedness, regulatory developments, capability requirements, digital enablement, and the leadership needed to ensure reforms translates into improved service delivery. A stronger governance approach, procurement strategies that enable transformation and contribute to the local economy and most of all, greater public value.
President, African Supply Chain Confederation
Chief Director: Transversal Internal Audit Risk & Forensic Man Ser, Eastern Cape Provincial Treasury
Chief Director, Limpopo Provincial Treasury
Director: Municipal Supply Chain Management, Gauteng Provincial Treasury
Deputy Director General: Governance and Asset Management
Chief Director, Free State Provincial Treasury
Director Strategic Procurement (Government Travel Services), National Treasury
CORPORATE SOURCING AND SUPPLY MANAGEMENT
Master of Ceremony
12h30
50 min: PANEL | Bought the System. Now What?
Organisations continue to invest heavily in procurement technology, yet adoption rates often tell a different story. Why do employees revert to old habits? What costs are hidden behind low utilisation? And what does the next generation of digital procurement look like? Join this candid discussion as industry leaders unpack the realities of digital transformation, collaborative procurement platforms, and the practical steps needed to turn technology investments into measurable results.
Director, NBH Capital
Supply Chain and Operations Principal Director, Accenture
Global Procurement Lead – Contract Manufacturing, Governance & Capability, PepsiCo
Managing Director, Oxalys
VP IM Enterprise Architecture and Business Enablement. Sasol
13h20
PRESENTATION | Future Intelligence: Why AI Without Communication Intelligence Never Lands
AI doesn’t fail because of the technology—it fails at the human layer. Deon Basson explores why communication intelligence is critical to turning AI ambition into real-world adoption. Using the powerful formula FI = CI × AI, he shows leaders how clear, intentional communication can reduce resistance, align people with technology, and turn AI from an invisible asset into a visible, actionable force for transformation.
Leadership Strategist, Founder, reCInate
13h50
LUNCH BREAK
14h40
THE FINAL WORD | The Titans of Spend
Before the curtain falls on the 20th Smart Procurement World Indaba, take your seat for the conversation everyone will be talking about. The executives behind South Africa’s largest procurement budgets take the stage for one exclusive, no-holds-barred discussion. From billion-rand buying decisions and supplier development to AI, resilience and economic growth, this is your final opportunity to hear what matters most from the leaders shaping the future of procurement.
CEO, Smart Procurement
Head of Procurement, Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa
VP: Procurement, AECI
Head Of Procurement, Afrimat
Head of Supply Chain, Valterra Platinum
Head of Procurement, MTN
Supply Chain Vice President, Sasol
15h40
CLOSE OF CONFERENCE