Procurement probably isn’t what springs to mind when discussing digital transformation.

Historically, procurement has often been viewed as a cost centre. Today, after years of social, economic, and political upheaval, procurement is transforming into a strategic function and playing a crucial role in helping organizations achieve their broader business goals.

Todd Heimes, worldwide director and general manager of Amazon Business, sat down with the MIT-SMR Connections team to discuss how and why procurement is moving toward a more digitized, automated future ripe for innovation and what Amazon Business is doing to support this transformation. Topics include:

• Insights into the various technologies — including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), big data analytics, blockchain, and automation — that have the potential to vastly increase procurement efficiency and innovate supplier relationships
• The increasing use of data and analytics tools as organizations pursue a more sophisticated technical footprint, and the tech-savvy talent needed to support these initiatives
• The benefits — and challenges — of digital transformation, such as identifying the resources, talent pool, and internal buy-in needed to move procurement into the future

Download the executive interview as we rethink what’s possible for procurement.