Ahead of ProcureCon Europe 2026, ProcureCon Europe Chair Tom Mills sits down with Thomas Holzapfel the Chief Procurement Officer at BWI GmbH, to discuss why procurement leaders need to look beyond their first-tier suppliers to build more resilient global supply chains.

Thomas previews his upcoming ProcureCon Europe panel and shares his perspective on how procurement organisations can accelerate digital transformation – from making the right technology investments and prioritising limited resources to managing change and bringing people along on the journey.

He also explains why successful transformation isn't simply about digitising existing processes. Procurement teams need to consider where technology can create the greatest value while simplifying how the function operates.

Looking ahead, Tom and Thomas also discuss some of the wider challenges facing procurement, including supply chain stability, talent, resilience, redundancy and the growing importance of sovereignty and independence.

In this conversation:

• How to accelerate procurement digitalisation
• Making strategic procurement technology investments
• Why people and change management are critical to transformation
• Simplifying processes rather than simply digitising them
• Prioritising technology with limited budgets and resources
• Building greater supply chain resilience and stability

Join Tom and Thomas at ProcureCon Europe 2026 in Cologne.

Transcript:

TOM

Hi, Thomas, great to meet you. So, what are you looking forward to about ProcureCon Europe in Cologne this year?

THOMAS

Well, going to ProcureCon always feels like a great opportunity to connect with people and to meet people, first and foremost, so I really look forward to the networking effect of everything, and then hearing from industry leaders and thought leaders about what they're thinking about, what they are working on, what challenges they face is always interesting. Especially getting that… view across different industries and different businesses that people are in, who face very different challenges, and I enjoy that. Not everything is applicable to me 100%, But, it always helps my thinking and my reflection afterwards.

TOM

Yeah, I can't wait. Is this your first ProcureCon, or have you been to many?

THOMAS

I've been to the indirect ProcureCon in Vienna previously, last year. Really enjoyed that. I remember it was really bad weather, so I hope Cologne, which is always my hometown, is going to do a lot better this year. And I've been to numerous marketing-focused ProcureCon conferences in the past.

TOM

Well, I love Cologne. I went to a Procurement Excellence Summit in Cologne 3 years ago, and I love the cathedral, I love the river, it's beautiful, so I'm really looking forward to the location, too. So, tell me, what are you… speaking about at ProcureCon this year. 

THOMAS

Well, at Procure Cloud, I'm going to be in a panel, and we're going to be talking about digitization of procurement, and the challenges and the opportunity it brings, and how you can accelerate it and start moving forward, which is a topic that is super important to us as an organization. The company I work for now has probably under-invested in technology internally over the last decade or so, so we have a bit of catching up to do, and we are thinking about where to place our bets and how to invest strategically so that we're set up correctly for the future in terms of technology. Also realising it's not just the technology investment, it's also about bringing the people along, managing the change journey, and really enabling people to think digitally, and not just digitise something that shouldn't have been… wasn't an effective process to begin with. So we're really trying to look at Not just digitalizing, but really simplifying things along the way, as well.

TOM

Yeah. I should think that this is something… a topic that's going to be relevant for so many people. And you're saying about the underinvestment, I bet there's many people who feel or are in that situation. So, what are the biggest challenges you're facing… challenges you're facing with that at the moment?

THOMAS

With regards to digital, or…

TOM

Yeah, yes, yeah.

THOMAS

Well, we're on a unique… situation, I guess, in that respect, that the business we're supporting is very security-focused, so we're looking at solutions that we can host on our own premises, so we're not really open to cloud solutions. We might be in some instances, but there's also exceptions where we can't and won't do that. So that's something that is limiting us just from a technology and choice perspective. Beyond that, challenges we're facing is, internal lead times, really, quite honestly. So, we're not the only function in the company that thinks, well, we really need to get on the, digitalization agenda, so our internal IT folks are super busy right now and are fighting with them for res… well, not fighting on… working with them on, resources to our very important activities over something else is really a challenge that we're facing. And, then I guess, last but not least, it's prioritizing, right? So we have limited budget, both financially, also in terms of resources. So the question is, where do we go first with that money, and what are the things we're going to do, and what are the things we are also not going to do, because we I won't be able to afford everything.At the same time.

TOM

Yeah, brilliant. So, in terms of more generally for procurement, what do you think the biggest challenges facing the profession are over the next 12 to 18 months?

THOMAS

Yeah, you know, I always struggle with that question, because it's so broad, and it always is about what's the biggest challenges for the, for the industry, or for the procurement industry. I can tell you what my biggest challenges are, but they're going to be very different from somebody else's. So, I think for us, really, in defense, it's managing the growth that is ahead of us, to be able to really help deliver all the solutions that the German armed forces are expecting of us. For… more broadly speaking, and I think it may be something that is a general topic, it's all the question about supply chain stability, being able to actually get those products that you're looking for your client, be it products or services. So I think both in terms of talent, but also in terms of physical delivery of products that you require, and how much, resilience and how much redundancy you've built into your supply chain. So I think that's something to think about. Again, the importance of that is going to be probably different in different industries, but I can tell you, for us, resilience in the supply chain and sovereignty and independence is something that is very much on top of mind for us.

TOM

Yeah, I'm sure it is. So, Thomas, I'm really excited about seeing you at ProcureCon Cologne.

THOMAS

Yeah, I'm looking forward to it, and it's gonna be a good time. TOM Thank you.