Procurecon Indirect West 2026
March 9 - 11 2026
JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort and Spa
Day 3: Wednesday, September 18, 2019 Suppliers, Suppliers, Suppliers!
Wednesday September 18 2019
Sustainability, Savings And The Next Wave Of Procurement
7:45 am - 8:30 am
Breakfast
8:30 am - 8:35 am
Welcome
8:35 am - 8:45 am
Chairman's Opening Remarks
Bill Michels -
Vice President of Operations, Americas,
Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, (CIPS)
Bill Michels
Vice President of Operations, AmericasChartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, (CIPS)
8:45 am - 9:25 am
Keynote Presentation: How To Know When You’re Being Lied To – and Cultivate the Truth You Need To “Win” Any Negotiation
Clark Freshman -
Expert,
Lie Detection
Bad news: when you meet someone, they say three untrue things in fifteen minutes. On average, people detect only forty percent of lies – worse than flipping a coin. This highly interactive seminar – including videos from Professor Freshman’s own research at Harvard Business School - teaches you who to trust and what to believe with cutting-edge, proven science. You will learn:
•Which parts of the eyebrows, nose, and mouth reveal true feelings – including how people feel about past employers
•When culture does – and does not – affect emotion and lie detection
•Recognize in a split second when your rapport building is working – and when it is backfiring
•Identify when they may not have a “better offer”
•Identify when they may not be truthful about their “bottom line”
9:25 am - 10:00 am
Keynote Presentation: Do The Right Thing: Saving Big With Sustainable Sourcing And Supplier Diversity
Bryon Stopfer -
Director, Global Sourcing,
CBS Corporation
Sustainable sourcing and supplier diversity may seem like two separate sourcing methods, but in the modern age of procurement, these innovative programs can't be ignored, and should be interwoven, as social and environmental responsibility are now vital to a company's reputation. World-class sourcing functions are saving big by integrating the two for seamless programs that gain stellar reputational, customer and stakeholder respect, confidence and loyalty. Many see going green and diversifying, however, as a hurtle not worth the time and cost - but the reality is that a well executed program can actually reduce costs in a major way for their organization. In this keynote presentation, listen and learn how the team at CBS is saving substantially by doing the right thing, and how you can do the same.
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Presentation: Procurement’s Impact On Supplier Diversity
Scott Vowels -
Manager, Supplier Diversity,
Apple
In this session you will discover the origin of, business case for, and the impact inclusive supply chain practices have on the procurement process. Explore how to improve top line revenue, supply chain effectiveness, and the economy as a whole. From the very beginning of supply chain inclusion to the future of our economy; learn how inclusive supply chain practices can impact you, the buyer.
10:30 am - 11:10 am
Panel: Accelerate, Cultivate, Innovate!: Managing The Relationship With the Modern Supplier
Kevin Sherman -
Director, Procurement and Indirect Procurement,
Dell Technologies
Bill Michels -
Vice President of Operations, Americas,
Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, (CIPS)
Cecil Plummer -
President,
Western Regional Minority Supplier Development Council
Working with the suppliers of today is new ballgame - emerging technologies, fragmenting supply bases and a flurry of start-ups can make it difficult to identify sustainable solution and manage critical relationships that may not be long-term. With this panel discussion, find out how to kick your processes into high gear to match the speed of innovative suppliers, cultivate the right relationship and become a true partner with the supplier of today.
Kevin Sherman
Director, Procurement and Indirect ProcurementDell Technologies
Bill Michels
Vice President of Operations, AmericasChartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, (CIPS)
11:10 am - 11:45 am
AM NETWORKING BREAK
Energy Booster: Espresso, Healthy Snacks, Games and Networking and Final Visit to the Solutions Zone
11:45 am - 12:25 pm
Panel: Making the Most of Your Outsourcing Engagements
Naga Murali Vardhinedi -
Strategic Sourcing Manager,
Google
Bill Michels -
Vice President of Operations, Americas,
Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, (CIPS)
Rebecca Steffen -
Senior Director, Corporate, Employee & Professional Services,
Visa
Lawrence Kane -
Senior Leader, Strategic Sourcing Functional Excellence,
Boeing
When considering outsourcing a category or part of the procurement function, there are many considerations you must take into account to ensure that you’ll actually receive promised savings. This panel will cover:
• Determining what is core to your company’s procurement function, and what can be outsourced
• Selecting the right BPO for your organization- it’s not one size fits all
• Achieving value creation and ROI based on what’s outsourced and where
• Have compliance costs and the dollar’s continued weakness begun eating away at outsourcing’s potential savings?
• What is the lifecycle of an outsourcing engagement? How does that evolve over time?
• BPO vs. GPO- benefits and drawbacks
Bill Michels
Vice President of Operations, AmericasChartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, (CIPS)
12:25 pm - 1:05 pm
CLOSING KEYNOTE: Data Quality And Governance—Getting Ahead Of The Curve
Joseph Yacura -
Former CPO,
Bank of America, Intercontinental Hotels Group and Fannie Mae
Many times, the reason you’re not getting great reports coming out of your tools is the data going in is inadequate, and there’s no one in charge of it. During this keynote presentation, you’ll learn how to gain better control your data to produce usable insight.
•Getting buy-in for this costly venture
•Getting data analysts to spend more time analyzing data, not cleaning it
•Establishing data ownership, and why it shouldn’t be IT
•Data-driven and Autonomous decision making
•P-cards: Data mining far exceeds the administrative benefit
