The 13th annual Smart Procurement World 2019 Indaba conference and co-located Enterprise & Supplier Development (ESD) Expo, will take place at Gallagher Convention Centre between 16 and 19 September 2019. Themed ‘Courage and Urgency: Let’s Walk the Talk!’, the conference will address increasing pressure for procurement to perform better and for the industry to become more professionalised.
“It’s critical that both the public and private sector understand the new shape of procurement in South Africa as an independent function and the role of business and government in championing strong leadership, post State Capture,” says Debbie Tagg, COO for Commerce Edge, the organisers of the event.
The conference, which attracts a large gathering of knowledge-hungry delegates, has an impressive lineup of well-versed and popular speakers that include Jacques Pauw, author of The President’s Keepers. Joining him are:
- Shantell Mackay, GM: Supply Chain for Transnet Freight Rail;
- Africa Melane, a presenter at CapeTalk and Radio 702;
- Chris Hart, Executive Chairman and the country’s most quoted economist, from Impact Investment Africa, South Africa;
- Chibwe D. Mwelwa, President of the Zambia Institute of Purchasing and Supply and Procurement Director for Millennium Challenge Account Zambia;
- Simon Thompson, Director at Asia Pacific, Acquire Procurement Services, Australia;
- As well as fellow author James Brent Styan (Steinhoff inside SA’s biggest corporate crash).
Well-known for its ability to tackle controversial subjects, the conference will once again include thought-provoking topics that include:
- What are the major factors that will influence tailwinds and headwinds in South Africa in 2020 and to what extent will procurement be affected?
- What can organisations do from a procurement perspective to become less reliant on underperforming SOEs?
- How should procurement be positioned to protect and strengthen core institutions in South Africa?
- Developing effective mechanisms essential to drive professionalisation of procurement.
- Walking the talk to reposition procurement as an independent and influential function with a constitutional mandate.
- Outlining the economic benefits of giving procurement a constitutional mandate.
“We are pleased to once again host the Enterprise & Supplier Development Expo in collaboration with Absa. This interactive showcase allows the approximately 840 participating black-owned SMMEs to fast track their organisations through the focus on local economic development. Previous ESD events have resulted in a number of fruitful and mutually beneficial relationships within the supply chain. Feedback from our exhibitors clearly outlines the success of the event in equipping them for sustainability and simultaneously providing them with the unrivalled opportunity to network with potential clients,” says Tagg.
For more information on the Gauteng Indaba and the upcoming series of Smart Procurement World events for 2019, please visit the website at: www.smartprocurementworld.com