Tim Major, VP of Global Procurement at Zendesk, explores what it takes to position Procurement as a strategic, front-and-centre business function.
Drawing on 20+ years across pharma, the public sector and global tech, he shares how Zendesk’s shift to private ownership accelerated Procurement’s evolution. With strong executive backing, robust data and a partnership-led approach, Tim guided a lean global team to deliver $90m+ in savings while enabling innovation, growth and smarter decision-making.
The discussion centres on practical AI use cases, from improving intake and stakeholder experience to automating contract reviews, freeing teams to focus on higher-value work.
Tim also reflects on the skills modern procurement teams need, how to develop talent, and why the future lies in enablement, insight and human–AI collaboration, not cost cutting alone.
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Alessandro Comerci reflects on his 25-year procurement journey, sharing how human leadership and relationships shaped his growth.
Procurement has long sought influence by explaining itself - its strategy, processes and methodologies.
From human instincts to AI algorithms, bias is everywhere in procurement; often leading to unobjective and unhelpful outcomes.