In the latest issue of Procurement Leaders, deputy editor Steve Hall reported on how procurement is facing a crucial test, as its continued evolution begins to undermine its very existence. Speaking to Novartis' Giles Breault provides further evidence.

I had dinner last night with the guys from Proxima. Nothing particularly newsworthy in that, granted, but the topic of discussion certainly provided food for thought - the branding of procurement and how to gain the attention of key stakeholders.

One of the challenges for any procurement or sourcing department is how to drive value creation from supplier partnerships. The reality is that organisations are nothing more than the collective capacity of their people, and their ability to make decisions and deliver improvements in a way that creates value for their customers through products and services.