PROCUREMENT TECHNOLOGY
The rise of the‘ automation orchestrator’ From these conversations, it would appear that the most significant impact of RPA adoption is how it is reshaping procurement roles and required competencies.
“ As automation takes over the repetitive work, procurement roles are being redefined,” Krish adds.“ Our clients are shifting from transactional processing to designing, supervising and optimising digital workflows.”
This transformation is creating a new category of procurement professional – what Krish terms“ automation orchestrators”.
These individuals combine traditional procurement knowledge with digital fluency and commercial acumen, managing bots, interpreting AI insights and applying human judgement to optimise automated outcomes.
The change represents both an opportunity and a challenge for procurement teams. While some fear job displacement, Chris suggests viewing the transformation more optimistically.
He says:“ Those individuals that have the capability and ambition to do more, then a huge opportunity exists. It truly is a glass half full versus half empty situation.”
128 September 2025