Specialists shaping the future of procurement
Procurement is entering a new phase, moving from cost control to a function shaping resilience, performance, and long-term value. At PIR, led by Robert Liljeblad, this shift is reflected not only in client work, but in how the field itself is evolving. Through the Nordic CPO of the Year Award, PIR is part of bringing together experienced practitioners to recognize what strong procurement leadership looks like in practice, and to raise the bar for the profession as a whole.
The Nordic CPO of the Year Award recognizes leaders who have meaningfully advanced their organization’s procurement function across people, integrity, and results. What sets it apart is how impact is assessed. Not by scale or visibility, but by what has actually been achieved given the conditions.
“Strong procurement leadership is not about theory or frameworks. It is about what you actually make happen in your context. How you build teams, how you act with integrity, and the results you deliver over time.”
PIR is part of the initiative as an award partner, together with EBG and an independent jury of experienced CPOs. The award reflects a broader shift in how procurement is understood and who gets to define what good looks like.
“Procurement has moved into the core of business performance. The best CPOs today are not only optimizing cost, but strengthening resilience, enabling sustainability, and actively shaping how their organizations operate.”
Beyond recognition, the initiative creates a platform for shared learning. By bringing together experienced practitioners to evaluate real cases, it highlights how procurement evolves in practice across industries, challenges, and starting points.
“Progress in procurement does not come from one company or one idea. It comes from specialists with deep expertise, learning from each other and raising the standard together.”
For PIR, this is a natural extension of how they work. Deep specialist expertise applied in real business contexts, combined with a belief that strong functions are built through both perspective and execution.
“The strongest specialist firms do not just deliver in projects. They take responsibility for advancing their field and contributing to how the function develops over time.”
As expectations on procurement continue to rise, initiatives like the Nordic CPO of the Year Award help make that development visible. Not by defining a single model, but by recognizing leaders who, in different contexts, move the function forward.
Do you know a CPO who is making a real difference?