“If you build AI on top of weak foundations, you're going to have a very broken system.” - Gaël De Martelaere, Chief Procurement Officer, Hexion
While many conversations about AI focus on the latest tools or the next breakthrough technology, this conversation with Gaël De Martelaere, CPO at Hexion, also recognizes the importance of leadership, operating models, experimentation, and what procurement organizations need to become if they want to take full advantage of everything AI has to offer.
AI is much more than just a technology transformation. It's transforming procurement organizations from top to bottom.
Procurement Should Think Bigger
"Ultimately, we're here for the business. We enable the business, but it's not just enabling... I think procurement is a lot more than that. In fact, it's an engine. I would call it an engine to innovation."
I've often talked about procurement earning the right to work with stakeholders by creating value, not simply enforcing process. Gaël takes that one step further and sees procurement as an active driver of innovation, growth, and competitive advantage. That's an important mindset shift because when procurement starts thinking like a business within the business, the conversation changes. AI becomes another way to create value, not the end goal.
Experiment Before You Have All the Answers
"AI requires experimentation, and only by experimentation are you going to find what works and what doesn't and really draw lessons out of that."
Rather than spending months creating the perfect roadmap, Gaël said his team is focused on identifying use cases, learning quickly, and scaling what proves valuable. That approach to implementation feels like the right balance for where we are today. AI is evolving so quickly that waiting until every question has an answer simply isn't realistic. The organizations making the greatest progress are learning through action.
Curiosity May Become Procurement's Greatest Skill
"Curiosity is something that we're going to have to continue to have. Humans are really good at judgment. Understanding context, influencing, and the relationship piece are going to continue to be very important."
As AI becomes more capable, it would be easy to assume technical expertise will become the defining characteristic of tomorrow's procurement professional. Of course the technology will continue to improve. What differentiates procurement professionals will increasingly be their ability to ask better questions, interpret information in context, influence decisions, and build relationships.
Build, Buy, and Stay Curious
"I think we need to allow ourselves to stay curious. If we start as leaders just discounting single use cases because they're single use case, I think we might miss an opportunity."
There's no shortage of AI providers promising to solve individual problems, but Gaël cautioned against dismissing smaller solutions too quickly. Whether evaluating new technology, testing a new workflow, or rethinking an established process, the leaders who remain open to learning are far more likely to discover opportunities others overlook.
Everyone Is Still Figuring It Out
"I don't think you're behind. I think we're all still trying to figure AI out... Just go try it. Don't overanalyze it."
It's easy to look at organizations that are further along and assume they've already solved AI adoption. Despite all the headlines and provider announcements, we're still in the early stages of understanding how AI will reshape procurement. Nobody has a finished playbook. What matters is having the willingness to start, to experiment, and to keep learning.
