The gathering in Singapore earlier this month was one of those rare moments where everything just clicks. The room was buzzing — full of energy, candor, curiosity, and a sense of shared purpose that felt almost electric.
As we opened our first-ever in-person meeting in the ASEAN region, it became immediately clear that something important was happening: procurement leaders here aren’t just willing to act — they already are acting. Boldly. Consistently. Without excuse. No one in this room was deterred, distracted, or waiting for “the right moment” to return to sustainability. They’re in it. Fully.
And honestly? I was surprised. And inspired. So many headlines and commentaries repeat the same doom-ish narrative: “It’s slowing down.”, “Budgets are tightening.”, “Momentum is fading.” But this group? They are the real-story. They are the ones proving that progress hasn’t stalled — it’s accelerating. And I want that message to be just as loud, if not louder, than the naysayers. Because there is so much happening in the ASEAN region that the world needs to hear. The global procurement community should not just look at this region — they should learn from it.
This was also a big moment for us internally: the first year in SPP’s journey where the Champions Program has met twice in person. It feels like a grown-up moment for the movement — a sign of how quickly the energy is rising, how much connection this group craves, and how deeply they shape the direction of SPP. We are coming out from behind our desks and meeting in-person more and more.
For those newer to the Champions Program: it’s a space for CPOs and one key member of their team to exchange openly, learn from each other, challenge assumptions, and help us anticipate what the global community needs next.
And crucially, It’s the companies behind these leaders who fund SPP — making possible our unique approach : a truly non-commercial, non-competitive, peer-driven space by procurement, for procurement. A space where competitors become collaborators on the topics that matter most with the share goal to leverage the power of procurement to make sustainable procurement the default. These leaders have sparked some of our key contributions to this movement, The Guide, the Carbon Pricing Principles, Initiatives for Impact, and more. They’re not just contributors. They’re architects. Individuals rolling up their sleeves and getting it done.
If you or your organization want to support this work, fund this movement, and help shape what comes next — reach out to me. We need more builders.
One of the most striking feelings from the day was that procurement is finally starting to step unapologetically into its power. The conversations were honest, unfiltered, and refreshingly real. We talked about where sustainability is really starting to stick, where things still get tough and messy, and where complexity keeps winning. At SPP, we actually love digging into those harder topics. And we also looked at where we’re all leaving opportunities on the table—because that’s where the real potential is for all of us.
The leadership conversation with the CPOs Bertrand Conquéret and Ard Verboon captured this beautifully. They were candid, grounded, and bold, openly sharing what transformation has demanded of them and what they’re no longer willing to compromise on.
Their message was clear: Sustainability makes business sense. But waiting for “someone else” to figure it out is no longer acceptable. Each of us has to start getting it done. Those who get it, are not pulling back from the sustainability agenda, quite the contrary, they are leaning in and doing more.
I heard from many in the room that this conversation was validating, challenging and that they truly felt called to act. We all loved the tone and openness and it is clear that more spaces and opportunities for this kind of exchange is needed and wanted.
What I loved most about the afternoon was how naturally the room shifted into co-creation. We didn’t need complicated frameworks, just the right sparks. And suddenly, the collective priorities of the region became incredibly clear.
Across the conversations, clear themes rose again and again: a strong hunger for a vibrant, connected Singapore (and regional) community, which the Singapore Chapter is already accelerating. A desire to bridge global frameworks with local realities so ASEAN’s unique challenges and innovations can shape the global agenda. Participants called for alignment rather than duplication, for collaboration recognizing the region’s rich ecosystem and the need for SPP to help connect the dots. And above all, suppliers, especially SMEs, must sit at the center, with more collaboration, more practical support, and more global companies stepping up. Threaded through it all was a sense of urgency, tangible quick wins, and a clear readiness to act now.
A Community Fueled by Collaboration
None of this would have happened without the generosity and partnership of the people and organizations around us. A huge thank you to the SPP Singapore Chapter, who over the past four years have built an active, engaged local community. Our global, unsegmented network is powerful — and the Chapters make it even stronger by creating the regional and topic-specific spaces that our profession urgently needs.
Deep thanks as well to Procurement Leaders. Our partnership is proof of what collaboration can look like in practice, and this gathering simply would not have happened without you. And to GEP — thank you for once again backing this community and believing that investing in procurement leaders creates momentum, opportunity, and impact for everyone involved.
Walking out of the venue at the end of the day, there was this shared feeling — the kind you don’t get from presentations or reports — but from people truly seeing one another, challenging one another, and realizing they’re part of something bigger.
ASEAN showed us what’s possible. A reminder that when procurement leaders come together with clarity, courage, and generosity, things move faster than any of us expect. And now it’s up to all of us to carry that energy forward — into our teams, our regions, our suppliers, and our global community.
SPP is built on people who lean in, who share openly, who build with purpose. This group did that. And they did it beautifully. I can’t wait to see what we create next, together.
Yours sincerely,
Melissa
Executive Director
Sustainable Procurement Pledge
