Olena Starodubtseva, Head of the Center for Procurement Excellence at the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE), shared the results of recent research on the transformation of the procurement function and expectations for this area in 2025 at the MHP Procurement Conference 2025, UNN reports.
Details
According to her, operational efficiency has become the top strategic priority for companies, surpassing even the traditional focus on cost reduction. Businesses today expect speed, flexibility, and process stability, Starodubtseva emphasized.
Thus, among the key expectations of management is ensuring uninterrupted supply, which becomes a critical factor in an unstable environment.
She also stressed that the procurement function is changing. The procurement specialist of 2025 is already a strategic player who combines the roles of an analyst and a negotiator, Starodubtseva clarified.
2024 also brought new management challenges. Among them:
- difficulty in attracting new specialists;
- shortage of qualified labor;
- psycho-emotional exhaustion of teams and the need for mental health support.
Another important trend is the active interest in implementing artificial intelligence. More than half of companies are already exploring its capabilities for procurement functions, and 17% are already piloting it.
Procurement is gradually becoming a powerful tool for strategic management, helping companies not only save money.
Reference
The organizer of the MHP Procurement Conference 2025 is MHP, an international company in the food and agritech sector.
It has production facilities in Ukraine and Southeast Europe.
MHP shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange.
It unites over 36,000 employees in Ukraine and abroad, and is among the top 20 best employers in Ukraine according to Forbes.
MHP exports products to over 80 countries worldwide. Its land bank amounts to 360,000 hectares in 12 regions of Ukraine. The company is one of the largest taxpayers in the agricultural sector; in 2024, MHP was recognized as one of the largest investors in the country according to Forbes and NV publications.
MHP is a leader in chicken production in Europe and is among the top 10 global chicken producers according to the WattPoultry ranking.
The company develops over 15 food brands and, together with partners, several networks, including "Myasomarket" stores and Döner Market establishments.
Together with its strategic partner, the MHP-Community Charitable Foundation, the company supports Ukrainians, develops communities, and preserves Ukrainian culture. For individual support and comprehensive assistance to military personnel, veterans, and their families, it implements the "MHP Nearby" program.
The founder and CEO of MHP is Ukrainian businessman Yuriy Kosiuk.