CIPS Futures

CIPS

Exploring the forces that are about to shape the lives of procurement and supply professionals, with the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS)

  1. 10/06/2025

    CIPS Foundation tackles modern slavery: the five hundred billion dollar crime in your supply chain

    An estimated 28 million people are employed in forced labour in supply chains. Procurement professionals are on the frontline of this global crime - one estimated to be worth half a trillion dollars. It is a challenge the CIPS Foundation is working with UK-based modern slavery charity Unseen to tackle head on by providing funding to turn data from its Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline into actionable insights for procurement professionals.  In this CIPS Foundation special we lift the lid on an issue that exposes organisations to significant financial, legal and reputational risks - where "plausible deniability" is no longer an option and fundamental human rights are at stake. Andrew Wallis OBE, CEO of Unseen, and Sodexo's Madeline Fitton MCIPS, founder and chair of the BSA Modern Slavery Council, share what progress has been made 10 years on from the UK's landmark Modern Slavery Act. We uncover the scale of the challenge facing procurement, address why effective legislation must be designed as a "spiky carrot", and provide essential advice on how to identify and respond to modern slavery in your own supply chain. Further reading:  Learn more about the CIPS Foundation Read: How the CIPS Foundation is supporting Unseen Watch: CIPS Foundation & Unseen tackling modern slavery together Find out more about Unseen and the Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline

    29 min
  2. 06/30/2025

    Professionalising procurement, part 3: a career of choice

    The third episode of the Professionalising Procurement series, brought to you by the CIPS ANZ team, features quickfire interviews from public-sector practitioners from across Australia and New Zealand. Head of Procurement at ABC, Sarah Collins, shares a candid story of why procurement should always be in the room, while Emma Morrow, Manager Commissioning for Outcomes at New Zealand's Department of Corrections, offers a fascinating insight into an ongoing procurement process that focuses on engaging and collaborating with Māori communities for better outcomes. Finally, Gareth Williams gives a passionate pitch to the opportunities the profession gives people and why procurement should find you - rather than the other way round. Why wouldn't you want to get paid to spend someone else's money...? We ask each guest what makes procurement such an exciting career choice; the influence professionals have to drive positive change; and the lessons they've learned from mistakes they've made.  Further reading: Cool heads in the storm: CIPS Global State of Procurement & Supply 2025, supported by GEP CIPS ANZ regional hub Make CIPS your career companion - become a member Have you seen the new and improved CIPS Professional Register? The directory shares the professional status of procurement and supply chain practitioners around the world, and you can now personalise your profile with specialisms and expertise. Check out your listing on the Professional Register

    39 min

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Exploring the forces that are about to shape the lives of procurement and supply professionals, with the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS)