Patrick McCarthy

En route to a recent conference on how procurement networks are reshaping the aviation industry, I realized how amazing it was to be arriving in the historic city of Athens, the cradle of Western civilization. My enthusiasm owes not only to the city’s timeless beauty, though that’s reason enough to visit. Athens, it turns out, is ideally suited for such a gathering because it holds a unique place in the imagination for all of us who’ve ever wanted to fly.

I wrote in my 100 Day post about the incremental value organizations achieve when they look at business processes end-to-end. I’m going to focus this conversation on some of the Direct Materials process challenges most manufacturers face. As you have probably experienced, the definition of end-to-end continues to expand. Companies formerly thought of processes like Procure-to-Pay as internal only. Leading companies have broadened the process to the more accurate Source-to-Settle definition… Mehr zeigen

I wrote in my 100 Day post about the incremental value organizations achieve when they look at business processes end-to-end. I’m going to focus this conversation on some of the Direct Materials process challenges most manufacturers face. As you have probably experienced, the definition of end-to-end continues to expand. Companies formerly thought of processes like Procure-to-Pay as internal only. Leading companies have broadened the process to the more accurate Source-to-Settle definition, which can include multiple external constituents. In addition, what occurs during ‘Source’ now includes ‘Design’. Weniger anzeigen

Patrick McCarthy, SAP Ariba at SAP Ariba Aviation Summit 2018 (video)

Turn on the news, and the controversy is scarcely avoidable: Everyone, it seems, has an opinion on tariffs. Proponents say they’re a necessary corrective to existing policies that, by protecting markets in one country, unfairly harm those in another. Opponents say that, even as a countermeasure, tariffs worsen the problem they purport to solve, by raising prices, hobbling industry and destroying jobs.

Hardly a day goes by without news headlines trumpeting another advance in artificial intelligence. Yet despite all the publicity, many people still think of intelligence as the mere accumulation of information. In reality, information and intelligence lie worlds apart. The late musician Kurt Cobain shared an interesting perspective on the difference when he wrote: “I have met many minds able to store and translate a pregnantly large amount of information, yet they haven’t an ounce of talent for… Mehr zeigen

Hardly a day goes by without news headlines trumpeting another advance in artificial intelligence. Yet despite all the publicity, many people still think of intelligence as the mere accumulation of information. In reality, information and intelligence lie worlds apart. The late musician Kurt Cobain shared an interesting perspective on the difference when he wrote: “I have met many minds able to store and translate a pregnantly large amount of information, yet they haven’t an ounce of talent for wisdom or the appreciation of passion.” Weniger anzeigen

Everyone needs the newest bright, shiny object. Or at least that’s the message we often hear from commercial advertising. It’s essentially the jewelry industry’s marketing strategy, only repackaged in a different velour box. In enterprise software, however, a new product’s flash and sparkle can sometimes obscure its true selling point: How does it create value for my organization and simplify my work and that of my colleagues?

How can you embrace the notion of procurement with purpose authentically and in ways that are consistent with your core beliefs and ideals? Patrick McCarthy, SVP and GM, SAP Ariba North America, guides the way... Sustainability improves the bottom-line and companies can do good while doing well. In fact, research shows that purpose-driven companies with strong performance in environmental, social and governance outperform the market by 4.8%. But this is not 'new' news. So, what is different now… Mehr zeigen

How can you embrace the notion of procurement with purpose authentically and in ways that are consistent with your core beliefs and ideals? Patrick McCarthy, SVP and GM, SAP Ariba North America, guides the way... Sustainability improves the bottom-line and companies can do good while doing well. In fact, research shows that purpose-driven companies with strong performance in environmental, social and governance outperform the market by 4.8%. But this is not 'new' news. So, what is different now that makes purpose more vitally important? It comes down to transparency and trust. Weniger anzeigen

At a time when technology is transforming nearly every aspect of the enterprise and its approach to buying and selling, the role of the procurement professional — already central to any organisation — has become even more strategic, more consequential, and more indispensable.

As business continues to become increasingly global, the definition of end-to-end is changing. Companies formerly thought of processes like procure-to-pay as internal only. However, as supply chains stretch further around the globe, they are fast realizing that it has greater strategic promise. And they are using the more accurate term source-to-settle to describe a process that includes collaboration across multiple external partners, including suppliers, customers, and banks.

While workdays are no longer defined as Monday through Friday, I’ve calculated that today, May 26th (my birthday – yeah!) I’m 100 workdays into leading the SAP Ariba go to market team in North America. I feel blessed to be side by side with amazing customers and incredible colleagues. It’s been a terrific 5 months and I thought I would share a few thoughts, observations, and inspirations discovered so far.