Monday November 9, 2026
The New Marketing Ecosystem: Procurement's Role in Shaping How Work Gets Done
7:30 am - 8:30 am
Continental Breakfast & Registration (Grand Opening of the Solutions Zone)
8:00 am - 8:30 am
Optional Breakfast Workshop: Intro To Marketing Procurement
Michele Goodwin -
Senior Manager Indirect Procurement, Marketing,
Church & Dwight Co.
Are you new to the Marketing category? Were you plopped into procurement without knowing media from digital? Join this roundtable talk before sessions officially commence to get some helpful perspective from a pro who has been in your shoes. This is a great way kick off your ProcureCon experience. Everybody starts somewhere!
8:30 am - 8:40 am
Welcome Remarks And Icebreaker
Kelly DeLuca -
Program Director,
ProcureCon
8:40 am - 8:50 am
Chairperson's Remarks
Nicole Souza -
Chief Growth Officer, North America,
Stagwell
8:50 am - 9:10 am
Keynote Case Study: Owning the Narrative: Demonstrating Procurement's Value In The Age Of AI
Vivien Harmon -
Head of Procurement, Commercial & Marketing,
InterContinental Hotels Group
Drawing on her experience leading Commercial & Marketing Procurement at IHG Hotels & Resorts, Vivien Harmon shares how she has redefined what marketing procurement's value really looks like in practice. Vivien will share how she has used AI and automation at IHG to gain unprecedented visibility into marketing performance, supplier behavior, and demand patterns, and how that visibility has elevated procurement's seat at the commercial table. Expect candid insight into what it takes to shift the narrative from cost-cutter to strategic advisor in a global hospitality brand.
9:10 am - 9:30 am
Keynote Presentation: The Production Growth Engine: How Intelligent Production Drives Marketing Performance
Sponsored by: Publicis Production
9:30 am - 10:10 am
Panel: Beyond the Brief: Procurement's Role in Modern Brand Partnerships — Sponsorships, Activations, and the Creator Economy
Matt Kelly -
North America Marketing Procurement Director,
Adidas AG
Peter Melanson -
Global Procurement Director,
Kimberly Clark
Crystal Lowe -
Director, Sourcing - Marketing, People & Culture,
BMO Financial Group
Nicole Souza -
Chief Growth Officer, North America,
Stagwell
Sponsorship, activation, and influencer marketing used to be separate budget lines managed by separate teams. They're not anymore. This session explores how marketing procurement can build the frameworks, contracts, and measurement approaches needed to manage modern brand partnerships as an integrated category, and why getting this right is one of the most significant commercial opportunities procurement hasn't fully claimed yet.
- Establish measurement approaches that capture value across the full partnership ecosystem rather than isolated channel metrics
- Negotiate rights packages that account for live activation and creator amplification from the outset
- Claim procurement's seat at the table early enough in the brand partnership process to actually influence commercial outcomes
10:10 am - 10:50 am
Morning Networking Break in the Solutions Zone
10:50 am - 11:20 am
Panel: Safeguarding Flexibility and Control in an Era of Fewer, Bigger Partners
Tom Patterson -
VP Procurement,
SPS PoolCare
Ian McDonald -
Senior Global Category Manager,
Edgewell Personal Care, LLC
Kaleigh Panther -
North America Procurement Category Manager, Marketing,
Syngenta
Miguel Cabrera Urbina -
Sr. Manager, Strategic Sourcing,
Western Digital Technologies, Inc
Nicole Souza -
Chief Growth Officer, North America,
Stagwell
With consolidation redefining the agency ecosystem, procurement leaders must rethink how they drive value, maintain optionality, and ensure transparency. Panelists will discuss how they're evolving their approaches, challenging bundled models, sharpening scopes, and building strategies that preserve flexibility in a more concentrated marketplace.
Sponsored by: Brand Addition
11:20 am - 11:40 am
Presentation: Putting The Intelligence Back Into AI
Most brands have deployed AI. Few have built the foundation that makes it work. As investment in AI accelerates, the gap between organizations that see real returns and those that don't comes down to what's underneath the technology: the structural building blocks of data, workflow, governance, and human judgment that determine whether AI delivers content that actually performs. This session maps the critical layers that separate AI investment from AI impact, and shows what it looks like when intelligence is genuinely built in from the start.
Sponsored by: ITG
11:40 am - 12:40 pm
Industry Roundtable Meet Ups
Alfred Pacile -
Director Global Procurement- Marketing and Business Service,
Unilever
Casey Thompson -
Strategic Sourcing Manager,
Crinetics
Pablo Carreno -
Procurement Team Lead - Marketing, PR, Media, News, Supply Chain,
Bloomberg
- CPG - Alfred Pacile, Global Head of Procurement – Unilever Wellbeing Collective
- Pharmaceuticals - Casey Thompson, Strategic Sourcing Manager – Crinetics
- Financial Services & Insurance - Pablo Carreno, Procurement Team Lead - Marketing, PR, Media, News, Supply Chain – Bloomberg
- Retail
- Hospitality, Travel, Media, Entertainment
- Business Services
Join Zinc Group for a private lunch where candid conversation meets actionable strategy—your seat at the table for breakthrough ideas and elite connections.
Track A: AI-Enabled Procurement: From Pitfalls to Playbooks
1:40 pm - 2:10 pm Workshop/Forum/Vent Session: Part 1: Pitfalls of AI In Procurement/How is AI Not Working For You Mehdi Benkabbou - Associate Director, Martech and Production Sourcing, Amgen
Track A: AI-Enabled Procurement: From Pitfalls to Playbooks
2:10 pm - 2:40 pm Workshop/Forum Part 2: How is AI Working For You Mehdi Benkabbou - Associate Director, Martech and Production Sourcing, AmgenTrack A: AI-Enabled Procurement: From Pitfalls to Playbooks
2:40 pm - 3:10 pm Workshop: The Efficiency Advantage: How To Use Attention Metrics To Boost ROISponsored by: Adelaide Metrics
Track A: AI-Enabled Procurement: From Pitfalls to Playbooks
3:15 pm - 3:45 pm Panel: Build vs. Buy vs. Approve: The Procurement Playbook for AI Governance CommitteesEvery organization is solving the AI governance puzzle differently, and marketing procurement is often caught in the middle of legal, IT, and marketing's competing priorities. This panel of practitioners shares how they've built (or are still building) governance structures that keep pace with AI adoption without slowing teams down. Come away with real examples of what's working, what isn't, and where ownership should sit
- Expand risk criteria beyond data privacy to account for brand safety and over-reliance on AI outputs
- Adapt governance structures to fit organizational scale, from lean fast-moving teams to larger cross-functional reviews
- Balance build, buy, and license decisions as organizational pressures reshape how procurement resources AI capability
Track B: Next-Gen Marketing Procurement: Roles, Models, and Influence
1:40 pm - 2:10 pm Workshop: Programmatic Media - Best Practices For Getting the Most Out of Your Programmatic AdvertisingTrack B: Next-Gen Marketing Procurement: Roles, Models, and Influence
2:10 pm - 2:40 pm Panel: The Pop-Up Economy: Procurement's Role in Agile Brand Experiences Stephanie Fogarty - Global Procurement, Marketing, Block
Track B: Next-Gen Marketing Procurement: Roles, Models, and Influence
2:40 pm - 3:10 pm Workshop: The Procurement Playbook For Creator Marketing Alexa Tonner - Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, Collectively
Track B: Next-Gen Marketing Procurement: Roles, Models, and Influence
3:15 pm - 3:45 pm Panel: AI Agents and the New Agency Operating Model: 2027 Staffing and In-Housing Plans Vivien Harmon - Head of Procurement, Commercial & Marketing, InterContinental Hotels Group Baquer Mirza - Principal Category Manager - Marketing & Advertising, AT&T Roger Battacharia - Director - Global Procurement, Commercial, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Rosemary Calderone - Chief Growth Officer, Pace Inc.Traditional input-based compensation models like retainers, labor multipliers, and cost-plus are becoming obsolete as AI agents automate tactical tasks and reshape how work gets done. This session explores what next-generation compensation frameworks could look like to balance transparency, efficiency, and performance incentives, while still giving agencies room to innovate and invest in new capabilities.
Track C: Boardroom - Where Marketing Procurement Gets Real
1:40 pm - 2:10 pm Boardroom Global Partnerships 101 Lauren Roderick - Director - Global Indirect Procurement, Corporate & Professional Services, Harman International/JBL
Lauren Roderick
Director - Global Indirect Procurement, Corporate & Professional ServicesHarman International/JBL
Track C: Boardroom - Where Marketing Procurement Gets Real
2:10 pm - 2:40 pm Boardroom: The Road to Becoming a Trusted Advisor: Where to Start and the Stops Along the Way Lance Hedges - Strategic Sourcing Lead- Global Marketing, Capital Group
Track C: Boardroom - Where Marketing Procurement Gets Real
2:40 pm - 3:10 pm Workshop: The Why Behind Moments That Move MetricsTake sourcing further: join this engaging workshop for frameworks you can use, cross-functional strategies that stick, and insights to boost marketing procurement's business value.
Sponsored by: Tencue
Track C: Boardroom - Where Marketing Procurement Gets Real
3:15 pm - 3:45 pm Boardroom: Commercial Performance Shocks: Procurement as a Stabilizing Force Jill Rankin - Associate Director Strategic Sourcing Commercial and G&A, Sumitomo PharmaQuarter‑to‑quarter performance swings can trigger sudden shifts in marketing priorities, from new launches to emergency cutbacks. This session focuses on how procurement can provide stability amid change by structuring portfolios, contracts, and governance in ways that absorb shocks while preserving strategic investments.
3:45 pm - 4:25 pm
Networking Break in the Solutions Zone
Influencer and creator work often starts in pockets of the business, leading to fragmented contracts, inconsistent rates, and limited oversight. This discussion focuses on how to bring structure to that chaos through smarter agency setups that centralize visibility while preserving local flexibility. Panelists will share how procurement is influencing decisions on global vs. local agencies, specialist vs. integrated partners, and the operating rules that keep influencer programs commercially sound.
- Map where influencer and creator work is happening across the business
- Consolidate fragmented contracts and rate structures into clearer frameworks
- Establish operating rules that centralize visibility while preserving local flexibility
- Scope of Work: Best Practices - Richard Benyon, CEO & Founder – Alliansis
- The Creative Operations Stress Test: Is Your Studio Built for What's Next?, Scott Peters, Founder/CEO, Assemble Studio; Fabian Miranda, Studio Manager - Assemble Studio
- The Best Measurement Strategies Never Stand Still: Do's and Don'ts to Keep Yours Agile, DoubleVerify
- Navigating Global Procurement Complexity: Managing Risk When Your Merch Spend Crosses Borders Karl Whiteside, President, Brand Addition US
- From Reactive to Resilient: Rethinking Risk Management in Live Events, Verb
Sponsored by: Alliansis
Sponsored by: Assemble Studio
Sponsored by: DoubleVerify
Sponsored by: DoubleVerify