From Strategy to Supplier ... Without Losing Context!
5
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Procurement has no shortage of ambition — to drive innovation, reduce risk, enable sustainability, and deliver measurable business value.
But the way work gets done today still tells a different story.
Category strategies are often built in isolation — as static documents, filled with assumptions, built in PowerPoint, and disconnected from real-time data or cross-functional input. They’re treated as annual exercises rather than living tools that guide decisions.
Then, when it’s time to act, supplier discovery starts from scratch — often manual, filter-based, and completely removed from the strategy that was just developed. The context is lost. The continuity is broken. And the strategic intent behind the plan rarely makes it into the final sourcing decision.
This disconnect isn’t just inefficient — it’s structural.
Strategy and execution live in separate worlds. Procurement remains fragmented. And value is lost at every step. This session is about changing that.
Join Christoph Flöthmann (Co-founder & CPO, akirolabs) and Aiko Wiegand (CEO & Co-Founder, Matchory) as they show how to build smarter, more dynamic category strategies and bring them to life through AI-powered, contextual supplier discovery — fully aligned from the start.
In This Session, You'll Learn:
- Why most procurement teams still struggle to connect strategy and execution
- What happens when category planning and supplier discovery are part of the same workflow
- How akirolabs and Matchory are integrating strategy and supplier search in a truly contextual process
- A live use case showing how strategy-first sourcing works — from planning to supplier match
Who Should Attend
This session is for procurement and supply chain professionals who are ready to move beyond tactical sourcing and drive end-to-end strategic impact.
Especially relevant for:
- Procurement Leadership & Centers of Excellence
- Category & Commodity Managers
- Procurement Transformation Leaders
- Digital Procurement & Technology Teams
- Strategic Sourcing & Supplier Relationship Managers
Key Takeaways
✅ How to eliminate the disconnect between strategy development and supplier discovery
✅ How to move from static strategy decks to living, collaborative category plans
✅ What a truly contextual, AI-powered supplier discovery process looks like
✅ How to integrate category strategy and supplier data in a single, real-time workflow
Speakers
Dr. Christoph Flöthmann
Co-founder & Chief Product Officer at akirolabs ; Ex KPMG and Roland Berger
Dr. Christoph Flöthmann is a forward-thinking procurement innovator and co-founder of akirolabs, where he serves as Chief Product Officer. With a strong foundation in supply chain analytics and strategic sourcing, Christoph has dedicated his career to transforming procurement into a value-driving function through digital innovation and AI integration. Before co-founding akirolabs, Christoph contributed to the field as a consultant at Roland Berger and KPMG, focusing on procurement transformation and digital strategy. His insights bridge the gap between theoretical research and practical application, guiding organizations toward more agile and data-driven procurement practices.
Aiko Wiegand
CEO and Co-Founder of Matchory
Aiko Wiegand is the CEO and Co-Founder of Matchory, a German ProcureTech startup revolutionizing supplier discovery through AI-driven automation. With a background in industrial engineering from Technische Universität Darmstadt and San Diego State University, Aiko has always been passionate about leveraging technology to drive innovation in supply chains.
Since co-founding Matchory in 2019, he has led the development of a platform that enables real-time identification of global suppliers, enhancing transparency and efficiency in procurement processes. Under his leadership, Matchory has secured significant funding and recognitions for its contributions to digital procurement.
5
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM