EP 48 - ProcureCon's Michael Dunlap on The Pulse of the Chief Procurement Officer

CPOs are navigating two pressures at once right now: figuring out where AI actually fits in their operations, and keeping their teams motivated through what feels like unending disruption. Michael Dunlap, Head of Content and Growth, ProcureCon Events at Worldwide Business Research, runs around 30 research calls with procurement practitioners before building each conference agenda, which means he's getting a real-time read on what's on procurement leaders' minds, not just what they're willing to say publicly.

Michael shares what CPOs are telling him about tariffs (short answer: wait-and-see, with real uncertainty about how to handle cost-sharing with suppliers), where AI is actually moving in procurement versus where it's still theoretical, and why team motivation has quietly become one of the most consistent themes he's hearing at the senior level. After COVID and now ongoing tariff volatility, procurement leaders are actively asking how to remain an employer of choice when the environment keeps shifting underneath their teams.

He also breaks down how ProcureCon's research-first model works, what separates the senior practitioners who show up for hallway conversations from the ones there for sessions, and where the franchise is heading next as it looks beyond the annual conference model.

Topics discussed:

• What CPOs are saying about tariffs, including a shift toward a wait-and-see posture and ongoing uncertainty around supplier cost-sharing

• Why team motivation has become one of the most consistent themes at the CPO level after years of back-to-back disruption

• Where AI is actually moving in procurement, from contract review automation to workflow efficiency, versus where it's still unproven hype

• How dozens of practitioner research calls shape every ProcureCon agenda before a single session is confirmed