Who’s Leading the Conversation at Arkestro Optimal ’25

Arkestro Optimal ’25 is built around the people doing the work. The ones navigating complexity, making tough calls, and moving procurement forward inside their organizations.

This year’s speakers, sponsors, and breakout sessions reflect the industries where predictive procurement is gaining ground the fastest. Energy. Automotive. Manufacturing. Healthcare. Every conversation is designed to get into the details, including how teams are scaling new approaches, what’s getting in the way, and where the next phase of progress will come from.

Here’s a look at what’s driving the agenda:

Industry Leaders, On Stage and In the Room

You’ll hear from senior leaders at companies like Chevron, KES, Nissan, and Solventum—organizations operating in high-stakes environments where procurement decisions can’t afford to miss.

These speakers will share how they’ve rolled out predictive sourcing programs, gained internal traction, and delivered real impact in categories with cost pressure, supply constraints, and operational complexity.

Breakout Tracks That Reflect the Work Procurement Is Actually Doing

This year’s breakout sessions are organized around three core tracks, each focused on the outcomes procurement leaders are being asked to deliver right now. They’re led by the people doing this work inside some of the most complex organizations in the world, bringing firsthand insight into what’s changing, what’s working, and what still needs to be solved.

Transformation
Explore how leading organizations are reinventing procurement as a strategic force—driving agility, innovation, and cross-functional impact across the business. These sessions focus on how predictive strategies are helping teams accelerate enterprise-wide change.

Margin Impact
See how teams are influencing spend before it’s committed. These sessions go deep into pricing, risk, and the tactics that turn procurement into a margin driver across more of the business.

Productivity
Learn how to do more with less by streamlining sourcing workflows, reducing manual effort, and scaling procurement’s impact through automation. These sessions focus on the systems and practices that increase throughput and free capacity for higher-value work.

Sponsors Who Are Helping Build What’s Next

This year’s sponsors include a group of companies helping procurement teams work smarter, faster, and with more clarity:

• Capgemini: Platinum
• Agiloft: Gold
• BDO: Gold
• Optis: Silver
• Sievo: Silver
• Vroozi: Bronze
• Vallor: Bronze
• MetaExperts: Bronze

Each brings a unique perspective on how procurement can operate at a higher level, from contract execution and savings tracking to systems integration and marketplace automation. They’ll be in the Partner Pavillion at Arkestro Optimal ‘25, sharing ideas and working through the same challenges.

A Quick Note on Workshops

The pre-conference workshops are where many attendees go deep. From advanced platform training to negotiation strategy and CFO alignment, these sessions are designed to sharpen how you lead and communicate.

(We covered them in detail here, in case you missed it.)

This Is Where Change Takes Hold

Optimal is a working session for leaders who are actively reshaping how procurement works inside their organizations. The speakers, sessions, and sponsors are all aligned around that goal.

If you’re heading to Houston, this is your chance to learn from the people doing the work, and walk away with ideas you can use right away.