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With over 25 years of experience, I am a leader who prioritizes customers and…
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Dean Yates reposted thisDean Yates reposted thisWhat are you being asked to prove right now? Most CPOs are sitting in a difficult reality: Boards and CFOs are demanding "AI results," yet teams remain stretched and significant spend remains unmanaged. Generic AI tools were deployed, but for many, the progress has stalled. You need a credible, data-backed answer for your next conversation with the Board. At Keelvar, we don't lead with promises; we lead with proof: - 200x average ROI in 1 year across our customer base - 80% reduction in sourcing cycle times - 85% of sourcing events in Keelvar are agent-operated This isn't a new product announcement – this is the track record of agentic sourcing that was already happening at Keelvar before we called it that. See the platform that makes proving AI results easy: https://www.keelvar.com/
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Dean Yates reposted thisDean Yates reposted thisJust like AI agents for Poker, Agentic AI can attain world champion standard when it's equipped with optimization and learning. Welcome to the new age of Procurement and Keelvar is at the forefront with Kai, the brand new AI orchestrator.From Poker Faces to Procurement Prowess: How Agentic AI is Revolutionizing SourcingFrom Poker Faces to Procurement Prowess: How Agentic AI is Revolutionizing Sourcing
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Dean Yates shared thisGreat team helping to build a great company! 🇮🇪🚀Dean Yates shared thisWhen your Q4 kickoff includes padel, bowling, and a few very competitive colleagues… you know you’re at Keelvar 🎾🎳 Great energy, plenty of laughs, and the perfect mix of work and play. Here’s to closing out Q4 strong with an amazing team! 💪 #LifeAtKeelvar #Keelvar
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Dean Yates reposted thisDean Yates reposted thisFantastic insights from ProcureTEX recently, where the conversation was led by procurement practitioners. I came back with further validation that digital transformation in procurement is accelerating, driven by practical AI applications and the imperative for seamless system interoperability. The focus is now on execution efficiency, intelligent orchestration, and a fundamental shift in workforce skills. Three major shifts procurement leaders must address today: 1️⃣ Agentic AI which can break down complex processes into smaller, specialized tasks handled by interconnected bots, offers a powerful path to high-quality outcomes, especially with complex data.. 2️⃣ Orchestration is becoming non-negotiable and stand-alone systems are becoming an impediment. The future demands Procurement Orchestration—seamlessly interconnected systems that feed data and intelligence to AI agents. When systems talk to each other, they simplify complex processes for users, ensure high compliance, and deliver better business outcomes. 3️⃣ The New Competitive Edge is Talent + Data with most of execution being automated, where is the competitive advantage? It's in training the AI to deliver optimal outcomes. We must start treating AI as a "critical employee" and allocate our best talent to data stewardship and AI training. The human role is shifting from transaction processing to insight translation for activating the right business levers. We must evolve quickly, growing confidence in interpreting data, challenging assumptions, and communicating strategic insights. Our training models must follow suit as current training methods will become obsolete. This is a fundamental shift in our operating model. How are you preparing your teams and your tech stack for the age of human-agent hybrid collaboration? Thank you Alan Holland and Vel Dhinagaravel along with Zip for conceptualising and realising this fantastic event. I enjoyed being there along with Sourav Das.
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Dean Yates reposted thisDean Yates reposted thisThat's a wrap on ProcureTEX 2025! Truly a visionary gathering of pioneering procurement leaders; we had a blast hosting, toasting, and building the bridge to tomorrow at King's Place! Zip's own Nathan Wiles MC'd the event, with Roque Versace delivering opening remarks along with Keelvar CEO Alan Holland, and Beroe Inc CEO Vel Dhinagaravel. Phil Pappone led a hackathon on streamlining procurement conversational AI, while the entire team enjoyed connecting with the incredible community in London. Thanks to everyone at ProcureTEX for an incredible inaugural event, can't wait for the next one! Find out where our team is coming next: https://ziphq.com/events
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Dean Yates reposted thisDean Yates reposted thisA busy afternoon of insights at #KeelvarKonnect London 🇬🇧 🔹 Toby Burton took the audience through Keelvar's ROI Framework looking at the value drivers unlocked for #procurement by Keelvar. 🔹 Tara Dixon led us through the much anticipated Product Roadmap session speaking to exciting new #AI innovations, integrations and feature releases. 🔹 Smarter Sourcing with ORO Labs & Keelvar - Lance Younger and Scott Farrance showed us the brand new integration in action!
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Dean Yates reposted thisDean Yates reposted this📊 Smarter sourcing starts before your tender goes live. In our recent webinar, Keelvar and Upply share how procurement teams can use data-led strategies to navigate cost pressures, volatility, and speed demands to unlock real sourcing ROI. 🔍 What you’ll learn: - How to prep tenders with a value-first, data-backed approach - Exclusive freight pricing insights from Upply - How Keelvar x Upply integration brings live market data directly into sourcing events Available on-demand now — watch here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eBC5mQ5x
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Dean Yates reposted thisDean Yates reposted this🚀 The smartest teams don’t choose between automation or optimization — they do both. With Keelvar’s Autonomous Sourcing, you can scale your efforts, reduce admin work and make better decisions faster. Trigger events from the tools you already use, automate multi-round bidding and stay as hands-on (or off) as you like. Take control of all your spend and your time. 👉 https://lnkd.in/ewg8FbdR #Keelvar #AutonomousSourcing #Procurement
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Dean Yates reposted thisDean Yates reposted this⏰ One week to go until #ProcureTEX2025! We’re excited to announce three more brilliant speakers joining us on stage: 🔹 Chandar Lal, Partner, Mosaic Ventures An early-stage investor in European AI, Chandar brings deep expertise in B2B software, with a focus on procurement, supply chain, finance, and sustainability. 🔹 Philip Ideson, Founder & Managing Director, Art of Procurement The voice behind procurement’s most downloaded podcast and now a leading advisory and events business, Phil has built AOP into an always-on hub for insight, procuretech intelligence, and executive collaboration. 🔹 Jonathan Erba, Supplier Collaboration & Innovation Program Manager, Roche As the youngest member of Roche Diagnostics’ Category Management Leadership Team, Jonathan is rethinking supplier relationship management with new, innovative models. 🚀 With just one week to go and tickets running out fast, now’s the time to secure your place. Register today → https://www.procuretex.com #Procurement #Sourcing #SupplyChain #Innovation #AI #ProcureTech
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2h
Alan Holland 💯
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1w
Sarah Thornton great run, you’ve been so instrumental to Rubrik’s success! Loved working with you and consuming Limoncello together 😂
Congrats and best of luck my friend, you’ll smash it!
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Dean Yates liked thisDean Yates liked thisAnd so the next adventure begins... Today, I'm delighted to be joining Snowflake. It's great to be working with Dayne Turbitt and Billy Cuthbert again. A huge thank you to Rebecca Sopp, Florence Storr and James Hall for the opportunity and for making the process such a positive experience. I'm looking forward to meeting new colleagues, continuing to learn and grow, and helping organisations unlock even more value from their data. Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow! ❄️❄️❄️
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Dean Yates liked thisDean Yates liked thisIt was a pleasure to be back at the World Procurement Congress in London. I’ve finally had a moment to reflect on the insightful conversations and the energy from so many peers and leaders. The congress reinforced a central theme: while Agentic AI is set to rewire our function, its success hinges on building a rock-solid foundation today. A huge thank you to Procurement Leaders | A World 50 Group Community for inviting me to speak on the main stage keynote panel: "3 Days. 3 Months. 3 Years. How Agentic AI Will Rewire Procurement." It was an honor to share the stage with Ludovica Lardera, Diego Barillà, Bahige El-Rayes, and our moderator, David Rae. I'm also grateful to Zip for inviting me to co-lead a Procurement Excellence workshop, "Assessing transformation readiness: Building the foundation for AI-powered procurement," with Michael Rooney. We had a fantastic discussion on what AI readiness truly looks like in practice. Here are my consolidated reflections from both sessions: 1. The 3-Year Vision: From Digitization to Delegation In a world shaped by geopolitical shifts, our goal is no longer just savings; it’s about building a competitive edge. Agentic AI will be the key to moving at the speed of the market, making procurement a real-time, strategic capability that drives business acceleration and resilience. Our suppliers are also on this journey, and deep collaboration will be critical for mutual success. 2. The 3-Month Action Plan: Fixing the Fundamentals The journey starts with targeted investments in our biggest pain points—manual processes, disconnected systems, and data gaps. For us in Mars Procurement, the 90-day AI priorities are clear: Contract Intelligence: To embed compliance by design and prevent value leakage. Process Orchestration: To connect our tools and create a seamless user experience. Automating Tail Spend: To manage the long tail of over 15,000 indirect suppliers and free up our teams. 3. The 3-Day Reality: Proving the Value Today The impact of this foundational work is already clear. We are seeing real value in hours saved, stronger compliance, and a better user experience for everyone. Our partnership with Keelvar has been a key enabler, with autonomous sourcing bots now running 50% of our indirect sourcing events. Alan Holland Since launching our first orchestration workflow with Zip in November 2025, 50% of our Mars Inc spend across direct and indirect procurement now flows through the system, giving us an audit-ready trail and a new level of process visibility. In the age of AI, the greatest risk isn’t moving too fast; it’s being left behind while the market changes around you. We must focus on building the foundation—people, process, and data—to earn the right to scale. What were your biggest takeaways from the congress? How are you approaching the agentic AI shift in your organization? #WPC2026 #Procurement #AI #AgenticAI #DigitalTransformation #FutureOfWork #SupplyChain #Leadership #Orchestration
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Dean Yates liked thisDean Yates liked thisMercenaries are driven by personal gain while missionaries are driven by a deep sense of purpose. Thank you for your tireless commitment to the mission John Affatati and Filip Verloy. Congrats on 10 years at Rubrik ! And thank you Rubrik for being a place that can recruit and retain both.
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Dean Yates liked thisAmazing testament to the millions of engineers and professional developers that are changing the way software is built leveraging the cursor platform…thank you for pushing us to be better and the work is still so early but the momentum is incredible, in a single year from bottom left to top right. Thank you, we know it is our customers that we build for and with. Love you all…mean it.Dean Yates liked thisCursor is a Leader in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant™ for Enterprise AI Coding Agents, positioned furthest to the right on the Completeness of Vision axis. Access the full report: https://lnkd.in/eKVrRdg3
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Dean Yates reacted on thisDean Yates reacted on thisSome posts are harder to write than others...and this is definitely one of them! After 8 unforgettable years, I'm closing out my journey at Rubrik. How do I even begin to do this place and its amazing people justice?! Well... I'll try 😝 I still vividly remember my very first Caltrain commute down to the old office on Page Mill as a kid from the East Coast. I stepped off the train and was flooded with a sense of awe, thinking “I can’t believe I’m actually working for a unicorn startup in Silicon Valley!!” 🤩🤯 Back then, Rubrik was under $100M ARR. Today– after 8 years, 3 different roles, 2 international moves, one massive IPO and more incredible friendships than I can quantify– I still feel that exact same awe and appreciation for this company, the people that placed bets on me, and the opportunity to have been a part of its story. 🚀 There is a unique alchemy at Rubrik. Always has been. The collective intelligence in every room forces everyone to sharpen their thinking and be bolder. This place and its people challenged and trusted me to grow and push the boundaries in ways I never thought possible. I close out this chapter with a huuuge smile on my face (and ok a few tears too) mostly because we had an absolute HECK of a lot of fun building together along the way! Oh maaaan the friendships and storiesss..! There’s too many I can’t even begin to list them, but to all of you who were a part of the late night launch QAs, the piano and karaoke bar serenades, the two-stepping fiascos, tuktuk rides, newspaper kiosk runs, go kart crashes, acapella restaurant takeovers, presentation prep music parties, limoncello tastings, QBRs, offsites, SKOs and so much more over the years, I’m sure you have some of the same memories I do 💙 💫 To the unparalleled Global Field, Partner, and Strategic Account Marketing Team, Rubrik MLT, and all the leaders, mentors, business partners, and teammates past and present who placed their bets on me, taught me soooo crazy much and rolled up their sleeves with me over these 8 years: you are absolute legends. I am so grateful to so many of you for the trust and deeply proud of what we've built. I can only hope the world is as small as they say and that we’ll cross paths again and until then you all are going to continue to crush it!! 🫶 While I may no longer be a Rubrikan on paper, I will always have that teal in my veins and will be cheering this company and everyone in it the loudest from the sidelines! I cannot wait to see the Rubrik teal above even higher mountain tops!
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Dean Yates liked thisI’ll be at #DPWNewYork this June 3-4 with the Digital Mirror team . Excited to see what's actually working across procurement & supply chain tech and connecting with others working on similar challenges. Ready to meet , get me at Mike.Berry@Digital-Mirror.ai #RECODE 👉https://lnkd.in/ebQ-33eN
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