Meet The Disruptors: How ProcureAbility Aims to Redefine the Procurement Industry

As part of our series about business leaders who are shaking things up in their industry, I had the pleasure of interviewing Conrad Snover.

As CEO of ProcureAbility, Conrad focuses on client success, employee engagement and culture, and product innovation. Conrad has more than 25 years of experience in strategic procurement and supply chain management. He has deep experience in launching and managing programs focused on strategy design, procurement transformation, category management, strategic sourcing, supplier development, and organizational sustainability.

Yitzi Weiner, Editor In Chief of Authority Magazine and CEO of Thought Leader Incubator

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you and contribute to this series.

I began my career in operations consulting and was quickly drawn to procurement due to the criticality of its role in corporate strategy and the significant impact it can have on the bottom line, across all industries. I find it rewarding to help procurement organizations evolve from tactical to strategic and be key driver of growth and innovation.

In my free time, I enjoy mountain climbing — I appreciate and relish the journey just as much as the destination, and this serves me well when partnering in an organizational transformation effort with a client. These journeys can often take years, so it’s important to enjoy the process.

I’ve spent my entire professional life devoted to optimizing and improving procurement’s operational efficiency through streamlined processes and enhanced use of technology, work effectiveness through improved value generation, and reach of influence through organizational design.

Too often, procurement is focused on achieving savings by beating on the table and beating up on suppliers. This is a miss, and a compromise of procurement’s potential. Early on, I saw the limited potential available through these contentious zero-sum approaches, and the significant opportunity awaiting in creating closely aligned strategic supplier alliances. My passion comes from careful evaluation of, and improvements to, collaborative models with shared/aligned incentives and mutual value creation in the procurement and supply chain space.

Asking for, accepting, and offering help is an important part of being not just a professional, but human. I’ve had several pivotal mentors; I’ll share three:

At my first employer, my manager was very demanding but equally kind. He lifted everyone up by demonstrating how much he believed in us and helped everyone understand how much our colleagues and clients counted on us to deliver results.

My business partner at ProcureAbility demonstrated the power of trust and autonomy. He showed me how to give our team guidance, direction, and support, coupled with the freedom to test and reach their potential.

I had a client with whom I built a close, trusting relationship over the years. He believed in me to get the job done right, and his trust and empowerment was the supreme motivator for me to provide excellent delivery results. It also gave me the runway to learn and grow in a safe space.

For almost three decades, our team has keenly focused on providing the highest quality service and results for our clients. Providing a foundation of excellence along with putting the success of our clients first, allows us to continue to innovate and elevate the procurement function within organizations by creating measurable benefits and driving growth.

We will continue this great work for our clients, focusing on the areas where they need the most help, and where we see the most significant growth and development. A few top priorities include exploring how automation and cognitive computing can improve work efficiency, and how procurement organization design will continue to evolve accordingly.

Teddy Roosevelt’s Man in the Arena speech, delivered in Paris in 1910, gives me two areas of inspiration. First, it’s a great reminder that it’s easy to sit back and observe or critique others, but the credit goes to those who are trying and striving to do great things, regardless of if they succeed or fail.

Second, what you do for the community matters more than individual improvement. The worthy cause then, is one that is not focused on the individual, but on the whole. I try to remember these messages when facing both work and personal challenges or opportunities — my character and resolve are best tested and defined during difficult times.

As CEO of ProcureAbility, Conrad leads the firm’s vision and growth through a focus on client success and the continuous innovation of procurement and supply chain services. Conrad brings a broad perspective shaped by more than three decades of advising executives on procurement optimization and supply chain transformation.

He is deeply committed to helping global organizations evolve procurement from a transactional function into a strategic driver of value for the enterprise. His work centers on guiding organizations through complex change—strengthening supplier ecosystems, redefining operating models, and modernizing capabilities to help evolve procurement toward modern models that deliver intelligence, agility, measurable value, and sustainable competitive advantage. Throughout his career, Conrad has partnered with Fortune 1000 organizations across a wide array of industries including energy, utilities, technology, financial services, hospitality, and healthcare.

Within ProcureAbility, Conrad champions an internal focus on talent development in a culture of empowerment. He serves on the Boards of Directors for the Utility Supply Management Alliance (USMA) and the Utility Purchasing Management Group (UPMG). He is frequently consulted by executive teams and industry organizations for his perspectives on the future of procurement, leadership, and trends, and is a recognized thought leader who is regularly interviewed and quoted by leading industry media.