Research
AI, Enterprise Strategy and the Future of Procurement
Applied research grounded in professional practice and focused on how artificial intelligence may reshape enterprise strategy, procurement, organisational capability and decision-making.
Research Grounded in Practice
Almost Three Decades of Evidence
My research builds on almost three decades of professional experience across systems implementation, procurement, supply-chain leadership, organisational transformation and enterprise technology. That experience spans the UK, Australia, the UAE and Saudi Arabia — across sectors including healthcare, infrastructure, energy and public services.
The questions I am exploring are not abstract. They are questions I encounter directly in professional practice through Aidiation and in the broader enterprise environments I work within. The research is designed to produce thinking that is both academically grounded and practically relevant.
The distinction I draw is between academic evidence, practitioner reflection and confidential professional experience. Where I draw on client or programme work, I do so in anonymised, aggregated or reflective form — not as case disclosure.
The Foundation
MSc Dissertation
AI and the Future of Procurement — Toward 2030
My MSc dissertation examined the future impact of artificial intelligence on procurement — looking ahead to 2030 and the structural changes that AI-enabled technology might bring to sourcing, decision-making, supplier management and procurement operating models.
The dissertation examined the trajectory of AI adoption in procurement, the conditions under which organisations were likely to accelerate or resist adoption, and the implications for procurement professionals, functions and enterprise strategy. Until the original document is verified and cleared for publication, I am describing the work at this level of detail only.
Qualifications
Original dissertation under review. Verified title, research question, methodology and findings will be published here once confirmed.
Signature Section
Planned / In DevelopmentThen and Now: Testing the Predictions
The MSc dissertation made a set of predictions about how AI would reshape procurement toward 2030. Those predictions were made at a specific point in time, against a specific state of the technology and the field. The world has moved considerably since.
I plan to return to those predictions systematically — comparing what the dissertation anticipated with the current state of AI technology, field adoption and enterprise practice. The comparison is not a retrospective exercise. It is a way of identifying where the original analysis held, where it underestimated the pace of change, and where the remaining gaps and implications for 2030 are most significant.
Comparison Framework
01
Original Prediction
What the dissertation anticipated — the specific claim or projection made at the time of writing.
02
Current Evidence
What the field, technology and enterprise practice actually show as of the comparison date.
03
What Changed
The gap between prediction and evidence — acceleration, divergence, or confirmation.
04
Remaining Gap
What the original prediction did not anticipate, or what remains unresolved in the current evidence.
05
Implication for 2030
What the comparison suggests about the trajectory to 2030 — revised, confirmed or newly identified.
This comparison will be published here as the work develops. It will not be published until the original dissertation has been verified and the comparison methodology confirmed.
Future Study
Building on the MSc
The future study direction builds directly on the MSc dissertation — extending the original research questions into the current state of AI capability and enterprise adoption, and developing new lines of inquiry that the original work identified but did not fully explore.
AI and strategic decision-making
How AI is changing the way organisations define and pursue strategic objectives — and the governance implications.
Procurement transformation
The evolving role of procurement in enterprise value creation, and the capability requirements of AI-enabled procurement functions.
Organisational capability
Building the human and structural capacity to absorb and deploy AI effectively — and the conditions under which organisations fail to do so.
Human-machine collaboration
The practical and governance dimensions of integrating AI into professional decision-making at enterprise scale.
Governance and accountability
How organisations maintain accountability and oversight as AI takes on greater roles in procurement and strategic decisions.
Technology adoption
The conditions under which organisations successfully adopt and embed new technologies — and why adoption so often falls short of expectation.
Enterprise value
Measuring and managing the contribution of AI and digital capability to enterprise performance and lifecycle value.
Future operating models
How enterprise structures and procurement operating models may need to evolve toward 2030 and beyond.
Research Pathway
Executive Diploma — Commenced 2026
In 2026 I commenced an Executive Diploma programme as the next formal step in the research pathway. The programme builds on the MSc foundation and is designed to develop the analytical and research frameworks required for advanced study in AI, enterprise strategy and organisational transformation.
I am not claiming PhD-candidate status. The Executive Diploma is the current formal stage of the pathway, and the direction of further study will be confirmed as the programme develops.
Programme details and verified deliverables will be published here as they are confirmed and cleared for publication.
Practice as Evidence
Professional Experience as Research Material
Almost three decades of professional practice provides a substantial body of evidence — not as academic data, but as practitioner experience that informs research questions, tests theoretical frameworks and grounds abstract analysis in operational reality.
Systems implementation
From Gennex estimating systems in 2002 through procurement technology and Buy-to-Pay programmes — the gap between system design and operational adoption.
Procurement technology and e-sourcing
Direct experience of e-RFx, e-auction and digital procurement platforms across multiple organisations and sectors — including the conditions under which adoption succeeded and failed.
Mobilisation and transition
Establishing procurement functions from first principles and managing the transition to steady state — including the healthcare mobilisation context in Abu Dhabi.
Organisational transition
Working across UK, Australian, UAE and Saudi Arabian organisations at different stages of procurement maturity — and the structural and cultural factors that shape technology adoption.
AI-enabled procurement
Current Aidiation work at the intersection of AI capability and procurement practice — providing live evidence of the gap between AI potential and enterprise adoption.
Where professional experience is referenced in research outputs, it will be presented as anonymised practitioner reflection or aggregated observation — not as client or programme disclosure.
Research and Speaking Enquiries
Speaking, Collaboration and Academic Enquiries
Research notes and emerging papers will be published here as the work develops and is approved for publication. Speaking and research collaboration enquiries are welcome.
Research Enquiries