Last week, we hosted a webinar in collaboration with IAG Transform, and SpendHQ, bringing together senior leaders to reflect on a year long procurement transformation programme and the implementation of SpendHQ as a performance and initiative management platform. The session explored how organisations can move from fragmented, manual tracking to trusted, data driven procurement performance.
The opening audience poll revealed that the greatest challenge facing procurement teams today is impacting business decisions, followed closely by access to the right data. This set the context for IAG’s journey, which directly addressed these issues.
Setting the Vision: IAG’s procurement transformation
Terri Young, Product Manager for procurement and sustainability at IAG Transform, outlined the scale and complexity of IAG’s operating environment: seven companies, five airlines, operations in over 90 countries, and thousands of suppliers. Procurement manages an enormous and diverse spend base, from aircraft engines to everyday operational items.
IAG’s transformation journey is driven by a clear ambition: to deliver world class procurement through end-to-end digitalisation and maximised AI capability. Historically manual, fragmented processes limited visibility, governance, and confidence in data, while Excel based processes created inefficiency, rework, and inconsistent reporting. SpendHQ was selected to address three priorities: automation and governance, real time visibility and trusted data, and stronger collaboration across procurement, finance, and the wider business.
From spreadsheets to a single source of truth
Javier Luna, Procurement Digitalisation Manager at IAG, described moving from managing procurement through spreadsheets to managing performance through a single platform. At go live, IAG migrated around 20,000 initiatives and now manages billions in approved spend annually through SpendHQ. The approach of “If it’s not in the system, it doesn’t exist” helped establish SpendHQ as the single source of truth for initiatives, savings, approvals, and reporting. Standardised methodologies, rule based data controls, and configurable workflows significantly improved data quality and leadership trust.
Javier emphasised adoption lessons: start simple, focus on data quality, avoid “lift and shift” complexity, and prioritise people. Training should focus on core outcomes first, supported by visible leadership sponsorship and early adopters who drive momentum.
Implementation insights and external perspectives
From the implementation side, Lead Consultant, James Minnock highlighted the importance of small, empowered design teams, in person decision making, and rigorous, business led testing. A strong MVP approach enabled rapid delivery while clearly communicating what would be delivered now versus later.
A recurring theme was “adopt, don’t adapt”, leveraging SpendHQ’s standard functionality before introducing customisation. Over customisation increases technical debt and slows future change. Data migration, often underestimated, required early focus and disciplined decisions about what data truly added value.
Laure-Eva Staron of SpendHQ reinforced two ideas echoed throughout the session: start simple and scale later, and speed is strategic. Fast delivery builds credibility, credibility builds trust, and trust gives procurement greater influence with the business.
Our key takeaways from the session were:
- Impacting business decisions requires trusted data, not spreadsheets
- A single source of truth is essential for visibility, governance, and accountability
- Start simple, deliver fast, and scale incrementally
- Maintain a realistic schedule and don’t underestimate the effort required
- Adoption needs sponsorship and strong post-go-live support to be successful
- Speed creates credibility, and credibility strengthens procurement’s voice
The session concluded with a clear message: technology enables transformation, but sustained value comes from focus, discipline, and people-led change.
Thank you to everyone who joined the session and our speakers:
- Terri Young, Product Manager, Procurement and Sustainability, IAG Transform
- Javier Luna, Procurement Digitalisation Manager, IAG Transform
- James Minnock, Lead Consultant, Argon & Co
- Máire McPoland, Managing Principal, Argon & Co
- Laure-Eva Staron, Director of Account Management, SpendHQ
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