Sustainability is moving from ambition to execution, raising an important question for organisations: who is responsible for turning sustainability commitments into business outcomes?
In this opening plenary, CIPS Global Head of Sustainability Maxfield Weiss will be joined by procurement and sustainability leaders to explore what this shift means for the future of the profession and why leadership and organisational alignment are becoming critical to moving sustainability from ambition to execution.
Drawing on the lates CIPS insights, the discussion will examine how procurement's growing role in value creation, resilience, risk management, and sustainability performance is reshaping expectations of the profession, and what organisations must do to enable procurement to lead.
As sustainability responsibility shifts and procurement influence grows, procurement is increasingly becoming the engine of sustainability delivery.
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Maxfield works at the intersection of sustainability, procurement, and system change, helping turn ambition into operating reality across global supply chains.
As Global Head of Sustainability at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS), Maxfield leads the organisation’s global agenda to set the benchmark for sustainable procurement and supply. His focus is on strengthening the standards, skills, and incentives that shape how procurement decisions are made—from the classroom to the boardroom—so the profession is equipped to deliver consistently and at scale.
Procurement is no longer a support function. It is one of the most powerful levers organisations have to manage risk, meet climate and nature commitments, uphold human rights, and create long-term value. When procurement works, sustainability becomes integral to everyday commercial decisions rather than an add-on.
What drives Maxfield's work is a simple belief: sustainability only delivers when it becomes embedded in professional norms, commercial decisions, and institutional expectations — creating the conditions for a just transition to a net-zero, nature-positive economy. His focus is on building the institutions, professions, and markets that make sustainable value creation the default, not the exception.
Maxfield is particularly interested in how professions evolve, how standards shape behaviour, and how organisations build the capability to deliver value and operate ethically in a rapidly changing landscape.
Maxfield is a regular speaker on sustainable procurement, professional standards, and value creation, engaging with leaders across business, policy, and the wider sustainability ecosystem.