Dr. Monica Schmickler
Senior Procurement & Value Chain Advisor at Independent Advisor
Speaking at TFEST26: Tuesday, December 1 2026 at 12:20–12:50 on the The Lab: “Procurement as the Reality Test: Why Human Judgment Matters in AI-Driven Supply Networks”.
About Dr.
Dr. Monica Schmickler is a senior procurement, supply chain and governance expert with over 25 years of international leadership experience at Mercedes-Benz. Her expertise spans procurement transformation, supply chain resilience, sustainability governance and AI-enabled operating models. Today, she works as an independent advisor, speaker and lecturer, focusing on how organisations move beyond AI hype toward robust procurement foundations, responsible decision-making and real-world value-chain execution.
Session Overview
Corporate ambitions for AI, end-to-end resilience, and net-zero sustainability sound flawless in the boardroom, until they hit the procurement desk. This session cuts through the hype to explore procurement as the ultimate proving ground where strategic mandates meet operational reality. Join us to unpack the execution gap between high-level targets and daily sourcing decisions. We will examine how procurement leaders are navigating complex trade-offs when algorithmic efficiency inevitably clashes with ESG goals or long-term supplier trust, proving that the future of the supply chain isn't just automated; it's human-governed.
About TFEST26
TFEST26 is Europe's most senior supply chain conference, taking place December 1–2 2026 at Colosseum Berlin. It brings together 400+ Director-level and above leaders (Chief Supply Chain Officers, VPs, and senior directors from Cisco, Henkel, Estée Lauder, Diageo, Schneider Electric, Novartis, Mars, and others) for two days of peer benchmarking, candid practitioner firesides, themed roundtables, and pre-scheduled 1:1 meetings.