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REPORT: Markit Forum Virtual 2021
​​​​​​​International IT procurement event

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There were so many positives about Markit Forum Virtual 2021 in May, that it’s hard to know where to start! 

A brilliant set of presentations were given by Danfoss, Western Union, SEB, Revolut, Greenube, Alantra, Lenovo, Jabra, and Context covering a diverse range of topics relevant to international companies seeking to optimise their procurement of IT hardware and accessories. 

But before we dive into the key points and take outs from our clients’ excellent IT procurement presentations, here are few comments from the speakers themselves: 

  • “Our first such experience, and a cool one” 
  • “This was really good event and next time I would love to talk again!” 
  • “We have never attended a web event with such a good technical and visual solution.” 

So, now, as our CEO, Andres Agasild would say, “Are you with me? Let’s go on…”

In his opening keynote, Andres explains Why Markit Forum Matters and makes important points about Markit's core values,success and expansion plans.

  • Markit is continuously bringing positive change to the IT procurement industry, one inch at a time, one client at a time. Our growth comes from creating success stories for our clients – over 10,000 across 36 countries who benefit from local-to-local deliveries, transparent pricing, and simple IT purchasing processes. 
  • Markit’s goal is to be present where our clients need us and so we continue our expansion plans to serve our clients in 80 countries by 2028. The next countries scheduled for Markit expansion are India, Malaysia, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, and the Philippines. 
  • Expansion is possible through consistent growth of 28% YoY average, which allows us to grow at a measured rate that ensures client satisfaction remains high or improves. 

In addition to the central studio in Tallinn, Estonian, five remote studios, supported by Jabra, were set up across Europe, in Vilnius, Riga, Warsaw, Vienna, and Madrid to create an event that would reflect the world class performances of our clients. Margus Pahtma, Head of Marketing at Markit, explained, “We wanted to something special and so live broadcasts with high production values, set in professional European studios seemed an appropriate way to show our appreciation and respect for all our clients have achieved working with Markit.”


Approximately 400 procurement professionals from over 30 countries attended the free annual event, with many more, who were unable to attend, requesting access to the materials when they were available. 

Below you find a brief outline of each presentation with links to more in-depth reports.

Western Union's Andreas Byrne (Vendor Relations, Global Supply Chain), shared Western Union’s six guiding principles to navigate an ever-changing world in procurement, vendor relations and the global supply chain. 

  1. Adapt or Die. 
  2. Pick your Technology Specialisms. 
  3. Mind the Demographics. 
  4. Act Now on the Climate. 
  5. Grow Your Network. 
  6. Speak up on Ethics. 

Read the full report of Andreas' presentation.

Danfoss’s global success story of how they digitally transformed their indirect IT purchasing with 100% user satisfaction was a worthy finalist at the World Procurement Awards. 

Joanna Siemiątkowska (Global Project Manager) shared an incredible amount of detail showing why and how marketplaces, like Markit, integrated with Ariba are integral to Danfoss's successful procurement strategy around the world. 

Read the full report of Joanna's presentation. 

SEB’s Māris Modriņš (Head of Baltic Procurement) and Andris Korčagins (Head of Workplace) were joined by Aleksandrs Meļņikovs (Country Manager at Markit Latvia) in a discussion about the bank’s approach of tendering IT vendors and partners separately, how to gain efficiency through punchout automation, and IT stock risk mitigation during the pandemic. 

Read the full report of the SEB-Markit discussion.


Revolut's Rimvydas Butenas (Senior Tech Services Manager) shared how Revolut (a fast-growing fintech company) successfully manage IT procurement whilst building a model hybrid-work company for the future.

Read the full report of Rimvydas' presentation. 


​​​​​​​Greentube's Pradeep Kumar (Head of IT) detailed their hugely innovative, user-centric approach to IT procurement to understand the challenges they faced and how they delivered positive ROI through increasing employee satisfaction.

Read the full report of Pradeep's presentation. 


​​​​​​​Alantra's Javier Fernandez (Head of IT) explained how they found a balance in IT procurement where speed, efficiency and simplicity of processes are paramount. The presentation included details of the challenges faced and how each was resolved through their strong partnership with Markit in 11 countries.

Read the full report of Javier's presentation. 

 
From the supply side, Jabra, Lenovo and Context also made presentations in the breakout sessions. 


Lenovo's Stefan Larsen (Head of Environmental Service) shared details of their CO2 Offset Service designed to support sustainability goals of international companies who buy Lenovo products.

Watch Lenovo's presentation on YouTube now.

Context’s Natalia Funkner (Analyst & Country Manager) took a deeply informative dive into the latest IT Distribution data and main trends for PCs. 

Watch Context's presentation on YouTube now.


And last, but certainly not least, Paul Sephton (Brand Communication Manager) from Jabra, who kindly supported the 5 remote studios, presented “Inclusive & flexible collaboration in the future of hybrid work.” 

Watch Jabra's presentation on YouTube now. 

In the roundtable that followed, led by Markit CEO, Andres Agasild, various IT procurement opinions were openly shared and discussed. 


  • Watch out for obsolete technology, watch the market for products and options. Do not get caught with lots of old stock. 

  • New trends in fintech solutions, requires some changing of mindsets to find best solutions to business needs. 

  • Buying departments e.g., finance/design claiming they know what they need better than procurement, which they sometimes do. Continuous stakeholder dialogue is important to ensure team satisfaction. 

  • User centric procurement is possible in larger companies but it’s fine balance between standardisation and satisfying individual desire. A procurement zoo must be avoided. 

  • Companies and vendors should keep climate on the agenda and take care of our world. 

  • Nothing is impossible, believe in your project from beginning whatever the size, and find the best solution. 

  • Collaboration (between Markit clients) has a multiplier effect, we depend on each other and building networks to overcome challenges. 

  • More Markit Forums with themed agendas e.g., sustainability, is a strong idea to consider. 

We reached the end of the Markit Forum Virtual 2021 summary report.

Markit Forum 2023 will take place on March 14. 

Contact your local Markit team to ensure you receive an invitation. or Follow us on LinkedIn

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