AI & Digitalization: The State of the State in Sourcing, Procurement & Supply Management

Is AI & Digitalization Changing How Pharma Customers & Suppliers Do Business?

Artificial intelligence (AI) and other forms of digitalization hold great potential in transforming business functions, but where does it now stand in sourcing, procurement, and supply management? Gain a practical and candid assessment from bio/pharma company senior executives and leading industry experts of where AI stands now and the path AI and other forms of digital transformation are taking and their feasibility for adoption.  

A panel of senior executives from bio/pharma companies will discuss: 

• How AI is now being used in their companies and its potential, including addressing the challenges and opportunities in implementation; 
• How AI or other forms of digitalization is or potentially can be applied in supplier selection and evaluation, improving supply-chain visibility, and other key activities in the pharma customer–supplier interface; and   
• Perspectives from bio/pharma companies on their expectations of their suppliers on how AI and other forms of digitalization can be applied to further supplier performance.  

Panelists

• Christina da Cunha, Head of CMO Operations and Business Transformation, External Manufacturing & Supply, Sanofi 
• Bala Sreenivasan, Senior Vice President, Global Supply and Value Chain Management, Merck & Co. Inc.
  
• Panel Moderator: Janel Firestein, Partner and Life Sciences Practice Leader, Clarkston Consulting

Plus, an assessment of where AI stands in supply-chain management overall and specific to the bio/pharmaceutical industry, including an outline of the specific functions in which AI is being used and timeline for adoption. A useful analysis to distinguish the hype versus reality of AI and to evaluate whether your company is in line with how AI is evolving in supply-chain management.  

Speaker

• Corwin Hee, Senior Director Analyst, Healthcare and Life Sciences Practice, The Gartner Group   

Price & Registration

DCAT Member Company Price: $59

DCAT Week 2026 programs are exclusively available to registered DCAT Member Company employees. Confirm your company’s membership here or email DCATMembership@dcat.org.

Who Should Attend?

• Bio/pharmaceutical companies, including individuals with functional responsibility in sourcing, procurement, supply management and external manufacturing. 
• CDMOs/CMOs and suppliers (raw materials and other inputs), including individuals engaged in business development, sales, marketing and operational functions in support of bio/pharmaceutical development and manufacturing. 
• Other companies engaged in the bio/pharmaceutical business ecosystem.  

The DCAT organization is pleased to offer timely and topical education sessions during DCAT Week. Compared to similar programs found in the industry’s marketplace, DCAT’s program fees are deeply discounted for employees of DCAT Member Companies. 

Distribution of Speaker Presentations

This program consists of a panel discussion and one speaker presentation. Speaker presentations are distributed after the program only with the permission and at the sole discretion of each speaker. If a speaker authorizes distribution, DCAT will provide the presentation exclusively to program registrants via a DCAT e-communication during the week following DCAT Week (the week of March 30, 2026).

Attending DCAT Week Programs

All materials provided to registrants—including slides, reports, and presented content—are for individual reference only. Registrants may not copy, photograph, reproduce, or redistribute these materials and are solely responsible for any claims arising from violations of copyright or other intellectual property rights.