• Is the maritime procurement profession keeping pace with the world around it?
• Are talent, technology and sustainability pulling in the same direction or pulling the profession apart?
• What does the data actually tell us about the state of procurement today

Susan Koefoed opens IMPA London 2026 with a session that sets the tone for everything that follows. Drawing exclusively on findings from the latest IMPA Industry Survey, she will take delegates through the key trends, challenges and opportunities shaping maritime procurement right now. From ESG and supply chain resilience to talent, technology and artificial intelligence. If you want to understand where the profession stands heading into the second half of the decade, this is where the conversation begins.

Susan Koefoed is Chair and CEO of IMPA and works at Weco Shipping. A hands-on leader with a deeply practical understanding of the maritime industry, Susan has been a member of IMPA since 2008 and has served as part of the IMPA Board of Directors for more than a decade. Under her leadership, IMPA has grown into a recognised industry voice, championing sustainability, procurement excellence and the sharing of knowledge across the global maritime community.

"The data doesn't lie and this year, it has something important to say."
Susan Koefoed, Chair & CEO, IMPA

IMPA Industry Survey 2026 - A Reminder - Susan's Early Survey Highlights at IMPA Hamburg

Talent Management & Strategic Overview

The maritime procurement profession is at a crossroads. Tools are smarter, data is richer and processes are more efficient than ever before and yet something important is at risk. The morning of Day One brings together some of the most senior procurement leaders in the industry to tackle a question that many recognise but few say openly: are we building a profession that knows what it is doing, or one that has simply learned to operate without understanding?

From Susan Koefoed's data-driven strategic overview to Rick Ackermann's honest keynote on the risk of knowledge deterioration, Fiona Kerr's practical account of developing young talent at North Star, and a Leadership Debate chaired by Rick and featuring Featuring: Susan Koefoed, IMPA Chair and CEO, Weco Shipping, Fiona Kerr, North Star Shipping, Alex Drew, Fleet Management Ltd., and Joanne McCulloch, V.Group. The entire morning of Day One is dedicated to the people, the knowledge and the leadership that will define the future of maritime procurement.

In collaboration with the Global Maritime Procurement Council (GMPC)

Why This Agenda Matters

What stands out across both days is the throughline: this isn't an event built around abstract trends. It's built around the tension procurement leaders are living with right now: how to modernise without losing institutional knowledge, how to hit ESG targets with real accountability, and how to adopt AI without outsourcing judgement. With speakers from BW LPG, North Star, V.Group, FLEET Management, Scorpio Group, ShipServ, Oldendorff Carriers, Breakwater, ProcureShip, Wilhelmsen, Closelink, and NARWHAL PROJECT all in the room, the debates promise to be as candid as the session titles suggest.

IMPA London 2026 takes place 22–23 September at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, Westminster, London.

Register here today!