ProcureAbility CMO: Scaling AI in Procurement Marketing

How are marketers in the procurement industry preparing for the future?

According to Kathleen M. Pomento, Chief Marketing Officer of ProcureAbility, ‘future-ready’ procurement means anticipating and adapting to change before it becomes a business imperative.

In a conversation with Marketing Chief, Kathleen explores how ProcureAbility drives growth through data-driven marketing, targeted ICP strategies, authentic people-first culture and leading-edge thought leadership.

Please introduce yourself and your role.

I joined ProcureAbility in March 2022 and became the company’s first Chief Marketing Officer in January 2024. As a member of the firm’s Executive Leadership Team, I help shape business strategy and guide the organisation’s long-term growth and direction. 

Outside of work, I am a proud mother of two, a snowboarding and Pilates enthusiast and a passionate mentor to several past and current colleagues.

What targeted strategies or channels are you prioritising to break into new pools of your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)?

I consistently focus on developing and executing a marketing strategy that drives engagement and measurable business impact through three key principles: intent, influence and scale.

AI has been instrumental in how we lead from the front. By leveraging AI-driven insights, our marketing team can better identify buyer intent, prioritise high-value accounts and focus finite resources where they can generate the greatest return. 

Earlier this year, we invested in a website chatbot to qualify, route and convert demand around the clock, enabling us to move beyond reactive marketing and toward a more predictive, data-driven growth model. 

We also recently relaunched our website to strengthen the technical foundation for our long-term digital strategy, improving performance, scalability and discoverability in an increasingly AI-driven landscape.

We continue to enhance the precision of our growth investments by refining our ideal customer profile, optimising messaging across LinkedIn and focusing on high-intent search audiences and in-market buyers through Google.

Equally important, we have evolved our thought leadership strategy to build category authority, not just brand awareness, by engaging procurement leaders where they seek insights, evaluate solutions and make decisions. 

We concentrate our research, content and event investments in high-growth sectors where we can deliver differentiated perspectives, service excellence and measurable value. 

From proprietary research and executive content to programmes like our annual CPO Innovation Summit, every initiative is strategically and intentionally designed to strengthen relationships with procurement decision-makers and expand our influence within the market. Our goal is not simply to generate visibility, but to cultivate trusted, long-term partnerships that create mutual value and endure through market shifts and competitive change.

How are you building a narrative around ‘future-ready’ procurement in your brand messaging?

At ProcureAbility, we define ‘future-ready’ procurement as the ability to anticipate and adapt to change before it becomes a business imperative. 

The organisations that separate themselves from the rest of the industry are those that play offence rather than defence, proactively preparing for what's next instead of reacting to what's already happening. 

Our messaging is centred on helping procurement leaders stay ahead of the trends reshaping the profession, from AI and digital transformation to workforce evolution and supply chain resilience.

Through initiatives such as our 2026 CPO Benchmark Survey and our research on talent, contract management and AI, we provide forward-looking insights that help procurement organisations prepare for what's next while clearly articulating procurement's strategic value to the business. 

Rather than focusing solely on current challenges, we aim to give leaders a clearer view of the opportunities and risks that will define procurement's future.

How do you authentically translate ProcureAbility’s internal, people-first culture into your external brand positioning and marketing materials?

At ProcureAbility, our people-first culture is not just an internal philosophy; it's a critical differentiator in how we deliver value. We have a simple mantra: ‘Happy employees, satisfied clients’. 

Because our teams work side-by-side with the organisations we support, their expertise, engagement and commitment directly shape the experience we deliver and the relationships we build. 

That's why our external brand positioning reflects the same values that define our culture: collaboration, expertise, authenticity and a genuine commitment to helping others succeed.

We invest in our employees' growth and well-being through mentorship, continuous learning and opportunities to pursue interests beyond the workplace. 

Programmes such as our employee-led charitable initiatives reinforce a culture where individuals feel valued, supported and inspired to make an impact. 

Our brand reflects our people. By creating an environment where employees can thrive, we strengthen relationships, deliver better outcomes and create long-term success for the procurement organisations we serve.

What does ‘leading from the front’ mean operationally for your marketing team?

To me, ‘leading from the front’ means creating momentum for the business while creating opportunities for others to succeed. 

Operationally, that means my team doesn't wait for the market to come to us. We actively build relationships, shape industry conversations and create platforms that elevate both our brand and the people behind it.

One example is the global influencer programme I developed, which connects ProcureAbility with leading voices across procurement, industry, and academia in North America and Europe. 

This strategy has evolved into a robust thought leadership ecosystem, generating insights that fuel conferences, podcasts, research reports, benchmarking studies and executive content. 

The programme has expanded our reach into new markets, strengthened our credibility with procurement leaders and created meaningful growth opportunities for the business.

I believe leadership is about serving my team by fostering their professional growth, amplifying their voices and helping them achieve their full potential. 

I encourage my colleagues to step into visible leadership roles, cultivate expertise, and build relationships that extend beyond the organisation. I invest significant time mentoring colleagues, advocating for their growth and helping them recognise opportunities they may not yet see for themselves.

Leading from the front requires setting a clear vision, creating opportunities for others to excel and building the relationships, capabilities and culture that drive long-term success. 

As a people-driven organisation, the more we invest in one another, the more successful we become as a team, a firm and a partner to our clients.

Who are ProcureAbility and Jabil’s key partners?

ProcureAbility and its parent company Jabil work closely with several industry leaders, including:

• Amazon Business: Jabil Procurement and Supply Chain Services has a strategic alliance with Amazon Business, extending Jabil’s services through Amazon Business’s catalogue of more than 100 million products.
• SAP: ProcureAbility is an implementation, optimisation and advisory partner for the SAP Ariba ecosystem. 
• Beroe: The strategic partnership between Beroe and ProcureAbility combines Beroe’s AI-powered market intelligence and analytics with ProcureAbility’s procurement advisory, research and execution services.
• Coupa: Jabil has been a Coupa partner since 2021 and acts as both a customer and a services partner, implementing Coupa for its spend management.