KEYNOTES

Anne is the IBP director for Bonduelle Europe. In this role she is accountable for the full integrated business planning process across 6 clusters of countries covering full Europe, across the Branded and private label business, across 3 techologies and across 21 factories and 80 DC's. Over the past 10 years she has been working in local, regional, and global Supply chain roles for Bonduelle and Mars Wrigley and has developed a broad end to end perspective.

She combines this with 10 years of sales experience at Mars and Coca-cola. She is a visionary leader that is driven by change and breaking down silos to deliver business results.

Mastering Integrated Business Planning – Operational Excellence Through Collaboration

How do you integrate financial metrics into a dynamic planning process without overwhelming your people or your systems?

In this session, Christopher explains how the built a collaborative IBP framework that aligns data, teams, and timing to create one connected view of the business.

With a focus on mid- to long-term projections, he’ll explore the key success factors for sustainable implementation: leadership commitment, the right technology and tools, continuous improvement, and cross-functional collaboration.

 Relevant for supply chain leaders, planners, finance professionals, and IBP practitioners seeking operational excellence through alignment and collaboration.

Christopher joined Merck Life Science in 2023 as Head of Integrated Business Planning from Merck Healthcare, where he was recently responsible for Supply Chain Network Operations in Europe, Middle East, Africa & Russia. He brings more than 15 years of strong leadership experience in Merck's manufacturing and supply chain sector, working for the organization in Germany, Venezuela, Mexico, and Brazil. He holds a Master's degree in International HR and Globalization from the University of Leicester (U.K.) and university  degree in Business Administration, Finance & HR from the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences.

How do you turn an S&OP process into a true business driver?

At Trust, the transformation from siloed planning to integrated business planning has changed how teams make decisions. They have connected sales, category management, supply chain, and finance through one shared forecast and one shared language.

By focusing on people, processes, and technology, Trust has built a monthly S&OP cycle that drives both alignment and accountability. The result: healthier inventory, improved cash flow, better service levels, and stronger financial performance overall.

A must-hear story for supply chain professionals striving to balance cost, cash and service through cross-functional collaboration.

Rutger van Baalen is Head of Operations & Supply Chain at Trust and brings extensive experience from previous roles at Unilever, DORC and Upfield. Since 2023, he has been leading an ambitious transformation at Trust, making the supply chain faster, more sustainable and customer focused. With his people-oriented leadership style, Rutger inspires teams, fosters ownership and strengthens collaboration with partners. He combines strategic vision with hands-on innovation, from optimising processes to developing data-driven tools. Rutger will share his vision on building a future-proof, resilient and sustainable supply chain.

Ricoh’s S&OP Transformation: From Product to Proposition

How do you adapt your S&OP process when your entire business model changes? At Ricoh, the shift from product leadership to customer intimacy has fundamentally changed how planning supports the business.

Where once S&OP revolved around internally produced hardware, it now also needs to integrate software, service installation, and third-party components, each with their own dynamics.

Pascal will share how Ricoh aligned Sales & Marketing with Supply Chain and Finance to ensure S&OP and IBP reflect the company’s new strategic direction as a digital services provider. The approach hasn’t changed the core S&OP steps but it has transformed their meaning and impact.

His key lessons include the importance of product review and assortment assessment in a transitioning organisation, the role of hardware as a “gateway” to new service propositions, and how Forecast Value Add helps connect planning to financial and strategic success.

A compelling case for any organisation redefining S&OP to match its evolving business strategy!

Pascal Martens is Director Demand Planning & Order Fulfilment at Ricoh Europe Supply Chain Management EMEA. He oversees demand and supply planning, inventory management, and the fulfilment of all customer orders across 25 operating companies in the EMEA region.

With experience in various leadership roles within Ricoh Supply Chain and a consultancy background at PwC and IBM, Pascal contributes to Ricoh’s broader digital transformation by aligning planning, inventory and fulfilment processes to support the shift from a production-oriented model to a service-driven supply chain. His approach emphasizes collaboration, stakeholder alignment and a people-first culture, empowering teams to drive performance through trust, transparency, and innovation in a rapidly changing environment.