Maritime procurement has been fragmented for decades. Can a group of peers sitting at the same table actually fix that, or is standardisation just wishful thinking in an industry this global and this varied?

In this preview episode for IMPA London 2026, Steve Alexander sits down with Paolo Magonio, Head of Group Procurement and Services at Scorpio and Chair of the Global Maritime Procurement Council (GMPC), to unpack what the GMPC actually is, why it exists, and what it's already delivered in its first 18 months.

Paolo doesn't dress it up. The GMPC didn't start with a crisis; it started with the realisation that companies were quietly solving the same problems in isolation, badly. From a founding handful, the group has grown to more than 30 member companies representing more than 5,000 ships, and it's already shipped tangible output: a standardised VAT exemption letter, with an end-user declaration standard next. Paolo is candid too about where AI fits, and where the real bottleneck still sits: not technology, but people.

In this conversation:

Why the GMPC formed alongside IMPA rather than inside it, and how the two organisations divide the work

Inside the GMPC's structure: the "forum" where ideas spark, and the three active work streams: digitalisation, regulation and standardisation, and talent

The difference between digitisation and digitalisation, and why Paolo says the industry has to make that shift

Getting competitors to agree on shared data standards without giving away competitive advantage

Why the talent work stream keeps coming back to one question: how do we make maritime procurement "sexy" to a graduate who could just go and work for Amazon

Paolo's honest answer on what hasn't gone smoothly, and what success looks like for the GMPC five years from now

How to join the GMPC, membership is free, but you'll need the right DNA

This is part of a series previewing what to expect at IMPA London 2026, where several GMPC council members, including Paolo, will be on stage and available to meet in person. IMPA London runs 22–23 September at the QE II Centre, Westminster. The full event programme is live on the IMPA website now, and you can find out more about the GMPC at gmpc.org.

Don't forget you can also watch the Podcast via IMPA's YouTube channel - [here]

🎧 Subscribe so you don't miss the rest of the series, and drop us your questions on the GMPC and the future of maritime procurement; we might feature them in September.

Shipping doesn't have a graduate problem, it has an imagination problem. So how do you get the next generation excited about a career they didn't even know existed?

In this preview episode for IMPA London 2026, Steve Alexander is joined by IMPA's Jasmine Schestak, Programme Manager and Head of Sustainability, for a look at talent development, education, and growing the next generation of maritime procurement professionals, followed by an interview with Joanne "Jo" McCulloch, Global Head of Fleet Procurement and Logistics at V.Group.

Jo's story is the argument in itself. She walked into shipping straight from school in a small Scottish mining village where "management in shipping" wasn't even on the careers radar, and 30-odd years later she's leading procurement globally. Now she's asking the industry to be honest about what it takes to build the next Jo: less gatekeeping, more graduate opportunity, and a genuine plan for what happens to expertise when AI removes the ground-floor admin work people used to learn on.

In this conversation:

• Why the IMPA Education programme exists, and how a fully online, 24/7 modular course is reaching career-changers and school leavers from India to Europe

• Jo's own path from office junior to Global Head of Procurement, and what it says about how talent actually develops in this industry

• Whether AI closes the door on entry-level roles, or simply changes what "entry-level" means

• The generational divide Jo describes: professionals who "still believe supplier engagement is the backbone of how we get things done" versus new talent for whom AI is second nature

• The Global Maritime Procurement Council's (GMPC) role in making sure the industry moves forward together, without leaving anyone behind

• Why Jo argues procurement has to stop being "a feeder into" the technical conversation and start being recognised as a profession worth investing in

AI is transforming procurement faster than anyone predicted — but is it making the profession sharper, or quietly eroding the expertise behind it?

In this preview episode for IMPA London 2026, Steve Alexander sits down with Rick Ackermann, Head of Procurement at BW LPG and keynote speaker for this year's AI in Maritime Procurement day, alongside IMPA's Dom Scott.

Rick doesn't hold back. He's candid about embracing AI in his own team's daily work — faster tenders, sharper contract analysis, real efficiency gains — while raising a concern that's harder to ignore: what happens to procurement expertise when the operational grunt work disappears before new professionals ever learn it?

In this conversation:

The shift from operational to strategic procurement — and what it means for career development

Why Gen Beta procurement professionals may have zero reference point for how the job used to be done

The role of the Global Maritime Procurement Council (GMPC) in sharing talent and knowledge industry-wide

Why Dom calls AI "a puppy" — always enthusiastic, not always right

A first look at the debate format coming to IMPA London — because this conversation deserves more than a one-way presentation

This is the first in a series previewing what to expect at IMPA London 2026. The full event programme is live on the IMPA website now.

🎧 Subscribe so you don't miss the rest of the series, and drop us your questions on AI in procurement — we might feature them in the live debate at IMPA London.

In this latest episode of the IMPA CAST - IMEF Sessions, we hear from host Mikael Karlsson, Northern Marine Group, talking with Dorthe Mejlvang, A.P. Moller - Maersk and Alejandro Sanchez de Lozada, A.P. Moller – Maersk, about the IMEF initiative and Supplier Engagement.

Our speakers explore Supplier relationships and the benefits the IMEF initiative can have when supporting its data-driven approach to calculating Scope 3 emissions.

To find out more about the IMEF, head to: https://www.impasave.org/projects/imef

Rebecca Bridgen speaks to Amilia Busby, 3rd Engineering Officer at Heidelberg Materials and Founder of ShipMates Network. They discuss what inspired her to pursue a career at sea and the challenges of being a female on board a vessel in a predominantly male-oriented environment.

Amilia talks about the work she does to encourage young people to enter the Merchant Navy in her role as an Ambassador for the UK-based Careers at Sea. Most recently, Amilia has set up ‘ShipMates Network’, a new online community that brings seafarers together to build confidence, community, and career opportunities. With a goal to create an inclusive, accessible environment where every seafarer feels welcomed.

In ‘IMEF Episode One: Understanding Scopes 1, 2 & 3 - Part Four: What happens if we don't report and prepare?’ Mikael Karlsson, Rasmus Elsborg, and Paolo Magonio emphasise the need for accurate emissions reporting and sustainable decision-making within industries, particularly highlighting inconsistencies that arise from using spend basis methodology.

In ‘IMEF Episode One: Understanding Scopes 1, 2 & 3 - Part Three: Why Do We Need ESG Discussions?’ Mikael Karlsson, Rasmus Elsborg, and Paolo Magonio discuss the critical need for industries, particularly shipping, to address scope 3 emissions, including those from raw materials and suppliers, in addition to direct emissions.

This is part three of a four-part exploration into understanding scopes one, two and three. If you missed the first parts, you can watch it now on YouTube or listen to the Podcast

In ‘Episode One: Understanding Scopes 1, 2 & 3 - Part Two: The 4th Dimension in Procurement’ Mikael Karlsson, Rasmus Elsborg, and Paolo Magonio delve into the rising significance of Scope 3 emissions in purchasing decisions, examining how they are becoming as influential as traditional factors like quality, price, and availability.

This short but informative episode continues the exploration into understanding scopes one, two and three. If you missed the first part, watch it now on YouTube or listen to the Podcast on the IMPA BLOG and all major podcast platforms!

Brand-new for the IMPA CAST (IMPA’s Official Podcast) in 2026 – A series of episodes presented by members of the IMPA SAVE Council, focusing on the IMEF Initiative and Scopes 1, 2 and 3.

In ‘Episode One: Understanding Scopes 1, 2 & 3 - Part One: An Introduction to the IMEF’, Mikael Karlsson, Rasmus Elsborg, and Paolo Magonio provide a breakdown of Scopes 1, 2, and 3 and explain their importance for Ship Owners and Managers and introduce us to the IMEF initiative and its role in helping manage Scope 3 emissions.

Rebecca Bridgen speaks to Oliver Kade of Seven Clean Seas,

Seven Clean Seas is an environmental organisation dedicated to removing plastic waste from the oceans and promoting 

sustainable practices to combat plastic pollution.