Hulya Platt-AkalSenior Procurement Consultant & AI Transformation Advisor
Netherlands-based. Globally experienced.
Akal Consultancy brings 25 years of senior procurement and transformation leadership — from category management and operating model redesign to AI-enabled Source-to-Pay transformation — to organisations that need to move fast, with confidence, and without adding permanent headcount.Available for: Interim Procurement Director · Fractional CPO · Independent AI Procurement Consultant · Procurement Transformation Advisor · Senior Sourcing & Procurement Consultant — Netherlands & EuropeLet's Talk: [email protected]
The Procurement Challenge
Most procurement transformations fail not because of strategy — Most have the ambition. Few have the execution capacity.Organisations across the Netherlands and Europe face compounding pressure simultaneously: AI adoption complexity, cost reduction mandates, supply chain resilience, ESG compliance and digital transformation — all urgent, all competing for the same limited resources.The three primary challenges facing CPOs in 2026 are talent acquisition and retention, balancing cost reduction and growth demands, and meeting sustainability and ESG compliance demands. Yet most organisations are attempting to navigate all three without dedicated senior procurement leadership to drive execution.The gap is rarely capability at the top. It is access to senior, specialist expertise that works alongside your leadership — moving fast, challenging what needs challenging, and delivering results that stick.Hülya Platt-Akal, founder of Akal Consultancy, brings 25 years of enterprise procurement and AI transformation experience to organisations across the Netherlands and Europe that need to close that gap — without adding permanent headcount.
The 2026 Procurement Agenda
The priorities shaping every procurement function today — and where Akal Consultancy has delivered.Strategic Cost Reduction at Scale
Delivering measurable savings across complex, multi-geography indirect spend portfolios — with direct P&L impact across indirect categories including marketing, IT, professional services, facilities, HR and travel.AI & Digital Transformation
Embedding AI-enabled tools, automated workflows and data-driven decision-making into procurement operations — from Source-to-Pay digitisation to AI-assisted category management and spend analytics.Operating Model Redesign
Restructuring procurement functions for agility, efficiency and sustainable performance — from governance design and category management frameworks to workforce location strategy and global operating rhythms.ESG & Sustainability Delivery
Translating sustainability commitments into procurement practice — across supplier selection, category management, supply chain governance and ESG performance tracking aligned to EU regulatory requirements.Change Management & Stakeholder Influence
Driving adoption, alignment and cultural change across complex, resistant organisations — at every level of seniority, from frontline teams to C-suite leadership.Supplier Governance & Third-Party Risk Management
Building the frameworks, controls and oversight that protect commercial value and manage supply chain risk at scale — across strategic, preferred and tail supplier tiers.Global Operations & Multi-Geography Delivery
Leading procurement across borders — coordinating people, processes and technology across 40+ countries, multiple delivery locations and diverse regulatory environments simultaneously.
Case Studies
Selected Engagements
Hülya Platt-Akal, founder of Akal Consultancy, is a Netherlands-based senior procurement consultant and AI transformation advisor with 25 years of enterprise experience. The five engagements below demonstrate the capabilities most in demand from senior procurement leadership in 2026: cost reduction at scale, AI and digital transformation, operating model redesign, ESG delivery, change management, supplier governance and global operations.
Case Study 1 | Global Entertainment & Media
Indirect Category Management & Strategic Sourcing | EMEACapabilities demonstrated: Strategic cost reduction · Indirect category expertise · C-suite stakeholder managementSituation: A globally recognised entertainment company managed $140M+ in annual EMEA marketing and indirect spend across media buying, advertising and creative agencies, PR, commercial print, trade shows, promotions, fulfilment and market research — with fragmented governance and no consistent category strategy across markets.Complication: Supplier proliferation, inconsistent commercial terms and limited spend visibility were compounded by marketing stakeholders historically resistant to procurement-led governance. Securing executive alignment in a creative-led organisation required relationship intelligence as much as commercial rigour.Approach: Spend analysis baselined expenditure and segmented the supply base by strategic value. Discovery sessions across marketing, communications and procurement functions established alignment and surfaced priorities. Category strategies were executed across all indirect subcategories with embedded governance and supplier performance frameworks.Result: Delivered third-party savings against an $18M annual target across a $140M+ spend base. Established a repeatable indirect category management operating model with structured supplier governance — creating a platform for sustained value.Delivered by Hülya Platt-Akal | Akal Consultancy | Europe
Case Study 2 | Technology & Software
Indirect Procurement Transformation & Spend Management | EuropeCapabilities demonstrated: Data-driven procurement · Supplier governance · Third-party risk managementSituation: A multinational technology and cybersecurity organisation operating across Europe had indirect spend dispersed across disconnected systems with inconsistent contracting practices, no governance model and significant contract leakage across its estate.Complication: Without a validated spend baseline, savings identification and supplier compliance were impossible. Budget holders made category decisions without commercial oversight — generating maverick spend, duplicated supplier relationships and unmanaged third-party risk.Approach: Data collation, cleansing and categorisation established a validated spend baseline. Contract compliance analysis identified leakage and opportunities. Suppliers were segmented into strategic, preferred and tail tiers with differentiated engagement strategies. Redesigned procurement policies and standardised governance embedded consistent purchasing behaviour across the organisation.Result: Delivered over $10M in documented savings through strategic sourcing, compliance remediation and supplier consolidation — with a scalable indirect procurement governance framework enabling ongoing commercial value across European operations.Delivered by Hülya Platt-Akal | Akal Consultancy | Europe
Case Study 3 | Fast-Moving Consumer Goods
Procurement BPS Account Turnaround & Sustainability-Linked PerformanceCapabilities demonstrated: Change management · Stakeholder trust-building · ESG & sustainability deliverySituation: A global FMCG organisation's indirect procurement managed services engagement was underperforming — client satisfaction deteriorating, delivery inconsistent and the account operating at a financial loss. Senior escalations had reached the highest levels on both sides.Complication: Root cause analysis identified chronic unmanaged scope creep — not delivery failure. Out-of-scope requests had accumulated without commercial adjustment, consuming capacity and leaving contracted deliverables unmet. Governance was informal and no mechanism existed to track or remediate scope variances.Approach: Structured stakeholder re-engagement rebuilt trust and clarified contracted scope. Formal risk and issue governance was introduced with regular review cadence. Process optimisation identified automation opportunities. A scope remediation framework formalised change request management and commercial treatment.Result: The account returned to profitability for the first time in its history. Client satisfaction recovered materially. The e-sourcing team received a formal client award recognising its direct contribution to cost savings and sustainability targets across the client's global supplier base — demonstrating measurable ESG value delivery alongside commercial performance.Delivered by Hülya Platt-Akal | Akal Consultancy | Netherlands & Europe
Case Study 4 | Business Process Services — Procurement Operations
Global Delivery Centre Establishment & Operating Model DiversificationCapabilities demonstrated: Global operations leadership · Operating model design · Workforce strategySituation: A European procurement BPS operation serving 30+ enterprise clients had concentrated delivery across two Central European locations. Intensifying competition for procurement talent was driving unsustainable attrition, cost pressure and single-location delivery risk across the entire client portfolio.Complication: The primary delivery location had reached talent market saturation. A new location needed to be fully staffed and operational within a single fiscal year without disrupting any active client programmes across Europe.Approach: Led end-to-end establishment of a 100-person procurement delivery centre in Romania — coordinating market analysis, business case, senior alignment and cross-functional delivery across HR, IT and facilities. Bespoke training programmes ensured delivery readiness from day one. Workstream transition from existing locations maintained full service continuity throughout mobilisation.Result: Fully operational within a single fiscal year — on time and within budget. Delivered a 30-40% labour cost reduction versus the Czech Republic hub — improving portfolio margins, eliminating single-location delivery risk and expanding language capability to unlock new client opportunities across Europe.Delivered by Hülya Platt-Akal | Akal Consultancy | Europe
Case Study 5 | Professional Services — Global Enterprise
Enterprise Procurement Transformation | AI-Enabled Operating Model & Digital TransformationCapabilities demonstrated: AI & digital enablement · Enterprise-wide transformation · P&L impact at scaleSituation: A global professional services organisation with operations across 40+ countries initiated enterprise-wide transformation of its internal procurement function — 1,300+ professionals managing $10B+ in annual third-party spend — with the objective of redesigning the operating model, digitising Source-to-Pay and establishing centralised governance for sustainable cost reduction.Complication: Fragmented category strategies, inconsistent process standards and significant cultural resistance to standardisation made enterprise-wide execution at pace the central challenge — compounded by leading without a formally established mandate in a politically complex global organisation.Approach: Established a global operating rhythm across regional leads in Australia, India, Europe and the United States. Partnered with IT and analytics teams to accelerate AI-enabled digital transformation — leveraging P2P digitisation investments to deliver real-time spend visibility and invoice automation. Designed a revised operating model encompassing category management frameworks, workforce location strategy and continuous improvement. Sponsored 50+ annual Venture & Acquisition integrations and led enterprise change management through global townhalls and a dedicated talent development platform.Result: Delivered approximately $250M per annum in P&L improvement through AI-enabled category management, enhanced contract governance and data-driven sourcing. Process automation enabled 5-10% headcount efficiency and 15-20% OpEx reduction — establishing an AI-ready procurement function positioned for the next phase of enterprise transformation.Delivered by Hülya Platt-Akal | Akal Consultancy | Global
Contact
Let's Talk
If you are looking for senior procurement leadership, AI transformation expertise or independent advisory support — I would welcome a conversation.Hülya Platt-Akal
Founder, Akal Consultancy
Netherlands📧 [email protected]
🔗 linkedin.com/in/hulya-akal-9910a630
Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat does Akal Consultancy do?
Akal Consultancy provides senior procurement consulting and AI transformation advisory services to organisations across the Netherlands and Europe. Founded by Hülya Platt-Akal — a former Accenture Managing Director with 25 years of enterprise procurement experience — Akal Consultancy helps organisations reduce costs, adopt AI, redesign operating models and navigate complex procurement transformation. Services range from interim procurement leadership and fractional CPO engagements to AI readiness assessments, category management and Source-to-Pay transformation.What is a Fractional CPO and how is it different from a procurement consultant?
A Fractional CPO is a senior procurement leader who works with your organisation on a part-time or project basis — providing executive-level strategic leadership without the cost or commitment of a full-time hire. Unlike a procurement consultant who advises from the outside, a Fractional CPO works embedded within your leadership team — owning strategy, driving execution and being directly accountable for outcomes. Akal Consultancy offers both fractional CPO and independent procurement consulting services, depending on what your organisation needs.What types of organisations does Akal Consultancy work with?
Akal Consultancy works with mid-size to large organisations across the Netherlands and Europe that are navigating procurement transformation, AI adoption or significant operational change. Typical engagements include organisations that need senior interim procurement leadership during a transition, companies implementing AI-enabled Source-to-Pay transformation, and businesses seeking independent expertise to drive cost reduction, supplier governance or operating model redesign.What procurement challenges can Akal Consultancy help solve?
Akal Consultancy addresses the full range of senior procurement challenges facing organisations in 2026 — including AI adoption and digital transformation, indirect category management, cost reduction and savings delivery, supplier governance and third-party risk management, procurement operating model redesign, ESG and sustainability integration, change management and stakeholder alignment, and Source-to-Pay process optimisation. With 25 years of enterprise experience across Fortune 500 clients in FMCG, technology, entertainment, financial services and professional services — Akal Consultancy brings both strategic and operational depth to every engagement.Is Hülya Platt-Akal available for interim or contract procurement roles in the Netherlands?
Yes. Hülya Platt-Akal is based in the Netherlands and available for interim procurement director, fractional CPO, independent AI procurement consultant and senior sourcing and procurement advisor roles across the Netherlands and Europe. With MCIPS qualification, AI-Assisted Consultant certification and 25 years of enterprise procurement leadership — including Managing Director level at Accenture — she brings immediate senior credibility to any engagement.How quickly can Akal Consultancy start an engagement?
Akal Consultancy can typically begin an engagement within days of initial agreement — without the extended onboarding period of a permanent executive hire. Every engagement begins with a structured discovery phase to understand your organisation's current state, priorities and objectives — ensuring that senior expertise is applied with full context from day one.What makes Akal Consultancy different from a large procurement consulting firm?
Akal Consultancy offers the depth of expertise you would expect from a Big Four or global management consulting firm — without the overhead, junior delivery teams or high day rates. Every engagement is led personally by Hülya Platt-Akal, a former Accenture Managing Director with direct experience managing $10B+ in third-party spend across 40+ countries. Clients receive senior attention, fast mobilisation and outcome-focused delivery — not a senior pitch followed by junior execution.Which industries has Akal Consultancy delivered procurement transformation in?
Akal Consultancy has delivered senior procurement and transformation engagements across global entertainment and media, technology and software, fast-moving consumer goods, food and beverage, business process services and professional services — working with Fortune 500 organisations across the Netherlands, UK, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Romania, India, Australia and the United States.