Business Chief USA July 2019

LEADERSHIP
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to rebalance the buyer-supplier
relationship throughout the
procurement process. “In the corporate
space, the single use account virtual
card is a very compelling offering, which
allows a buyer, through integration of
Ariba and American Express’ systems
to generate a single use account
authentication or authorization key
from the virtual card provider,” explains
Thompson. “The buyer is able to
leverage virtual card protection and
efficiency. At the time of purchase order
(PO), the buyer creates a PO, attaches
their virtual card, and the supplier pays
using that.” Value is created for the
supplier as they are paid at the time
of order, rather than having to invoice
“We’re breaking
down the silos
and fostering
more collaborative
relationships”
—
Sean Thompson,
SVP, Business Network and Ecosystem
SAP Ariba and SAP Fieldglass
the buyer, which saves time and
reduces error. Thompson views the
American Express partnership as a
collaborative win that is enabled by,
and will enable, further data based
digital projects. “About half of our
buyers are also American Express
corporate card users,” he says.
“On the supplier side, there’s also
an opportunity for us to offer loans
and financing to suppliers through our
Amex partnership. The more we know
JULY 2019