Owlin Solution Talks: Stefan Peekel on AI, Procurement, and the future of risk management. 

As Owlin joins Digital Procurement World for the third year in a row, we sit down with Stefan Peekel, Owlin’s Chief Growth Officer, to discuss how procurement leaders are rethinking third-party risk management (TPRM) in the age of AI. With growing pressure to balance speed, savings, and risk resilience, Stefan shares how procurement teams can leverage TPRM as a true business accelerator and why AI is central to this shift.

Why is DPW an essential event for Owlin?

“Whenever I speak to procurement leaders, I hear the same challenge: procurement sits at the crossroads of the business. Their stakeholders rely on them to assess, contract, and govern suppliers quickly and at the best possible price, while ensuring the organization is protected from risk and exposure. That includes managing supplier dependency, geopolitical risk, ESG concerns, compliance, and cybersecurity. Events like DPW are where these conversations happen, where procurement leaders share how they balance commercial goals with the increasing complexity of risk.

It’s special for us because it’s a platform where procurement leaders are actively looking for solutions, and we get to share our story and value case directly with them. DPW brings together people who are rethinking how procurement can be faster, smarter, and more resilient. Many are no longer just chasing savings; they’re redesigning their processes with digital tools, AI, and external intelligence. That’s precisely where Owlin fits in,  providing an outside-in view of risk across supply chains and vendors, enabling teams to act earlier and with greater confidence.”

Can you share a recent example of this in practice?

“Last week, I presented Owlin to over 120 managers at the headquarters of a large U.S. corporation. During the session, the head of procurement informed me that Owlin’s AI-fueled event detector and monitor helped their team identify a major legal risk, a lawsuit involving one of their suppliers, based on a risk signal picked up from a local newspaper.

It perfectly illustrated the power of AI: enabling teams to automatically consume, analyze, and respond to a far greater scope of information than ever before. At the same time, it sparked a meaningful discussion about AI trust and explainability: how do we ensure that critical decision-making is always based on correct, timely, and transparent information?”

Is AI really becoming central in procurement risk management?

“Absolutely. In my conversations with procurement and risk teams, a recurring theme is how to manage an ever-growing workload, driven by more complex and global supply chains, as well as increasing demands from a risk management perspective. That’s precisely where AI is starting to make a real difference. It enables teams to scale their monitoring efforts and focus on what truly matters. 

McKinsey’s 2025 State of AI survey even found that over 75% of companies are now using AI in business functions, with risk and compliance among the most centralized areas of deployment. However, the key question I hear is no longer ‘Can AI do this?’ but rather ‘Can we trust the outputs?’ That’s why at Owlin, we make sure our insights are explainable, reliable, and actionable.”

Are larger companies leading this shift?

“Yes, bigger organizations tend to move first; they have more complex supply chains and higher exposure. But smaller companies are catching up, especially as integrations make AI adoption easier.

That’s why I’m excited about this DPW edition: we’re there alongside our partner Aprovall, a SaaS platform for third-party risk assessment and management. They specialize in document collection and now integrate Owlin’s external risk signals directly into their workflows. It’s a perfect example of how combining different data sources in real time creates an enormous amount of value, without extra friction.”

So what’s your message for procurement leaders at DPW?

“Don’t think of supplier risk and compliance as a checkbox. Think of it as an accelerator. With real-time monitoring, automation, and AI-driven insights, risk management is no longer a hindrance to deals; it’s what makes deals sustainable and secure. Procurement is at the center of that transformation. With the right tools and mindset, supplier risk and compliance shifts from gatekeeper to guide, and becomes the hero of procurement.”

About Owlin

Owlin is a Dutch-American company specializing in external third-party risk intelligence. It enables companies to efficiently and in near-real time track adverse media data and other sources across large portfolios. With Owlin, procurement teams can:

• Identify opportunities to negotiate with potential vendors early in the process.
• Resolve and mitigate potential cyber or security risks before signing a contract.
• Continuously monitor key vendors and collect valuable insights that help them act sooner, or prepare for contract renewal with confidence.