Why Uncertainty Is the New Competitive Advantage – Opening Keynote Announced at PSI 2026

We’re excited to reveal our Opening Keynote for PSI in March – and it’s one you won’t want to miss.

In procurement, change is the only constant.

Between geopolitical shocks, supply-chain upheavals and increasingly complex sustainability requirements, procurement leaders are navigating one of the most turbulent periods in modern business history. Rather than resisting change, the truly effective organisations are learning to treat disruption not as a threat, but as a catalyst for innovation. 

On 3rd March, we’re kicking off the day with an unmissable keynote from Sam Conniff – social entrepreneur, best-selling author and BAFTA-winning creator of Be More Pirate and Uncertainty Experts. 

Reframing Disruption: Sam Conniff’s Vision for Procurement Leaders

Sam Conniff’s presentation, titled “Leading Through Uncertainty: Turning the Unknown into an Innovation Advantage,” will invite attendees to rethink conventional leadership. Rather than seeing uncertainty as something to eliminate, he argues that procurement leaders can embrace it: not as a risk to be minimised, but as an asset to be harnessed. 

In this keynote, you’ll discover how to:

– Turn disruption into opportunity
– Lead with confidence amid uncertainty
– Transform ambiguity into a driver of innovation 

Sam will challenge traditional approaches to control and share how procurement leaders can reframe uncertainty as a strategic asset, sparking creativity, resilience, and measurable business impact. 

About Sam Conniff: Movement-Builder, Social Scientist & “Pirate” in Leadership 

Sam Conniff is more than just a thought leader – he’s a movement-builder whose ideas have inspired millions. He is a keynote speaker, best-selling author, award-winning entrepreneur and social scientist, and he describes himself as a “pirate” in the best possible way.
 

His journey is unconventional but deeply relevant for leaders facing change. 

• Early Career & Don’t Panic: Sam’s entrepreneurial journey began as a teenager running raves. He enlisted Banksy and Shepard Fairey as designers for what became the Bafta-winning creative agency Don’t Panic. 

• Livity: Sam founded the world-renowned social enterprise Livity, where he won Agency of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Business of the Year, EY Entrepreneur of the year, the Queen’s Award, and a commendations from multiple UK Prime Ministers. 

• Be More Pirate: His best-selling book, Be More Pirate, helped spark a global movement around “professional rule-breaking” and “Good Trouble” – advocating for positive disruption in business and society. 

• Uncertainty Experts: In collaboration with Netflix and University College London, Sam created the interactive documentary initiative Uncertainty Experts. This pioneering project has real-world impact, transforming how people perceive and handle change. 

• Hard As Nails: More recently, he launched Hard As Nails, a campaign rooted in behavioural science that challenges damaging stereotypes about masculinity, fosters better role models and reimagines leadership in more inclusive, emotionally intelligent ways. 

• The Uncertainty Toolkit: His forthcoming book – The Uncertainty Toolkit: How to Worry Less and Do More, is based on the world’s largest study into how uncertainty affects people. Published in January 2026, the book distils his findings into practical tools designed to help individuals and organisations thrive in uncertain times. 

Sam’s keynote is not to be missed. 

It will equip procurement leaders with the mindset and tools to turn uncertainty into a strategic advantage, driving smarter decisions, greater resilience and bold innovation.