Procurement as a business driver
Interview with Matias Haukom, COO
Procurement has become one of the most decisive levers in modern business, reshaped by disrupted supply chains, sustainability demands and rapid digitalization. Few organisations have tracked this evolution as closely as Inventura AS, the Norwegian consultancy specializing in procurement and value‑chain optimization. In this interview, COO and senior partner Matias Haukom discusses growth, strategy and the future of the discipline.
European Business: Matias, could you start by introducing yourself and your journey at Inventura?
Matias Haukom: I have been with Inventura for 13 years. I joined straight from business school as a young consultant and quickly realized how much I enjoyed advisory work. I have been COO of the company since 2017, and at the same time I’ve had roles as lead of the Bergen office and leading service lines such as analysis and improvement. In a consultancy you do a bit of everything, especially when you grow from 65 to 150 employees.
European Business: Many people change companies frequently, yet you and others have stayed for years. What keeps you there?
Matias Haukom: Six of us who started at the same time are still here. Some of our founders have been with the company for over 20 years. That says something about our culture. It’s a place where people genuinely enjoy working and feel they can grow.
European Business: You’re also a partner and co‑owner. How does the ownership model work?
Matias Haukom: We bought the company from the previous owners in 2020 and formed a new partner group. Today we have 18 owners across four ownership levels. I’m one of the senior partners. Ownership motivates, of course, but it can’t be the only motivation – you still need to enjoy what you do.
European Business: Can you walk us through the company’s development and key milestones?
Matias Haukom: The company’s roots stretch back to the 1990s when procurement as a discipline was still new in Europe. A group of Norwegian experts built global competence and later formed companies that eventually merged into Inventura in 2011. A major turning point came when we realigned our ownership in 2020 and set a clear ambition to become Norway’s number one procurement consultancy in both public and private sectors. We achieved strong organic growth of 12 to 15% annually and in 2025 sold the company to EPSA, which gives us the capabilities to accelerate further across the Nordics – initially to either Sweden or Denmark.
European Business: Procurement has changed dramatically in recent decades. How do you view this evolution?
Matias Haukom: Companies have finally realized procurement accounts for 60 to 80% of their cost base. Add to that EU regulatory complexity, digitalization, and now sustainability requirements, and procurement becomes a central strategic function. Crises –COVID, wars, geopolitical instability – also pushed resilience to the top of the agenda. Value chains that were global are becoming more regional. That shift has given us a lot of advisory work, especially in green industries where margins are tight and supply chains must be robust.
European Business: AI is transforming professional services. How will it affect procurement?
Matias Haukom: At first everyone was scared. But we quickly understood AI will remove a lot of compliance, documentation and process work. That frees procurement teams to become true business developers. For consultancies like ours, the opportunity lies in embedding decades of competence into AI‑driven models and becoming the architects of new tools. It’s an enormous possibility.
European Business: What types of services does Inventura offer today?
Matias Haukom: We cover four areas: analysis and improvement; procurement advisory including outsourcing; regulatory services for public procurement; and business transformation. We support major CapEx projects, energy, utilities, IT, construction and public sector organizations. We also work with SMBs needing specialized expertise.
European Business: You mentioned that Inventura recently introduced a new operational model. What prompted that
shift?
Matias Haukom: When you grow from 65 to 150 people, you can’t work the same way. We introduced a new operational model late last year to make us more market‑driven and strengthen our expertise. We’re building clearer ‘market groups’ and ‘service experts’ who work together in a matrix. The goal is a simple one: to serve our clients better by combining profound subject competence with strong market understanding.
European Business: How would you describe your company culture?
Matias Haukom: We say a room should have a ‘high roof’ – a Norwegian expression meaning there must be space for people to speak freely. We’re non‑hierarchical, commercially minded and generous with each other. We invest heavily in competence development and we make sure we have fun as a team. Trust is essential; you need to know your colleagues can deliver.
European Business: And what about recruitment? Is it difficult to find the right people?
Matias Haukom: It’s always challenging. We’re specialists, so we look for people who understand procurement but also business strategy. Our reputation depends on excellence – one bad experience equals ten good ones. That’s why our goal is simple: all clients should rate us above 5.5 on a six‑point scale.
European Business: What is next for Inventura?
Matias Haukom: The next step is becoming the leading procurement advisory firm in the Nordics. We have ambitious plans to double in size by 2028. We already follow our clients across borders, especially in green and energy projects, and we’re exploring opportunities in Sweden and Denmark. Procurement’s role as a business developer will only become more important in the future, and we want to be at the forefront of that shift.