Mark Schenecker - VP, Direct Materials

Leaders in Excellence Award 

Mark Schenecker’s career has been defined by one simple belief: supply chains win on efficiency and collaboration. With more than a decade of experience shaping direct materials strategy, Mark connects deep operational insight with executive-level vision. He has been instrumental in expanding how organizations manage direct spend, helping customers move beyond transactional sourcing to integrated, resilient supplier ecosystems.

What sets Mark apart isn’t just his expertise but how he shares it. Over the past year, he has spent much time in conference rooms, webinars, and one-on-one conversations with supply chain leaders, helping them navigate tariffs, geopolitical volatility, fraud risk, and AI adoption. His work has helped organizations translate uncertainty into informed action, often delivering measurable savings and risk reduction within weeks.

For Mark, leadership doesn’t thrive in slide decks or frameworks alone. It lives in the field, listening to customers, pressure-testing ideas, and turning real-world insight into solutions that move the entire profession forward. Mark has been guiding business leaders on how to balance technology investments in AI along with process changes.

Nari Viswanathan - Senior Leader, Direct Procurement & Strategic Sourcing

Top Procurement Pros Award

Nari Viswanathan has spent his career working across the depth and breadth of the supply chain spanning S&OP, Demand Planning, Supply Planning, Transportation Management and now Procurement. Nari's strength is his ability to bridge the divide between cross-functional areas of the supply chain and striving to unlock value through digitization. 

Over the last five years, he has redefined direct procurement as a strategic lever for resilience, growth, and financial performance. Through his work with global manufacturers and industry groups, Nari has consistently elevated direct spend conversations, from unit cost to resiliency, supply assurance, and risk-adjusted decision-making.

Nari’s influence continues to expand. His Direct Spend Maturity Model has become a practical roadmap for procurement leaders looking to benchmark capabilities and prioritize transformation in an agentic AI world. His Direct Materials Masterclass, developed in partnership with the Sourcing Industry Group, reflects his commitment to practitioner-led education that meets leaders where they are and helps them navigate the rapid pace of change of technology, especially AI.

What makes Nari a true Pro to Know is his ability to bridge the worlds of supply chain, procurement, finance, and the C-suite, helping organizations see direct spend as a powerful driver of enterprise performance.

Lucas de Brito - Principal Solutions Advisor, Supply Chain Design & Planning

Rising Stars Award.

Lucas de Brito represents the next generation of supply chain leadership—grounded in experience, fluent in technology, and deeply human in how he leads. Before joining Coupa, Lucas was already solving complex supply chain challenges as a practitioner, delivering large-scale network redesigns approved at the board level. That hands-on foundation now informs how he partners with customers—earning trust quickly by speaking their language and understanding the realities behind the data.

Lucas has emerged as a top global performer in Supply Chain Design & Planning, contributing millions in revenue while helping reshape how teams sell, demo, and articulate value. Yet, his colleagues consistently point to both his performance and also his presence. Lucas is known for simplifying complexity, mentoring peers, and raising the bar for the entire team.

As a Rising Star, Lucas isn’t just executing at a high level, he’s actively shaping what the future of AI-driven, decision-centric supply chain leadership looks like.