With more than 25 years of global experience, Zyad Khan has built his career around a simple idea: procurement creates its greatest impact when it earns a seat at the table—not when it remains behind it.

There are careers that are defined by titles, promotions, and a long list of milestones. Then there are careers shaped by the relationships built along the way, the perspectives gathered from different people and industries, and the steady pursuit of doing things better.

For Zyad Khan, Associate Director – Procurement, Contracts & ESG at Dubai World Trade Centre LLC, the latter tells the story far more accurately.

With over 25 years of experience across procurement, supply chain, sustainability, aviation, government, global events, and corporate enterprises, Zyad has witnessed the profession evolve considerably. What was once widely viewed as a transactional, back-of-house function has increasingly become an important contributor to commercial strategy, resilience, risk management, technology adoption, and sustainability.

He has not simply observed that evolution. He has spent his career contributing to it.

For Zyad, procurement is ultimately about creating value—and doing so through people, relationships, collaboration, and sound commercial thinking.

A Career Built on Curiosity

Zyad’s professional journey began with curiosity.

He wanted to understand how businesses create value: where decisions are made, how organizations work with suppliers, and how commercial choices influence broader business outcomes. That curiosity gradually developed into a career leading strategic procurement transformations across complex environments.

Over the years, he found himself working across sectors where procurement could not operate in isolation. Aviation, government, global events, and corporate enterprises each brought different challenges, stakeholders, expectations, and operating realities.

Those experiences changed the way he viewed his profession.

Procurement, in his eyes, was never simply about buying something at the right price. It was about understanding the wider business objective and determining how commercial strategy could contribute to it.

As Zyad reflects on his journey, one thought stands out: it was not about simply empowering teams. It was about leading commercial strategy in a way that could influence the bottom line while creating the foundations for long-term growth and sustainability.

That perspective became a catalyst for his own professional development.

Beyond Milestones, Toward Meaningful Progress

Interestingly, Zyad does not define his career through a collection of milestones.

For him, success was defined much earlier by a different measure: progressive improvement and the value he could bring to the table.

That philosophy has influenced the way he approaches leadership.

Procurement is often associated with technical knowledge, negotiation, contracts, suppliers, and commercial outcomes. Yet Zyad believes that the human side of the profession is equally important.

Being approachable, building rapport, understanding different perspectives, and managing relationships—both internally and externally—became priorities in his career.

Over time, those relationships became one of the most valuable outcomes of his professional journey.

His network today represents more than a collection of professional contacts. It reflects years of conversations, collaborations, shared experiences, and exposure to people with different perspectives across the procurement ecosystem.

For Zyad, that diversity of thought is something to be valued.

He describes procurement as a deeply human-centric profession, where influence is rarely built through authority alone. It is built through credibility, trust, communication, and the ability to bring people together around a common objective.

Giving Procurement a Seat at the Table

At the heart of Zyad’s professional philosophy is a clear vision: to position procurement as a trusted business advisor.

That means moving beyond the traditional perception of procurement as a back-office or transactional function and recognizing its ability to support broader organizational priorities.

A strategic procurement function can help enable growth, manage risk, embrace technology, strengthen resilience, and create lasting value for organizations, suppliers, and society.

This evolution is particularly meaningful to Zyad because he has experienced it throughout his own career.

The shift from “back of house” to “a seat at the table” represents more than a change in terminology. It reflects a change in how organizations understand the contribution procurement can make.

When procurement is involved in strategic conversations early, commercial considerations become part of business planning rather than something addressed only after decisions have already been made.

That is the evolution Zyad finds both pleasing and satisfying.

His role, therefore, extends beyond managing procurement activity. It is about helping demonstrate why the function deserves strategic recognition and how its influence can extend well beyond purchasing decisions.

Changing Perceptions Through Results

Changing perceptions is rarely achieved through a single conversation.

One of the biggest professional challenges Zyad encountered was precisely that: changing the perception of procurement from a transactional function into a strategic partner.

His response was not to rely on titles or arguments. Instead, he focused on consistently delivering measurable outcomes, building stakeholder trust, and leading through collaboration.

The approach is straightforward, but not necessarily easy.

Strategic influence has to be earned.

It comes from demonstrating that procurement understands the pressures faced by the wider business, can work constructively with stakeholders, and can translate commercial expertise into meaningful outcomes.

For Zyad, collaboration has been particularly important.

Procurement sits at an intersection of multiple interests—business leaders, internal stakeholders, suppliers, customers, and other professional functions. Success depends on the ability to understand these different viewpoints and bring them together without losing sight of the organization’s objectives.

That ability to influence without simply imposing is one of the qualities that has shaped his leadership approach.

A Recognition Rooted in the Profession

Among Zyad’s professional recognitions, his Fellowship from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) holds particular significance.

Rather than viewing the fellowship solely as a personal achievement, however, he speaks about it with humility and gratitude toward the people who have contributed to his journey.

Peers, colleagues, vendors, and professional contacts across his procurement ecosystem have all influenced the way he thinks and works.

That perspective says something important about how Zyad views achievement.

Professional recognition may carry a title or credential, but the journey behind it is rarely individual. It is shaped by the people who challenge our thinking, share their experiences, open new perspectives, and create opportunities to learn.

For someone who places relationships at the centre of procurement, that understanding feels especially fitting.

Leadership That Looks Beyond the Balance Sheet

For Zyad, the responsibility of a procurement leader does not end with commercial outcomes.

He believes strongly in mentoring future talent, strengthening industry-academia collaboration, and championing sustainable procurement practices that create value beyond the balance sheet.

After more than two decades in the profession and the region, he hopes the experience he has accumulated can contribute to the next generation entering the field.

His goal is not to create a legacy built around his own name. It is to leave behind something useful for those who are curious enough to explore procurement as a meaningful profession.

That could be a lesson learned through experience, a different way of approaching a problem, a professional relationship, or simply the encouragement to look at procurement as more than a transactional discipline.

In this sense, mentoring becomes a natural extension of his own philosophy: progress happens when knowledge and perspectives are shared.

The Human Side of Procurement

There is a recurring theme throughout Zyad’s career—people matter.

Technical expertise may provide the foundation for a procurement career, but he believes lasting leadership requires much more.

Curiosity encourages continuous learning. Integrity builds credibility. Adaptability helps professionals navigate changing environments. Influence allows ideas to move beyond individual teams.

And relationships create the trust required to make all of those qualities meaningful.

His advice to aspiring professionals reflects this belief.

Stay curious. Invest in continuous learning. Build strong relationships.

These are not complicated principles, but they require consistency.

Zyad also encourages professionals to take pride in the profession itself. As he puts it, the profession “pays us to spend,” and that creates an opportunity worth appreciating—the opportunity to make decisions, create value, and influence how organizations operate.

For him, enjoying that potential is part of being successful in procurement.

Looking Toward the Next Generation

Zyad’s journey is still connected to the future.

The procurement profession continues to evolve, and its role is becoming increasingly connected with sustainability, technology, resilience, risk, and strategic decision-making. For professionals entering the field, that creates an environment where commercial expertise must be complemented by broader business understanding.

Zyad’s own career demonstrates why that broader perspective matters.

His experience across different sectors has reinforced the importance of seeing procurement not as an isolated department, but as a function capable of connecting people, business objectives, suppliers, and long-term organizational priorities.

His hope is that the next generation will continue that evolution.

After 25 years in the profession and the region, he sees his contribution in simple terms: if his experience can help even a few curious professionals discover the possibilities within procurement, then that becomes part of the legacy he leaves behind.

Creating Value That Lasts

Zyad Khan’s professional story is not defined by one project, one organization, or one recognition.

It is a story of gradual transformation—both of a career and of a profession.

From an early curiosity about how businesses create value to a leadership role focused on procurement, contracts, and ESG, his journey has been shaped by continuous learning, relationships, commercial thinking, and the belief that procurement belongs in the strategic conversation.

Perhaps the most distinctive element of his approach is that he does not separate professional success from the people behind it.

For Zyad, value is created through collaboration. Influence is built through trust. Leadership grows through continuous learning. And progress becomes more meaningful when it can be passed on to those who follow.

That philosophy continues to shape his work at Dubai World Trade Centre and his wider contribution to the procurement community.

After more than two decades in the profession, his message remains refreshingly straightforward: keep learning, keep building relationships, and keep looking for ways to make a meaningful difference.

Because when procurement earns its seat at the table, its impact can reach far beyond the transaction—it can help shape the business itself.