You’ve got to understand the “soft connectivity”: CIPS Middle East webinar takeaways
Written by CIPS Knowledge & Insight
Written by CIPS Knowledge & Insight
Experts on a CIPS facilitated webinar gathered on 9 March 2026 to discuss the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and provide some guidance for the profession. Read the key takeaways and watch the full webinar here.
The session began by framing the historical context, demonstrating the region's many connections, as well as the strategic importance it has to global supply chains with critical choke points such as the Straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, and the Suez Canal. While CIPS representatives shared important perspectives on the implications for procurement and supply chain professionals.
“If you want to understand this problem, you’ve got to get yourself a bigger map.”
The words of Sir Simon Mayall offered important perspective on the complexity of the situation in the Middle East that began in late February. Previously a senior advisor to the UK’s Ministry of Defence and a highly regarded expert on the Middle East, Sir Simon’s opening reflections demonstrated we are experiencing just “another chapter” in the long history of a region which has always held strategic importance to global trade.
As the land and sea bridge between Africa, Asia and Europe, the Middle East is home to several critical choke points that link global supply chains, energy and commodities. The region operates through layers of hard and soft connectivity, where disruption at one point can have far-reaching global effects.
Nation states and hard lines on a map are important, explained Sir Simon, but the “soft connectivity” that exists – across identity, religion, ethnicity, ideology and economies – is also fundamental to understanding how the consequences of actions often cut across borders.
He offered a helpful way to map the historical complexity, viewing the region as “five interlocking Olympic rings”. These are made up of the Arabian Peninsula, Eygpt, Turkey, Iran and a “central ring” of the Levant and Iraq – all of which are deeply interconnected.
The message for procurement and supply chain professionals to take away? Organisations must think beyond the immediate headlines and plan for ongoing volatility, not a short, contained crisis. There are many moving parts. To plan for what’s next, you must take a multi-dimensional view of the conflict and the wider regional context.
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Other key takeaways:
- Crisis evacuation specialist Ted Jones described the feeling of uncertainty, with many unsure as to how long the disruption may last.
- Stuart D’Souza MBE, CEO at Arabian Enterprise Incubators in Saudi Arabia offered a practical read. Many now dealing with logistics headaches and questions around force majeure, excusable delay, labour law and duty of care. Restarting the oil and gas fields will take time even when headlines move on.
- CIPS regional director for the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific, Sam Achampong FCIPS, noted the concrete measures being taken by UAE and how organisations are using AI-enabled shipment visibility and community WhatsApp groups to make live decisions.
- Drawing on her experience in the healthcare sector, CIPS Caribbean general manager Savita Mace FCIPS highlighted the contractual questions that many professionals will now be facing.
- CIPS regional director for Southern Africa, Paul Vos discussed how vessels may reroute around the Cape and the pressures placed on emerging markets, currency volatility and just-in-time trade models.
There was a consensus among the panellists that ultimately no-one has the answer for how long the conflict may continue for. It is a complex situation with many factors at play. The key is to remain flexible and keep connected and informed – the procurement and supply chain function will play an influential role in their organisation’s ability to do so.
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