“The scale of supplier participation, together with the programme’s measurable balance sheet and income statement impact, made this an exceptional entry.” — Judges on the winning entry

Liquid Intelligent Technologies South Africa was named the winner of the Supply Chain Finance Leadership Award of the Year at the Smart Procurement Leadership Awards 2026, held on 27 March in Johannesburg. For the first time in South Africa, Supply Chain Finance leadership in procurement has been formally recognised on a national stage. The inaugural winners have set a high benchmark for the market.

Sponsoring South Africa’s first dedicated Supply Chain Finance leadership award was a natural fit with Addendum’s mission. Thought leadership and education are central to our work, and we remain committed to leveraging opportunities and platforms to help make the transformative benefits of Supply Chain Finance part of the wider business conversation.

A winning programme built for scale and shaped by a clear strategy

Liquid Intelligent Technologies South Africa was recognised by the judges for the scale of supplier adoption across its SCF programme and for the measurable impact the programme has delivered on financial statement stability. These results set the entry apart by showing that the programme is operating at meaningful scale and creating clear financial value and supplier liquidity. The program aligned with responsible payment principles and building supplier partnerships.

Beyond the numbers, the programme was especially strong because of the careful thinking behind how it was designed and rolled out. There was a focus on working capital optimisation and a real commitment to strengthening supplier resilience, improving supply chain collaboration, and supporting long-term business sustainability. The judges also mentioned the strong internal alignment among teams and the well-executed rollout, all signs that SCF is treated as a leadership priority across the business rather than left to finance and procurement alone.

Libstar Ambient Products – Wet Condiments (Dickon Hall Foods and Montagu Foods), which received a Highly Commended recognition, was highlighted as another strong example of SCF excellence in practice.

Why procurement leadership in SCF matters

Supply Chain Finance has long delivered value quietly. Well-structured programmes improve working capital, help buyers manage liquidity more strategically, and give suppliers access to earlier payment without taking on additional debt. Yet despite this impact, SCF has often remained one of procurement’s best-kept secrets, particularly in South Africa.

That no longer reflects the reality of the market. Procurement has evolved beyond cost control into a strategic driver of resilience, supplier health, and broader business performance. SCF sits squarely within that shift. When procurement and finance work together effectively, SCF becomes a practical and powerful tool for strengthening supplier ecosystems while improving the buyer’s own working capital position.

An award dedicated to SCF leadership in procurement makes it clear that liquidity strategy, supplier resilience, and responsible payment design are leadership issues. They should be recognised alongside transformation, sustainability, and digital innovation.

The voice of Supply Chain Finance in Africa

Founded in 2014, Addendum has become a leader in African Supply Chain Finance programme design and implementation. We work across buyers, suppliers, and funding partners to improve working capital and make supply chains more resilient.

One of the earliest challenges we faced was convincing three stakeholders at once, buyer, supplier, and bank, that SCF could create real value for all three parties. More than a decade later, the introduction of a dedicated award category is a strong sign of how far that conversation has come. We believe Addendum helped shape the local market, and today we are proud to help the market recognise its own leaders.

We congratulate Liquid Intelligent Technologies South Africa, Libstar Ambient Products, and every organisation that entered this inaugural category. The quality of the entries confirms what the market needed to see: procurement teams’ SCF leadership in South Africa is real, is growing, and is now being properly recognised.

Congratulations to Smart Procurement World on this innovative initiative, and thank you for continuously providing a platform for driving professionalism in procurement and supply chain and enabling small business growth.

Article feature image captions: From left: Pearl Marsh: Conference Director at SPW; Georgina Mubaiwa: Head of Procurement Operations SA & Botswana and Erika Trenam: Senior Manager Accounts Payable & Receipting both from Liquid Intelligent Technologies; Emuel Schoeman: Co-Founder, MD and Head of Working Capital from Addendum