Reducing costs has long been the purview of the chief procurement officer: slimming down margins meant they were doing a good job. The pandemic hasn’t completely upended cost savings as a priority, but it has shifted it into second place, according to Deloitte’s 2021 Global Procurement Officer Survey. For the first time since the company started producing the survey in 2011, "driving operational efficiencies" is the top CPO priority. The results reflect the changing role of the CPO, which now encompasses innovation, digital transformation, and introducing new products and services, among others, said Ryan Flynn, principal at Deloitte and author of the report. It also reflects that CPOs are doing business in a more complex world, with everything from climate change to geopolitical stability — and yes, pandemics — affecting how they best help their business’ overall mission.