Lo do , UK, Aug. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Om ea, the age tic ope ati g system fo p ocu eme t a d supplie ma ageme t, today a ou ced the appoi tme t of Michael va Keule (MVK) as CPO i Reside ce. MVK spe t decades leadi g p ocu eme t i side global e te p ises. At Om ea, he’ll b i g that lived expe ie ce to p oduct st ategy a d oadmap, a d guide custome s th ough thei p ocu eme t t a sfo matio s.
Michael va Keule joi s Om ea
MVK we t looki g fo a ole close to custome s a d e d-to-e d p ocess t a sfo matio , built o a platfo m that delive s o the p omise of AI. His etwo k kept givi g him o e a swe . So the appoi tme t bega with a pho e call i the othe di ectio — MVK app oached Om ea CEO a d fou de Be F eema di ectly.
“This ma ket has see mo e i ovatio i the last th ee yea s tha the p evious twe ty. The i take a d o chest atio playe s that took o Coupa while I was the e i t igued me — the ma ket eeded that competitio ,” said MVK. “But the mo e I esea ched a d spoke to my etwo k, the mo e I saw a simila p oduct a chitectu e a d app oach, with a p ettie f o t e d. AI is a ge e atio al oppo tu ity to do thi gs ge ui ely diffe e tly, a d a slightly shi ie P2P was ‘t e ough fo me. I wa ted a t uly AI- ative solutio . Om ea’s ame kept comi g up. The deepe I dug, the mo e ce tai I became. This was it.”
MVK b i gs ea ly 30 yea s of expe ie ce spa i g fi a ce, p ocu eme t, a d e te p ise t a sfo matio . He helped build the p ocu eme t fu ctio at VF Co po atio , the pa e t compa y of b a ds i cludi g The No th Face, Timbe la d, a d Va s, befo e se vi g as the Head of P ocu eme t at Lululemo . He the spe t five yea s at Coupa, fi st as Chief P ocu eme t Office a d late as P actice Leade , whe e he advised some of the wo ld’s la gest o ga izatio s o p ocu eme t t a sfo matio a d digital st ategy.
“MVK has see this ma ket f om eve y seat, a d obody is bette placed to help ou custome s seize what AI makes possible tha someo e who has led e te p ise t a sfo matio f om the i side,” said Be F eema , CEO a d fou de of Om ea. “He’ll wo k shoulde to shoulde with ou custome s, a d sha pe how we build ou age tic ope ati g system fo p ocu eme t. Havi g him choose Om ea is a p oud mome t fo us.”
Om ea t ipled eve ue i the twelve mo ths to Ju e 2026, its thi d co secutive yea of mo e tha 3x g owth, with e te p ises i cludi g PayPal, Just Eat, a d T. Rowe P ice selecti g the platfo m i the fi st half of the yea . Global headcou t g ew 64% i H1, with the New Yo k team g owi g 250% as US adoptio accele ates.
“The ext ge e atio of p ocu eme t i ovatio wo ‘t be measu ed by how ma y wo kflows it automates o age ts it impleme ts,” added MVK. “It will be measu ed by how i tellige tly it helps busi esses make bette decisio s. I’m excited to build that futu e with Om ea.”
Om ea is the age tic ope ati g system fo p ocu eme t a d supplie ma ageme t. It co ects a compa y’s systems, automates its wo kflows, a d gives huma s a d age ts o e place to ma age supplie s a d co t ol spe d. Fou ded i Lo do a d with offices i New Yo k City, Om ea has aised ove $75M f om i vesto s i cludi g I sight Pa t e s, Khosla Ve tu es, a d Accel. Lea mo e at om ea.co
Nick Ba ke ick.b [at] om ea.cohttps://www.om ea.co/
