The Way We Source (Kodiak Hub)

Timestamps:

(04:51) What the Sourcing Industry Group (SIG) is really all about

(07:20) The responsibility that comes with managing 17 trillion in spend

(09:06) How does Procurement get away from being only about Cost Savings?

(11:39) Finding the right balance between facilitating the dialogue while also challenging it, as a network leader

(13:38) Which areas has she felt the need to challenge Procurement Pro's in?

(16:17) How can we get more females in leadership roles in Procurement?

(19:29) Having a diverse staff to foster supplier diversity

Links:

Dawn Tiura on LinkedIn

Sourcing Industry Group (SIG)

This episode, we’re joined by a ProcureTech pioneer - Heiko Schwarz, founder & CEO of riskmethods. Heiko discusses his journey as a ProcureTech founder, how risk management has evolved over the last decade, the next big trends he sees coming in procurement, and more! 

(00:39) - Introducing Heiko

(01:11) - What does Sourcing & Procurement mean to Heiko?

(02:20) - How’s life for Heiko as a ProcureTech pioneer?

(03:47) - What does Heiko think will be the next big talent trends in Procurement? 

(05:58) - What products and solutions did Heiko develop with riskmethods? 

(10:44) - How has Heiko seen Supplier Risk Management grow in his career?
(14:39) - Where is Supplier Risk Management headed next?

(17:10) - Did Heiko ever feel lonely as a founder?

(19:40) - What were the biggest changes that Heiko saw in his business throughout different stages of growth?

(24:11) - What was one of Heiko’s biggest learnings as an entrepreneur?

(27:35) - What was the journey to break into the US market like?

(31:08) - How did riskmethods get their first early-adopter clients in the US?

(33:55) - Heiko answers our quick-fire round of questions 

Our latest episode stands out from the previous ones a little bit - we got the chance to speak to Tom Jackson, Co-founder at Honest Ocean, a supplier of fully transparent and traceable recycled ocean plastic materials.

Hear about their mission and story of how they started Honest Ocean to combat the growing problem of plastic pollution in one of the worst affected area in the world.

We’ll also touch on topics like; Accountability among businesses and the problem of greenwashing. What Tom learned from his time in FMCG on Supplier Enabled Development and the problem of virgin manufacturing vs. recycled Infrastructure in Indonesia.

(01:32) - What does sourcing & procurement mean to Petra and what makes it so central to a business?

(03:25) - How Petra decided to start working in Procurement

(05:42) - Petra describes her role at Saab and its business areas

(07:31) - Petra talks about the importance of Procurement in the Defense industry and its unique challenges

(10:04) - Does Saab reflect on the social and geopolitical ramifications of the Defense solutions that it produces?

(11:27) - What are the similarities and differences of Procurement within the Defense and Telecom industries?

(14:45) - How does Saab segment their suppliers?

(16:18) - How has Saab grown closer to their strategic partners and suppliers?

(17:42) - How has the role of Procurement within the Defense industry shifted over the years?

(19:13) - What is Petra’s advice for Procurement teams to get ahead of risk?

(20:27) - What is one thing that needs to change within Procurement?

(21:37) - What does Petra know now that she wished she knew at the start of her career?

(22:38) - Petra’s quick fire round of questions

Links:

Petra Sjögren Linkedin

Saab Aeronautics

🎙How can Procurement, Sustainability and Supply Chain teams become better at cleaning their Supplier Data?

What are some of the pitfalls when launching projects to clean your data and how could it potentially harm your business by not investing in cleaning your data? 🧐 Also, what are companies actually getting right with their data?

Susan Walsh - The Classification Guru has been working with classification, cleansing and quality assurance of data for 10+ years in various roles until she started her own company: The Classification Guru Ltd, where she helps businesses save money & make better business decisions with accurate data and spend analytics

She's a TEDx talker and released her own book called "Between the Spreadsheets. Classifying and Fixing Dirty Data".
It's safe to say, when it comes to data, she's seen it all!

Timestamps:

(3:10) What made her start with data?

(4:50) Difference between dirty data inhouse/consultancy?

(6:20) What are companies getting wrong in their journey towards clean data?

(10:44) What are companies getting right with their data?

(11:42) Tips on how to distribute your content in social media

(19:28) How are we gonna get to clean ESG data with all that dirty data?

(20:40) What are the most important data to be gathering to meet ESG Goals?

Links:

Susan Walsh Linkedin 

https://www.theclassificationguru.com/ 

The Way We Source is a podcast hosted by Kodiak Hub SRM Software, where we share our talks with procurement practitioners, leaders, experts, consultants, content gurus and people that we find downright inspiring!

In this episode we have the pleasure of hosting the partner of the Art of Procurement, host of the podcast: Dial P for Procurement on the Supply Chain Now network, and managing director of Buyer's Meeting Point: Kelly Barner!

She will give us some concrete tips on what type of market intelligence, procurement teams should be looking at to drive real value. Also, what role she thinks technology and market intelligence should be playing together with procurement, given recent years and today's climate in procurement

We’ll be talking about how she thinks hired sourcing has evolved during the past years, her take on the current state of talent and recruitment and if we’re moving into an era of specialists or generalists in procurement.

All of that and much more in our first ever episode of The Way We Source! Tune in ✌🏼

Timestamps:

(5:11) - How the field of Sourcing Consultants has evovled during her years? 

(8:21) - Current trends & the state of talent, recruitment and teams in Procurement that she's seen.

(11:18) - Are we moving more towards Specialist or Generalist roles in Procurement?  

(14:39) - What roles should Technology and Market Intelligence be playing together with Procurement, given recent years and today's climate Procurement? 

(17:50) - Concrete tips on what type of Market Intelligence, Procurement Teams should be looking at

(21:30) - Topics in procurement she's currently extra passionate about

Links:

Kelly Barner LinkedIn

Dial P for Procurement

Art of Procurement

Buyers Meeting Point

In this fantastic episode, we’re joined by Jason Cipriano, a seasoned CPO/Procurement Executive who has built organizations at Fortune 500s such as Nike and startups alike, and now the Founder of Tivore consulting. 

With 15+ years of experience and $15B+ impacted sourcing, Jason sat down with Sam to share his insights about procurement leadership, strategy, supplier relationships & diversity, ESG, procuretech adoption, and much more! 

(00:39) - Introducing Jason

(02:38) - What does Jason think are the differences between direct and indirect Procurement? 

(4:47) - What made Jason decide to work in Procurement & Sourcing? 

(07:29) - What’s Jason’s advice for starting up a Procurement organization?

(08:52) - How can a Procurement team start making strategic sourcing a reality?

(11:09) - Where should a Procurement team start to create a Category Management strategy?

(12:35) - What are the pros and cons of sourcing for a valuable logo? 

(15:11) - What still makes Jason excited about working in Procurement?

(17:50) - When is it time for a Procurement team to challenge their organization with a Supplier Diversity plan? 

(20:52) - Does Jason think that DEI will become as popular in Europe & APAC as it is in America now? 

(24:10) - How does Jason empower Procurement teams with Tivore consulting? 

(28:13) -  When it comes to selling Procurement tech, what makes a great sales pitch? 

(30:16) - How can Procurement learn about how Sales sells to buy better?

(32:48) - Which B2B podcasts has Jason found most valuable to listen to? 

(34:58) - How valuable is a reference when making buying decisions? 

(37:03) - Where are the majority of Procurement teams still immature? 

(38:37) - Why aren’t Procurement teams investing enough in SRM programs?

(40:52) -  Does Jason think that the US is behind Europe on ESG?

(43:20) - Does Jason believe that Procurement should have the responsibility of making a sustainable impact? If so, are they equipped to do so? 

(46:57) - Jason answers our round of quick-fire questions 

In this episode, we’re joined by Francesco Bassoli, an accomplished Procurement leader and practitioner with over 20 years of experience, having previously served as the CPO of Alcoa and the VP of Global Procurement at Amcor. 

Francesco discusses how his background in engineering has influenced his career in Procurement, how he’s transitioned to different industries during his Procurement career, his thoughts on how Procurement can drive Sustainability within their organizations, and more! 

(00:38) - Introducing Francesco

(01:36) - What does Sourcing and Procurement mean to Francesco?

(03:32) - Why has Procurement typically been seen as a secondary function within organizations even though it’s so vital? 

(06:10) - Has Francesco’s background as an engineer influenced his work in Procurement? 

(08:44) - How has Francesco taken lessons from each of the different industries that he’s worked in during his Procurement career?

(14:08) - Is it challenging to change industries as a Procurement practitioner? And does Francesco have any advice for doing so? 

(17:57) - What does Francesco think that the mega-trend of “Sustainability” means for Procurement and its practitioners? 

(22:56) - How can businesses practically lay the groundwork for sustainable development throughout their supply chains? 

(27:38) - How can Procurement convince their businesses that Sustainability brings a competitive edge? 

(31:28) - Francesco answers our quick-fire round of questions

This episode, we’re joined by Jonathan O’Brien, CEO @ Positive Purchasing, who empowers practioners and teams to transform their procurement and negotiation capability through world-leading digital platforms, high-impact training, and coaching. In his career of Procurement coaching and though leadership, he has trained over 15k people in more than 350 organizations in 48 countries across the globe.

Jonathan joins Sam for a fantastic discussion about succeeding with strategic goals, AI adoption and success, sustainable Procurement & ESG regulations, how to facilitate strong training, the state of Category Management, and more! 

Get in touch with Jonathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanobrien-at-positive-purchasing/

And learn more about Positive Purchasing: https://positivepurchasing.com/ 

Discover what Kodiak Hub’s end-to-end SRM system can do for your team: https://www.kodiakhub.com 

(00:40) - Introducing Jonathan O’Brien

(01:29) - What does Sourcing & Procurement mean to Jonathan?

(02:59) - How can Procurement make the shift to succeeding with long-term strategic goals? 

(04:17) - What did Jonathan name his business Positive Purchasing? 

(06:32) - What changes has Jonathan seen in Procurement regarding Sustainability? 

(08:23) - Will we see the same type of ESG regulations in the US? 

(10:37) - What still gets Jonathan excited about Procurement?

(12:13) - How does Positive Purchasing help Procurement teams and how do they cut through the noise of the market?

(14:49) - How does one ensure that AI can be adopted and make a real impact in a Procurement team? 

(18:00) - What role does training play in ProcureTech adoption and how does Jonathan facilitate strong training?

(23:51) - Where does Jonathan see Procurement teams lacking knowledge?

(25:44) - Is Category Management dead?

(29:10) - What are the secrets to good Category Management and what is the 5 I method? 

(33:10) - Is good Category Management attainable for organizations who are bogged down with operational work?

(36:35) - How is Category Management going to evolve in the coming years?

(38:08) - How does Procurement go from data and information to knowledge?

(40:00) - Jonathan answers our round of quick-fire questions

Life of a Founder

• “Businesses can’t afford to react to what their customers want; they need to anticipate their needs.” ~ Parker Harris, co-founder – Salesforce; as Founder, you have a continuous responsibility to ensure Kloopify’s product is delighting your customers. How do you make sure this is the case? 

• As they often say - the job of being a founder is typically a lonely one, even with co-founders. Do you ever feel this loneliness? If so, why? If not, how do you avoid those feelings? 

• What’s one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you founded Kloopify? 

• Do you have 2-3 concrete tips for any ProcureTech founders out there listening - starting their own journeys? 

Sustainability - How can Procurement Make an impact

• With the fact that Kloopify’s solution is so laser focused on sustainable procurement, why is it that you position yourself as a ProcureTech solution rather than a SustTech solution?

• How do you believe the Procurement Function can best aid a business to reach it’s sustainability goals?

• What are Procurement Teams getting wrong when it comes to sustainable procurement? What are they getting right?

• Do you have 2-3 concrete tips for procurement teams that is looking to evolve in their sustainable impact?
  

  
  

• Daniel Osio Linkedin⁠

• ⁠Kloopify Website⁠

We're joined by Pedro Berrocoso, a Digital Procurement & Process Automation advisor and founder of AccelerIQ – a boutique consultancy helping businesses to maximize process and technology value with a human-centric view. As a Digital & AI enthusiast, he is passionate about advancing Procurement into the future. Pedro lead a Center of Excellence for Digital Innovation in his recent role and before that held various roles as Head of Procurement Processes and Tools across CPG, Pharma and Energy businesses. 

In this fantastic conversation, Pedro joins Sam to discuss AI in Procurement, change management, how to drive digital literacy & maturity in Procurement teams, how to build champions for new technology & processes, and more! 

Connect with Pedro on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pedroberrocoso/ 

Learn more about Kodiak Hub's SRM System: https://www.kodiakhub.com/

Timestamps:

(00:38) - Introducing Pedro

(01:37) - What does Procurement & Sourcing mean to Pedro?

(03:10) - What still excites Pedro about Procurement?

(04:42) - How do we avoid the incoming AI apathy coming to Procurement? 

(06:27) - Which areas of Procurement will AI make the biggest impact?

(09:15) - What is the difference between structured and unstructured data? 

(10:52) - Where are Procurement teams typically mature and which areas do they need to work on more?

(13:15) - How can Procurement close the gap towards maturity?

(14:46) - Should Procurement teams have a North Star metric and how can they develop it?

(16:35) - What’s Pedro’s approach to Procurement advising with AccelerIQ? 

(18:28) - How does a Procurement team best build a culture of digital literacy?

(22:12) - What transitions in technology has Pedro seen in Procurement? 

(26:50) - What does Pedro think will be the next era of digital transformation in Procurement?

(30:00) - How does one go about building a strong Center of Excellence? 

(33:20) - How do you go about building champions for new processes or technology, and what are some of the greatest barriers to building champions?

(36:42) - Does Pedro think that there will applications of Procurement technology from the bottom up?

(41:39) - Pedro answers our round of quick-fire questions

- Some of the biggest challenges Procurement is facing today.

- Practical tips on what Procurement should be doing to align with the overall business goals.

- Digital Transformation in Procurement.

- What sets apart good CPO's from great CPO's - and some shoutouts to some CPO's he thinks are really pushing the envelope today.

- The importance of storytelling.

- What are some of the big trends in Procurement & supply Chain in the next 3 to 5 years?

Links:

Simon Geale LinkedIn

Proxima Group

Kodiak Hub

In this special episode, we’re joined by one of Kodiak Hub’s beloved partners - Denin Gigovic, Elektrobit’s Global Head of Procurement. 

Denin joins Sam for a great discussion about how Procurement can help power innovation together with suppliers, how to balance cost with innovation, building strong relationships between internal stakeholders and external suppliers, the future of Procurement, and more!

(00:39) - Introducing Denin

(01:10) - What does Sourcing & Procurement mean to Denin?

(03:48) - What are some of the keys to career development in Procurement? 

(09:32) - Denin talks about his Procurement role at Elektrobit 

(11:11) - How does the competitiveness of different industries affect the way Procurement teams act and react? 

(12:50) - How does Denin and Elektrobit balance cost with innovation? 

(13:52) - What supplier relationship tactics does Denin use to drive innovation and get the most value? 

(15:15) - How does Procurement mesh their relationships with internal stakeholders and external suppliers? 

(18:46) - How does Denin make sure to stay operational in the business and what tips does he have? 

(21:13) - Is there any way that Elektrobit is experimenting with AI? 

(25:04) - How does legislation and export control affect the way that Denin and Elektrobit source? 

(28:25) - Does Denin have any suggestions for how to be compliant with the recent legislative tsunami? 

(32:33) - What is a mistake or learning that Denin has had in his career? 

(34:12) - What are some Procurement tactics that Denin thinks are a thing of the past? 

(35:34) - Are there things that have changed with Denin’s supplier relationship strategies? 

(37:51) - Denin answers our Kodiak Moment quick fire round of questions

Timestamps:

- (03:50) Some productivity tips & how he got into Procure Tech

- (08:10) Why he left working as a practitioner in procurement?

- (09:36) What they do at Proctopus and Procurementsoftware.site

- (14:27) Where does he see the industry of procurement and tech be moving towards?

- (19:23) Best-of-Breed vs All-in-One

- (24:09) What's his biggest tip to ProcureTech Vendors?

Links:
Procurement Software.site  
Proctopus
James Meads LinkedIn 

We’re thrilled to be joined by a household name in the Procurement space, Omer Abdullah - former Principal at A.T. Kearney, co-founder of The Smart Cube, and author of “Risk and Your Supply Chain: Preparing for the Next Global Crisis.” Sam talks to Omer about the changes he’s seen in Procurement in his 30-year career, the adoption of ProcureTech solutions and how it will transform teams in the future, whether the hype around GenAI is justified, and more! 

Timestamps:

(00:40) - Introducing Omer

(01:25) - What does Sourcing & Procurement mean to Omer?

(02:50) - What made Omer decide to work in Procurement?

(04:16) - What is “high performance intelligence” for Procurement in 2023?

(06:50) - Where does Omer think that Procurement teams are lacking intelligence? 

(09:20) - What does Omer think about the hype around GenAI in Procurement?

(12:31) - What Procurement roles will be most affected by GenAI?

(16:11) - What does the effects of technology on Procurement teams mean for ProcureTech vendors? 

(19:17) - Is the future of ProcureTech adoption bottom-up? 

(23:00) - Is the average Procurement team ready for the adoption of cutting-edge ProcureTech or is it still only for the digital natives?

(24:00) - Why is Procurement talking about GenAI so much if most teams aren’t ready to adopt it? 

(25:55) - How do we avoid leaving people behind with the adoption of ProcureTech? 

(27:55) - What’s one think Omer knows now that he wishes he knew at the beginning of his career?

(30:53) - Omer answers our quick-fire round of questions

This episode, we’re joined by Stephen Day, CPO of Kantar and an accomplished international executive with expertise in operations management, supply chain purchasing, and multi-country transformation and change. Stephen shares with us the lessons that he’s learned in his 30-year career in Procurement at organisations such as Rolls Royce, Phillips, T-Mobile, and Vodafone, and how he’s witnessed the evolution of ProcureTech and its impact on creating end-to-end value for businesses.

(01:59) - What exactly does Sourcing & Procurement mean to you?

(02:35) - Is Procurement & Sourcing always valued in the business as a value-adder?

(03:17) - Any tips for someone starting out in a leadership position in Procurement?

(05:35) - What made you decide to work in Procurement?

(08:20) - How does your role at Kantar differ from your previous roles in Procurement?

(12:08) - Have you seen Procurement technology shift during your career?

(14:00) - What’s something you know about ProcureTech today that you wish you knew earlier in your career?

(15:53) - How can a Procurement leader best encourage an org to adopt new technology?

(20:00) - What’s the process of going from a new business without any ProcureTech in place to where you are today?

(22:26) - What was it like to implement Procurement transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic?

(23:30) - Steve on diversity in Procurement and the Growth Mindset

(24:35) - Steve on the lessons he’s learned as a Procurement leader

(27:14) - How did your team face the challenges of maverick spend and redundant suppliers?

(29:20) - Have you seen a shift in diversity & inclusivity within Procurement? And has this resulted in more inclusive spend?

(32:28) - Steve’s Kodiak Moment quick-fire round

This episode, we’re joined by Alex Evans, a procurement practitioner with a wide range of experience in the aerospace and defense sector – having previous sourced for Boeing, Leonardo, Vertical Aerospace, and Heart Aerospace before joining Elbit Systems UK as their Supply Chain Manager.
Alex discusses his experiences of working at both multinationals and startups, the differences and similarities between Procurement in aerospace vs. other industries, whether Procurement has won the trust of stakeholders, how to build a supplier base from scratch, which SRM tactics are dead or here to stay, and more! 

(00:39) - Introducing Alex

(01:03) - How did Alex start working in Procurement & Sourcing?

(01:50) - What makes Alex stay in Procurement and what does it means to him? 

(02:48) - How is Procurement in the aerospace and defense industry different from Procurement in other industries? 

(03:43) - What’s the biggest difference between working in Procurement for multinationals vs. startups? 

(05:44) - Is it hard for Procurement teams in startups to get things right?

(07:24) - Do multinationals have something to learn from startups?

(09:00) -  Where do you start with building a Procurement team in a startup? 

(12:00) - Does Procurement have playbooks and who should be responsible for creating them? 

(13:47) - Has Procurement won the trust of stakeholders? 

(15:37) - What is some advice that Alex can give for building trust with stakeholders?

(17:11) - Where does one start to build up a new supplier base?

(19:15) - How many suppliers should a Procurement professional have in their back pocket?

 (21:09) - How do you develop a supplier who isn’t delivering up to expectations? 

 (25:18) - What are some of the traditional Supplier Relationship Management tactics that are dead now? 

(26:24) - What are some SRM tactics that are here to stay? 

(28:05) - Alex answers our Kodiak Moment round of quick-fire questions

Keith McCabe is the Founder & Managing Director of AVAM Solutions, a specialist procurement and supply chain consultancy focused on cost reduction, supplier performance, project delivery, and strategy. Before taking his knowledge into consultancy, Keith was an experienced Procurement practitioner and leader at organizations such as NHS, United Biscuits, Carillion, and Aramark. Keith is also a Procurement and Supply Chain thought leader as the Co-Founder and Host at Proctopus. 

(00:40) - Introducing Keith

(01:29) - How did Keith start with Procurement? Did he choose it or did it choose him? 

(04:18) - Does creativity play a role in Procurement?

(06:19) - Why does Keith say that Procurement is one of the last entrepreneurial roles?

(09:08) - Is there an experience where Keith felt truly entrepreneurial in Procurement? 

(13:46) - What does Keith think it takes to make the transition from a Procurement practitioner into a leader?

(16:55) - What are the key ways that Keith has seen Procurement’s role evolve in the last 25 years?

(21:24) -  Does Keith think that savings will ever be less important for Procurement than sustainability?

(22:57) - What’s the most interesting learning that Keith has had in his journey?

(28:55) - What has kept Keith still working in Procurement? 

(30:41) - Is it okay to get creative in negotiating with suppliers? 

(37:23) - What helped Keith make the transition into Procurement consulting?

(43:45) - Does humor have a place in Procurement? 

(48:04) - Keith answers our round of quick-fire questions

(50:23) - Get in touch with Keith! 

In this episode, we’re joined by Constantin Conquet, Head of Procurement at Monks – the global marketing and technology services provider that accelerates business possibilities and refines how brands and businesses interact with the world – and a seasoned Procurement professional with over 10 years of experience at companies like Adidas and Sanofi. 

Constantin joins Sam for a great discussion about how Sales experience can influence Buying, the role of brands in supplier negotiations, the differences between tech & material procurement, how Procurement should adopt technologies & build their tech stack, and much more! 

(00:39) - Introducing Constantin 

(01:30) - What does Sourcing & Procurement mean to Constantin?

(02:58) - How much does Constantin think that Procurement is commercial vs. soft skills? 

(03:58) - How did Constantin’s previous experience in Sales influence his work in Procurement? 

(05:03) - Did Constantin’s experience in Sales make him a better Buyer?

(05:50) - Did Constantin choose Procurement or did Procurement choose Constantin? And why did Constantin transition into Procurement?

(07:53) - Why does Constantin think that Procurement has become so hot today?

(09:20) - How can the nature of a company’s brand or product influence their Procurement? 

(12:42) - Should Procurement leverage their brand in their supply negotiations? 

(13:51) - Do Procurement pros have a harder time or easier time buying procurement technology when they’re also the user profile? 

(16:42) - Do Procurement teams ever get handcuffed by the process and focus on digitization instead of digitalization? 

(19:26) - How does Constantin stay ahead of the trends as a tech buyer?

(21:55) - Is Procurement focused on building a resilient tech stack? 

(24:12) - What does Constantin think is the best way to build a culture of learning, development, and change? 

(26:40) - When does Constantin think that a company needs IT or tech buying? 

(29:44) - How does tech & IT procurement differ from material procurement? And is there anything these disciplines can learn from each other? 

(33:40) - How do software providers maintain long relationships with Procurement and can Procurement use a software for more than 5 years? 

(36:00) - When is it the right or wrong time for Procurement to buy from a tech startup? 

(39:05) - Constantin answers Sam’s quick fire round of questions

On this episode, we’re joined by Vera Rozanova - a Procurement thought leader, award-winning speaker, CIPS lecturer, and former CPO at Royal Canin, British American Tobacco, Rusagro, and Procter & Gamble. 

Vera joins Sam for a great discussion about the future of Procurement, how to build new plans and frameworks, building strong Supplier Development Programs, the necessary skills for Procurement teams, new technology adoption, and more! 

(00:39) - Introducing Vera  

(01:32) - How did Vera get started in Procurement? 

(02:58) - What does Vera think Procurement is today and where is it going? 

(03:58) - How will Procurement teams look different under Procurement 4.0? 

(05:29) - What are Vera’s concrete tips to impact culture and building processes and frameworks quickly? 

(06:39) - What are Vera’s guidelines for building a plan and executing on it in a new organization? 

(08:17) - How does Vera source the best talent for Procurement when she’s hiring? 

(11:02) - What skills does Vera look for in a new hire besides soft skills & hard skills? 

(12:31) - Are there specialist Procurement roles that have emerged today which will stick around for the future? 

(15:01) - What is Vera’s approach to supplier development within a global multi-national? 

(17:25) - Does Vera use a specific segmentation model for suppliers or develop one based on the business? 

(19:04) - What type of team and skills are needed for a strong supplier development plan? 

(21:50) - When is it the right time to work with supplier learning and development? 

(22:24) - When is the wrong time to work with supplier development? What are the signs that it’s too early or late? 

(24:11) - Are supplier development programs only necessary for strategic suppliers or a certain level of maturity? 

(25:22) - Which Procurement tactics are not going anywhere and here to stay? 

(27:36) - Where are Procurement teams wasting time on manual tasks? 

(28:25) - Is there a reluctancy to adopt new technologies in Procurement? 

(29:18) - Vera answers our Kodiak Moment round of quick-fire questions

In this episode, we’re joined by a household name and thought leader in Procurement – Peter Smith. With over 40 years (or make that 30 years) of experience, Peter has worked with Procurement as a practitioner, professor, Managing Editor of Spend Matters Europe, and author of the books “Bad Buying” and “Procurement with Purpose.” He joins us to discuss how he’s seen Procurement evolve during his career and where it’s going in the future, where Procurement is succeeding and “F’ing up,” how to avoid “Bad Buying,” and more! 

(00:40) - Introducing Peter

(02:25) - What does Procurement & Sourcing mean to Peter?

(04:40) - How has the role of Procurement evolved over Peter’s career and why has it changed? 

(08:36) - What topics does Peter see are most pressing for the next generation of Procurement in university? 

(11:45) - How well is the theory of Sustainable Procurement aligning with the actual practice? 

(12:52) - How do Procurement leaders go beyond just “ticking the boxes” and drive truly Sustainable Procurement?

(16:10) - Where does Peter see businesses succeeding and where are they F’ing up? 

(18:52) - How does Peter think that targets are actually influencing Procurement practitioners? 

(22:26) - How does Peter think that businesses are F’ing up? 

(26:13) - What are some steps that Procurement can take to avoid Bad Buying? 

(30:48) - Peter talks about the importance of investing in Contract Management

(34:20) - Peter answers our quick-fire round of questions 

In this episode, we’re joined by Nico Bac – Founder of Digital Procurement Now, former Senior Director at Procter & Gamble, and an expert in Digital Procurement Transformation with over 20 years of experience in Purchasing.

Nico joins Sam for a fantastic discussion about digital transformation in Procurement – from building business cases and being bold about new technology needs, to overcoming struggles and succeeding with tech adoption, to closing Procurement’s knowledge gaps with technology, and much more! 

(00:38) - Introducing Nico

(01:16) - What does Sourcing & Procurement mean to Nico?

(02:12) - What is Nico excited about Procurement today? 

(03:32) - Nico talks about his 20+ years experience in Procurement at Procter & Gamble

(07:25) - Why does Nico think that Technology and Procurement are two different worlds? 

(09:18) - Does Nico think that Procurement dares to be bold today? 

(11:18) - How can Procurement build better business cases for new technology adoption? 

(13:47) - Why are Procurement teams struggling to get the tech that they need and how can they succeed?
(17:14) - How does a business formulate their problem statement before going to the ProcureTech market? 

(19:10) - Does Procurement have a harder time buying things that they themselves will use? 

(21:02) - What do ProcureTech companies need to do better to ensure that businesses adopt their technology? 

(25:20) - How does Nico think that Procurement can close their knowledge gap with Technology? 

(28:11) - Is there a gap between Procurement’s expectations of technology and hyper-productivity? 

(32:55) - What does Nico think are the biggest trends coming to Procurement in the next 5 years?

(35:35) - Does Nico believe that best-in-breed solutions will last or ProcureTech will move towards consolidated suites?

(38:42) - Nico answers our round of quick-fire questions

(04:48) What inspired them to start BT Sourced? 

(06:36) How BT are challenging and reinventing the traditional procurement model 

(10:43) What other Chief Procurement Officers can do to challenge their current model of procurement

(15:20) The results they've seen due to their Digital Transformation and what they like to call; their Digital Procurement Garage

(22:46) How the Digital Solutions, that BT has adopted, has driven forward their sustainability initiative 

Links:

Cyril Pourrat

BT Sourced

Kodiak Hub SRM Platform

(04:49) How Supplier Management & Collaboration compares to other procurement processes in levels of maturity?

(07:00) Important steps to develop Supplier Management & Collaboration frameworks and programs.

(09:00) How to know which suppliers to invest more time in & does the Kraljic Matrix still work?

(10:59) Which KPI's should you use to measure the success of Collaboration & Innovation initiatives? 

(15:20) How can KPI's help to drive more influence within the organization, in procurement teams and among suppliers?

(19:42) What are some of the new skills needed to deliver value in terms of collaboration & innovation in 2022/2023?

(22:18) Does he believe that procurement technology truly can impact supplier management and collaboration?

(24:36) The shift he thinks companies need to take, to be the preferred customer - in good & bad times?

Links:

Hubert Verweij LinkedIn

What we'll be talking about in this episode:

• Being a Interim CPO - How do you make the right decisions quickly while only being around for a short period of time? 
• What does it take to succeed as an interim leader?
• How do you ensure to gain the trust of your team members quickly, when entering into a new business?

• Expanding on his work on behavioural science in procurement - what does it mean?

• How do innate human behaviours play a role in buyer-supplier relationships?
• Concrete tips on how behavioural science can be applied to enhance their buyer-supplier relationships or aid them in negotiation?

• What is one thing he knows today that he wish he knew at the beginning of his professional career?

Links:

David Loseby Linkedin

Timestamps:

- How can procurement experts work actively to improve the image & brand of procurement?

- The biggest difference between direct and indirect buying?

- What experiences he took from a consumer buying experience which he could apply in his current role at Bibby Financial Services?

- How does working for Coop and Clarks differ compared to working in smaller organisations?

- Greatest challenges, learnings and successes from building a procurement function from scratch.

- Concrete tips for people in immature or new procurement functions.

- What kind of talent & competency is important to find & expand upon as a new procurement organisation?

- What are some learnings he has from building up a new supplier base and/or taking over a supplier base from scratch?

- What’s one thing he knows now that he wish he knew at the beginning of his career?

Links:

Tom Mills LinkedIn

Procurement Bites Newsletter

In this episode, Sam is joined by Pascal Evertz, a Procurement Innovator, Founder of GoBeyondProcurement, and Owner & Managing Director of Buyers United. With over 25 years of experience in the industry and a doctorate in Business Administration, Pascal has consulted numerous global businesses with training and development in bespoke AI solutions.

Pascal shares his knowledge with Sam in an enlightening discussion about AI solutions, Procurement’s digital transformation, the shift from cost savings to value creation, stronger supplier relationships, change management, and more!  

(00:40) - Introducing Pascal

(01:23) - What does Sourcing & Procurement mean to Pascal?

(02:14) - What made Pascal work in Procurement? 

(03:00) - What does Pascal do at GoBeyondProcurement? 

(04:26) - How does one avoid the buzz about AI as a Procurement practitioner? 

(05:35) - Why does Pascal think that some businesses might be hesitant to use AI in Procurement? 

(06:16) - Is Procurement ready for the next generation of technology? And if so, how do they get there? 

(08:00) - Why are Procurement teams not happy with their tools? 

(09:33) - Why does Pascal think that so many Procurement teams have trouble with change management? 

(10:12) - How can Procurement teams make the shift from cost savings to innovation and value? 

(13:08) - How does a team best leverage their suppliers’ competencies?

(16:28) - Are there Procurement tactics today that Pascal thinks will soon be a thing of the past? 

(17:37) - What are some traditional Procurement tactics that Pascal thinks are here to stay? 

(18:38) - Why are Procurement teams still using inefficient methods? 

(19:38) - Why does Procurement feel that they need to be in control? And how can Procurement get involved early to not come into the process too late? 

(24:26) - Pascal answers Sam’s quick fire round of questions

We’re joined by Anam Rahman - “Agent PO” and the Founder & CEO at Kavida, the AI solution that empowers manufacturing teams with post-PO management for on-time deliveries.

As a former procurement practitioner turned ProcureTech founder, Anam shares his wide range of Procurement insights with Sam Jenks in this great discussion, covering Kavida’s mission, AI adoption, PLG, Anam’s learnings as a founder, and more! 

(00:38) - Introducing Anam

(01:38) - What does Kavida do and why do teams need its solutions?

(04:11) - What lead Anam to found Kavida? 

(06:08) - Where does Kavida make the biggest impact for organizations today?

(08:06) - How will we find the balance between AI and human intelligence in Procurement? 

(11:48) - Is AI only for digital native companies or can any company adopt it? And what is needed to prepare a company to adopt AI solutions? 

(14:48) - What is PLG and what comes to mind for Adam about PLG? 

(18:15) - Will PLG ever work within the enterprise?

(21:57) - What was a learning in Anam’s journey and how did he move forward? 

(24:44) - What’s something Anam knows today that he wishes he’d known at the beginning of his career? 

(27:21) - What tips does Anam have for anyone on a founder’s journey? 

(30:08) - Anam answers our Kodiak Moment quick fire round of questions

This episode, we’re joined by Laura Sellers MCIPS, Executive & Leadership Coach @ Coaching for Procurement Ltd., who offers a wide range of bespoke leadership development services for Procurement teams. With 10+ years experience in leadership and management roles in Procurement & Supply Chain – including Head of Capital Support @ DHL Supply Chain and Compliance/Contract Operations Manager at Oliver James Associates – Laura supports Procurement teams to deliver value, increase self-awareness, and build confidence & self-belief so they can increase their impact within organizations. 

She joins Sam for this fantastic conversation where Laura shares her knowledge and insights from coaching a wide range of Procurement organizations, including how Category Management teams can break down barriers, how Procurement can solve its identity crisis & find its story, how Procurement can collaborate better with stakeholders, curiosity & creativity in Procurement, and much more! 

Get in touch with Laura at her LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-sellers/ 

(00:36) - Introducing Laura

(01:18) - What made Laura decide to work in Procurement?

(04:16) - What keeps Laura working in Procurement?

(05:18) - What’s Laura’s favorite sector or type of business to work with?

(06:41) - How does Laura help break down barriers between Category Management teams?

(08:25) - Is Procurement having an identity crisis? 

(12:05) - Is Procurement jargon getting in the way of being able to make an impact in organizations? 

(14:12) - Given its aversion to risk, is Procurement afraid of getting things wrong?

(17:03) - Where does curiosity and creativity play a role in Procurement teams? 

(21:11) - What are the key attributes of new talent in Procurement and how has that shifted over recent years?

(25:08) - How can Procurement pros make sure that they’re both a good negotiation and a good partner to suppliers? 

(28:14) - How do we make more good coaches in Procurement? 

(30:40) - Is there a skillset or tactics that Procurement teams are missing for development?

(33:10) - How does Procurement develop and tell its story to stakeholders?

(37:08) - Laura answers our quick-fire round of questions

To elevate your Procurement & SRM, book a meeting with Kodiak Hub: https://www.kodiakhub.com/request-demo

In this episode, we’re joined by Anna McGovern, CPIM, CSCP - Business & Consulting Partner at Tompkins Ventures, Founder & Managing Director at Pondview Consulting, former CPO at Unilever, and a Supply Chain & Procurement Evangelist helping business to streamline supply chains & procurement, boost efficiency, maximize value, and tapping into supplier networks for innovation and growth.
In this fantastic conversation, Anna and Sam discuss various lessons from her impressive career, the importance of strategic supplier relationships, how to drive procurement together with suppliers, and Procurement’s role within their business in this new era. 

(00:38) - Introducing Anna

(01:18) - What does Sourcing & Procurement mean to Anna?

(02:09) - How did Anna start working in Procurement?

(03:58) - What are the distinguishing factors between Buying and Procurement as a role?

(06:55) - When does Anna think it’s okay or wrong to take bets on supplier-led innovation?

(08:28) - Why should Procurement invest in supplier innovation?

(10:05) - What is the real responsibility of Procurement and how can they shift from a focus on savings to driving revenue?

(14:34) - Does Anna have any experiences with driving direct value through Procurement?

(19:31) - When is a supplier relationship too broken and you need to find a new supplier?

(21:01) - Which is more important: a deep, long-term, strategic supplier relationship or a reliable low-cost supplier?  

(24:46) - What is the importance of storytelling in Procurement & Supply Chain?

(29:32) - What is the role of Procurement to become a supplier’s Customer of Choice and what factors can influence that?

(32:39) - Is beating down on suppliers in cost negotiations a thing of the past?

(35:31) - What is a lesson that Anna would share with someone starting their career in Procurement & Supply Chain?

(38:11) - What’s one thing Anna knows today that she wishes she knew at the start of her Procurement career?

(40:29) - Anna answers Sam’s round of quick-fire questions

This week, we’re joined by Fredrik Taube, Head of Procurement at Söderberg & Partners and former Head of Sourcing for Ericsson. Fredrik discusses how he began his career in Sales at Ericsson before transitioning to Procurement and leading Ericsson’s global Sourcing team. He shares some lessons that he’s learned from having sat on both sides of the table to develop a 360-Degree Procurement Mindset and his experience with building a Procurement organization from scratch. 

Timestamps:

(01:24) - What does Sourcing & Procurement mean for Fredrik?

(02:08) - How did Fredrik end up working in Procurement?

(02:54) - Fredrik talks about his current procurement role at Söderberg & Partners

(03:50) - What lessons from Fredrik’s career has he taken into his work today? 

(05:31) - What are the most important tools for a Procurement professional to successfully transition into a new organization? 

(06:41) - What can Procurement learn from Sales, and vice-versa? 

(07:55) - How can Procurement & Sales improve their understanding of each other’s perspectives and needs? 

(09:18) - How has Fredrik seen an evolution in Buyer-Supplier relationships during his career?

(12:47) - What was the most challenging aspect of transitioning to Fredrik’s current position? 

(16:45) - What advice does Fredrik have for someone with the opportunity to build up a new Procurement org? 

(20:00) - How does talent recruitment differ between different types of Procurement teams? 

(21:26) - How does Fredrik assure that he stays current and up-to-date throughout his career? 

(23:59) - What does Fredrik see his Procurement peers doing right and wrong? 

(26:10) - What tips does Fredrik have for staying close to the pulse of a business operationally? 

(27:10) - What else are Procurement teams getting right today? 

(28:40) - What is something that Fredrik knows today that he wishes he knew at the beginning of his career? 

(30:59) - Fredrik answers our round of quick-fire questions

In this episode, we’re joined by Magnus Josephson, an accomplished Procurement expert and consultant with experience in both the private and public sectors. In his impressive career, Magnus has worked with over 600 companies and public entities in 12 countries and is one of Sweden’s top consultants in public Procurement. 

Magnus joins Sam to discuss the differences between public and private Procurement, the politics of public Procurement, how to build sustainable supplier relationships in the public sector, and more! 

(00:38) - Introducing Magnus

(01:08) - What made Magnus choose Procurement and what does it mean to Magnus?

(02:36) - What’s something that Magnus knows now that he wishes he knew at the beginning of his career?

(04:54) - What was an experience in Magnus’ career that was pivotal? 

(08:58) - What are the biggest differences between public and private Procurement?

(10:25) - How political does public Procurement get?

(13:23) - How does public Procurement maintain long-term relationships with suppliers than also have flexibility? 

(18:39) - Are there any Procurement tactics that Magnus thinks aren’t going anywhere and are here to stay?

(22:14) - How does public Procurement have external pressure to spend taxpayer money responsibly? 

(27:29) - Magnus answers our Kodiak Moment quick fire round of questions

• • For our listeners out there who don’t know what you’re doing at Pactum, could you please give an intro to the business? 

  • What made you co-found Pactum? 

  Life of a Founder

  • “Businesses can’t afford to react to what their customers want; they need to anticipate their needs.” ~ Parker Harris, co-founder – Salesforce; as co-Founder, but also CPO, you have a continuous responsibility to ensure Pactum’s product is delighting your customers. How do you make sure this is the case? 

  • As they often say - the job of being a founder is typically a lonely one, even with co-founders. Do you ever feel this loneliness? If so, why? If not, how do you avoid those feelings? 

  • What’s one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you founded Pactum? 

  • Do you have 2-3 concrete tips for any ProcureTech founders out there listening - starting their own journeys? 

  Building Best of Class Procurement Teams

  • In Layman terms; how does Pactum’s  Autonomous Negotiation solution work in practice? 

  • What are the primary benefits of leveraging Pactum’s solution? 

  • The majority of Pactum’s customers are rather mature, or visionary in their ProcureTech stack - daring to adopt new technologies like AI - do you believe this will become more common? 

  • How can a less mature business adopt AI? Do teams need certain competencies to leverage this kind of tech? What is the barrier for more to adopt? 

  • There’s this age old idea that AI will take jobs, what’s your view on that?

  
  
  
  
  

(05:57) Why Andreas started mysupply

(09:00) His tips to founders of ProcureTech companies

(16:03) How Autonomous Sourcing will change the ways Procurement Professionals work

(20:58) The importance of keeping human intelligence at the core of buying decisions

(23:37) What are procurement teams are missing out on when it comes to autonomous sourcing? 

Links

Andreas Zimmermann LinkedIn

mysupply

David goes through what Logitech did in order to start working more with diverse spend, gender equality and what your company should do if they want to improve in these important areas. We'll also talk about what procurement should do to get "a seat at the table" and his tips on mindset for people just entering procurement as well as current leaders. 

Timestamps:
(5:58) How Procurement can get a seat at the table

(7:59) Some of the major shifts Logitech has done in Procurement

(10:42) Examples of how to improve your work in Supplier Diversity

(16:08) How to increase diverse and inclusive spend

(21:20) How to work internally with diversity in your teams

(24:24) Best takeaways from his career

Links:
www.linkedin.com/in/david-latten

Coalition For Gender Fair Procurement

What they don't teach you at Harvard Business School

In this episode, we’re joined by Keith Wright - Founder & CEO of K. Wright Consultancy and author of “The Power of Professional Procurement.”

With 25+ years experience as a Procurement practitioner, Keith shares his knowledge about Procurement’s new challenges, new role, and new value creation - as well as the best and worst practices that he’s seen in his consulting career. He also talks to Sam about why he made the transition from practitioner to consultant and the lessons that he’s shared about “Professional Procurement” in his new book. 

Visit Keith’s website to download his supplier scorecard and get a copy of “The Power of Professional Procurement”:
https://www.kwrightconsultancy.co.uk/ 

Or reach out to Keith on his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-wright-4aa823a8/

(00:38) - Introducing Keith

(01:49) - What does Sourcing & Procurement mean to Keith?

(04:25) – How did Keith end up working in Procurement? Did he choose it or did it choose him? 

(05:49) – Where does Keith think that Procurement can help the most? 

(07:38) – What made Keith switch from being a Procurement practitioner to an independent consultant?

(11:40) – What tip would Keith give to anyone looking to make the move into consulting? 

(13:04) – Does Keith see a common denominator for businesses that are getting Procurement right or wrong today?

(17:30) – What are the biggest challenges for Procurement teams today? 

(21:36) – What Procurement tactics does Keith see that should be a thing of the past?
(24:04) – What inspired Keith to write his book “The Power of Professional Procurement”? 

(27:07) – What are some of the key themes that Keith shared in his book “The Power of Professional Procurement”? 

(29:20) – What was some of the qualitative and quantitative data that Keith captured for writing his book? 

(32:22) – What does “Professional Procurement” look like to Keith? 

(34:19) – What are some of Keith’s top Procurement hacks? 

(38:14) – What advice would Keith give to himself at the beginning of his career?

(39:44) – Keith answers our Kodiak Moment quick fire round of questions

Timestamps:

(01:22) — What does Procurement & Sourcing mean to Alex? Alex talks about how Procurement has changed in recent years.

(03:20) — What made Alex decide to work in Procurement?

(04:43) — What made Alex found his company Nutral?

(05:47) — What is the gap in the market that Alex and Nutral are trying to fill?

(08:32) — Why did Alex decide to become a founder?

(10:28) — What lessons did Alex take from his career as a Procurement practitioner into his career as a founder?

(13:19) — Why do founders have a tough time talking about losses and failures?

(15:52) — Can Procurement function with complete authenticity and openness within a Buyer-Supplier relationship?

(19:23) — How does Alex believe that Procurement teams can become a force and a friend to the wider business?

(22:29) — What are companies currently getting right (or wrong) about ESG?

(24:38) — How can multinationals be convinced to make the sustainable choice when it’s also the more expensive choice?

(27:38) — What’s one thing that Alex wishes he would have known at the beginning of his career?

(29:40) — Kodiak Moment: Alex answers our quick-fire round of questions

(02:38) What does Sourcing & Procurement mean to him?

(05:43) How has Oatly actively worked with reducing Tail Spend? 

(09:05) How to bridge the gap between Procurement and Sales?

(11:35) Is Procurement a supporting- or a primary function? 

(14:34) What role does the sourcing department play in a high-growth environment like at Oatly? 

(17:45) How do they work with Responsible Sourcing at Oatly?

(21:20) His view of recruiting sourcing talent in a high-growth pace?

 (25:19) If he could, what would Jonas tell himself 20 years ago before he ventured into Sourcing? 

Links:

Oatly Website

Jonas Spannel LinkedIn

Mathew Schulz is the Founder of Matchat - modern procurement’s trusted voice that is changing the perception of procurement and movement followed by practitioners, business leaders, and founders at Google, Nike, Coca-Cola, Ramp, Stripe, Zip, American Express, Mastercard, All, Coupe, Amazon, and more. His work is read, viewed, and listened to by millions and featured on industry podcasts and major publications.

Prior to founding Matchat, Mathew has a seasoned career as a procurement practitioner at GE Aerospace, SS&C Eze, Forrester, and Airbase. 

Connect with Mat on his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathewschulz/

(00:39) - Introducing Mathew

(01:50) - How did Mathew go from the military to Procurement? 

(03:22) - Does Mathew think that Procurement is linear or more dynamic? 

(04:28) - What does Mathew do for Procurement organizations with Matchat?

(06:45) - What does Procurement need to do to truly attract the next generation of talent? 

(08:45) - What are some of the biggest opportunities for the Procurement community in the next few years?

(10:51) - What were Mathew’s takeaways from this year’s DPW event?

(15:08) - Where does Mathew see the most powerful applications of AI in Procurement? 

(18:53) - What’s most important for Procurement - People, Process, or Technology?

(21:11) - What does Mathew recommend to teams to drive transformations without the luxury of a green field? 

(24:53) - What are some of the big topics that people are talking about now with Matchat?

(29:36) - What role do suppliers play in Matchat’s community and the Procurement community?

(31:57) - What is the general perception of Procurement today? 

(34:22) - Where does a Procurement team start in Mathew’s experience?

(42:00) - What’s one thing that Mathew wishes he knew at the beginning of his career?

(44:28) - Mathew answers our round of quick-fire questions

In this episode, we’re joined by Rani Al Hajji, start-up advisor and an experienced marketing and brand manager in the FMCG space.

With over 25 years of experience with iconic brands such as L’Oreal, Garnier, Colgate, and Palmolive, Rani joins Sam to share his knowledge about the relationship between sustainability and innovation, and marketing and procurement.

In this fantastic discussion, Rani covers the balance between functionality and sustainability in product innovation, how businesses can drive sustainability across their organization, how important suppliers are for sustainable innovation, and more! 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rani-al-hajji/

(00:37) - Introducing Rani

(01:33) - What does Rani think of as a marketing professional when he hears “sourcing” and “procurement”?

(03:39) - How would Rani break down the chapters of his 25 year career? 

(08:14) - What does Rani view as the three pillars of sustainability and innovation?

(14:08) - Does Rani think that consumers are willing to sacrifice for sustainability?

(16:06) - If we can’t sacrifice functionality for sustainability, how can we best develop sustainable products and bring them to market?

(19:00) -  Are there any instances where businesses can sacrifice functionality for improved sustainability? 

(22:05) - How does Rani define what innovation truly looks like and does he have any good examples of it? 

(25:08) - What are some of the typical pitfalls that Rani has seen in businesses that are trying to innovate?

(28:34) - How can marketing and procurement best collaborate to enhance the value of innovation for the end consumer? 

(33:35) - How do companies take responsibility for sustainability across the organization and how does the relationship between procurement and marketing play into that? 

(37:24) - How can a business create champions for sustainability in their supplier base? 

(39:39) - Rani answers Sam’s quick-fire round of questions

Timestamps:

(03:10) Is Procurement becoming a more Strategic Function?`

(06:37) What is VUCA world? And what are some of key topics Procurement needs to address in this new VUCA world?

(09:19) Is Procurement struggling with Change Management?

(11:12) How Stephane believes Procurement can deliver on ESG in a VUCA world.

(16:38) His views on how SRM can Impact ESG.

(21:29) What are some of the reasons to have a Procurement Excellence role at your organization?

(26:11) When is the right time to invest in a center of excellence or enablement in a procurement organisation?

(27:41) Concrete tips on how to develop a procurement excellence function.

(30:00) What Stephane wishes he knew before he started his career in Procurement.

Links:

Stephane Morel LinkedIn

Fresenius Medical Care

Timestamps:

(04:34) How do we bridge the gap between IT & Procurement?

(06:59) Do's & Don'ts in Digitalisation projects of Procurement

(09:59) Why do Many Tech Implementations Fail?

(13:38) Process or Tech First?

(17:40) Does he see a difference in clients from North America vs EMEA when adopting & buying Procurement Tech?

(20:24) Unexplored areas of Procurement & Sourcing that new tech can make an impact on

(23:23) The mark for when Technology has been successfully implemented

Links:

Joël Collin-Demers Linkedin

Pure Procurement

Fabian Lampe, Founder of Advance Procurement, joins The Way We Source to share his unique expertise within the intersection of Procurement, Marketing, and Technology.

With a wide range of experience as a practitioner at Bayer and Unilever, consulting at Deloitte, and ProcureTech marketer at Archlet, Fabian is unique expert and thought leader who helps Procurement teams and solution providers speak the same language to accelerate transformation.

In this fantastic discussion, Fabian and Sam explore the gaps between Procurement practitioners and solution providers, how ProcureTech can cut through the noise of the space, how the brand of Procurement is changing, the differences in the types of procurement Fabian has worked with, and much more!
You can find Fabian on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabianlampe/
Or learn about Advance Procurement at: https://www.advanceprocurement.io 

(00:37) - Introducing Fabian

(01:39) - What does Sourcing & Procurement mean to Fabian?

(02:13) - What does Fabian do at Advanced Procurement?

(03:57) - Where does Fabian think is the gap between Procurement practitioners and ProcureTech solution providers?

(06:35) - How can a ProcureTech provider cut through the noise of the market with their messaging?

(09:21) - What is the perception of Procurement & Sourcing within the organizations that Fabian has worked with?
(12:37) - Where does a Procurement team start to build their own brand?
(16:00) - What Procurement organizations does Fabian think has a strong brand? 

(18:42) - How can a Procurement team or ProcureTech vendor best find their “Why”?

(22:54) - What is Fabian experience within he dichotomy of direct and indirect sourcing?

(26:57) - How can one best measure the performance of marketing Procurement?
(29:52) - Why does Procurement struggle within start-ups and how can they improve? 

(35:23) - Why is there such a big gap between Procurement & Marketing tech? 

(39:10) - Does Fabian think that the ProcureTech space is missing freemiums, pilot programs, etc? 

(43:00) - Where you can find Fabian and AdvanceProcurement

(43:28) - Fabian answers our round of quick-fire questions

This episode, we’re joined by Daniel G. Wilson, Head of Indirect Procurement at Philips and a seasoned Procurement practitioner with 25+ years experience at businesses such as Adidas, Unilever, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Air Canada, KPMG, and more. Daniel joins Sam for an inspiring discussion about leadership and change within Procurement, the differences between direct and indirect procurement, staying relevant and contributing as a Procurement leader, succeeding with procuretech adoption, and much more!

Get in touch with Daniel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-g-wilson-4784086/

And learn more about Kodiak Hub’s SRM platform at: https://www.kodiakhub.com 

(00:40) - Introducing Daniel

(01:49) - How did Daniel get into the space of Procurement? 

(02:50) - What makes Daniel excited about Procurement? 

(04:43) - Why is indirect procurement less mature than direct procurement? 

(07:00) - Does Daniel think that Procurement teams separate direct and indirect too much?

(09:42) - What does a best-in-class Procurement team look like today? 

(12:25) - What does it take to make the transition from an IC role to a leadership role in Procurement?

(15:05) - How does Daniel background play into his career?

(18:17) - How do you stay relevant and contribute to the day-to-day in a leadership role?

(22:30) - What are Daniel’s tips for staying close to the pulse?

(25:16) - Does Daniel have any tips for managing one-to-one meetings with Procurement team members?

(28:00) - What are some of the pillars of a successful transformation project in Procurement?

(29:35) - What are the barriers within organizations to adopting new technology?

(31:54) - When it comes to adopting ProcureTech, should Procurement teams go to market with their problem and co-create solutions with providers? 

(37:15) - What’s something that Daniel wishes he knew at the beginning of his career?

(39:30) - Daniel answers our quick-fire round of questions

We’re joined by Robert Byström, Head of Procurement at Holmen Wood Products, Partner at StromGold Consulting, and Ambassador at The Sustainable Procurement Pledge.

With over 18 years experience as a Sourcing & Procurement leader, both as a practitioner and consultant, Robert shares his extensive knowledge about effective change management and Procurement transformation in this fantastic discussion with Sam Jenks. They discuss what type of change is needed in Procurement, common challenges of driving change, how Procurement can succeed throughout their organization, and much more! 

(00:39) - Introducing Robert Byström 

(01:40) - What still gets Robert excited about working in Procurement & Sourcing?

(02:47) - What does Robert think is the main objective of Procurement in an organization?

(05:04) - What is the biggest shift that Robert has seen in Procurement throughout his career?

(05:39) - Does Robert think that the expectations on Procurement have grown?

(06:35) - Does Robert think that it’s difficult to drive change in Procurement due to the nature of the role?

(09:33) - Who are some of the most important stakeholders for Procurement to drive change with? 

(11:21) - How do you decide which areas are most important to drive change in Procurement?

(12:31) - How does Robert identify areas that need change?

(13:38) - Where has Robert seen change and development for Procurement in recent years?

(16:04) - What would Robert tell a Procurement practitioner just starting out their career?

(17:30) - How has Robert’s background as a consultant helped him become a better Procurement practitioner? 

(19:43) - What type of frameworks or strategies does Robert use to drive change?

(22:26) - What are some of the most difficult areas of Procurement to drive true change? 

(24:04) - What is a challenging project that Robert has learned from?

(26:52) - What are the competencies that are most important for starting in Procurement?

(30:36) - Is there something that Robert knows today that he wishes he knew when he started in Procurement?

(32:24) - How has Robert’s career experiences influenced the way that he works with suppliers?

(35:13) - Robert answers our round of quick-fire questions

In this episode, we’re joined by Lukas Wawrla, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Archlet. Lukas tells us about how he stumbled into sourcing & procurement with no prior experience while co-founding his sourcing platform in university, how Archlet broke into the sourcing space and found the success it has today, Lukas’s experience as an unexpected procure tech founder, and his thoughts on what the next trends in procurement and sourcing will be. 

(00:44) - Introducing Lukas

(01:30) - What does sourcing & procurement mean to Lukas?

(02:25) - How did Lukas get started in procurement?

(04:05) - What is the mission of Archlet? 

(05:48) - What is Archlet doing differently from other sourcing solutions so they could break into the space? 

(08:17) - How does Lukas think GenAI will change sourcing? 

(10:55) - Are today’s procurement teams digitally mature enough to adopt and utilize GenAI?

(13:45) - How does Archlet ensure that it delights its customers at every step? 

(16:55) - How does Archlet get over hurdles within user adoption? 

(19:27) - How does Lukas find the right balance between standardization and configuration? 

(21:17) - How will procurement get over the hurdles of adopting standardized new solutions? 

(23:00) - Why did Lukas decide to make Archlet with a more consumerized design? 

(25:40) - Why does Lukas think that founders have difficulty talking about losses? 

(30:23) - What tips does Lukas have for other ProcureTech founders or entrepreneurs? 

(32:44) - Lukas answers Sam’s quick-fire round of questions

In this episode of “The Way We Source,” we’re joined by Sigrid Brendel, an experienced Procurement leader within the FMCG industry and the Founder & Strategic Adviser at Brendel Interim. In her impressive career, she has served as a Procurement Director at companies like Kraft and Modelez, as well as the CPO at Campari Group.
Sigrid joined Sam for an enlightening discussion about her journey in Procurement, how to build a strong organization, elevating Procurement as a priority within a business, how to best collaborate with internal stakeholders, the importance of Supplier Relationship Management, and more!

(00:40) - Introducing Sigrid

(01:25) - What made Sigrid start her journey in Procurement?

(02:13) - What does Procurement & Sourcing mean to Sigrid?

(03:03) - What drove Sigrid to start her journey as an entrepreneur?

(06:02) - How can adaptability help a Procurement team and what is the importance of that?

(07:44) - How does Sigrid look at the evolution of her career in Procurement? 

(12:56) - How does a Procurement leader most efficiently keep close to the pulse of their actual buying and practice? 

(15:48) - Sigrid discusses her experience coming in as a Procurement leader at Campari and how she built her organization and strategy

(19:24) - Sigrid discusses the importance of Supplier Relationship Management for successful Category Management

(20:04) - What does Sigrid believe that strategic SRM entails? 

(22:22) - What were Sigrid’s biggest learning about building a center of excellence and sharpening it?

(28:38) - What are Sigrid’s tips for Procurement teams that aren’t prioritized in their organization and how to make Procurement more of a priority? 

(31:13) - What story should Procurement tell within their organizations?

(34:57) - Which Procurement tactics does Sigrid think are of the past and which are here to stay?

(38:23) - Sigrid answers our Kodiak Moment quick fire round of questions

Christian Paul is an expert in game theory and Geschäftsführer (or “Managing Director”) of nnamu, the German ProcureTech solution that utilises game theory algorithms to improve sourcing strategies and negotiations.

He joins us to discuss his journey from Procurement consultant to startup founder, how nnamu helps its clients, and what Procurement teams can learn from game theory in their strategies and negotiations.

Timestamps:

(01:30) — What does Sourcing & Procurement mean to Christian?

(03:18) — What are Christian and nnamu trying to achieve in Procurement?

(05:01) — How is nnamu different from Procurement solutions of the past?

(06:46) — What is game theory and how does nnamu use it within Procurement?

(09:56) — What does winning look like within Procurement?

(12:31) — Does the current level of maturity in Procurement match nnamu’s offerings and the use of game theory?

(14:45) — What type of businesses are mature enough to use game theory in Procurement?

(16:04) — What’s the reason behind the name “nnamu”?

(18:40) — What made Christian leave consulting to launch his own venture?

(21:06) — How did Christian end up working in Procurement?

(24:01) — Does Christian ever get lonely as a founder?

(29:08) — What are Christian’s tips for other ProcureTech founders?

(33:05) — What does Christian wish that he knew at the beginning of his career?

(36:00) — Kodiak Moment: Christian answers our quick-fire round of questions

(05:18) Concrete tips from how Equans are working towards decarbonising their activities while having 130 000 suppliers.

(06:51) Is there an alignment between Procurement Theory & Practice?

(08:37) How Equans brought in academics into the business to address real practical challenges and what the outcome was.

(10:12) If he sees any discrepancies between curriculum and practice?

(11:36) How he believes Procurement Professionals can ensure that they continue to learn and stay relevant.

(14:31) What are some of the biggest challenges to attract new talent as a Procurement Leader and an organization?

(19:29) Trends in how Procurement Teams are being built, based upon the talent that you need to attract today?

(24:18) How do you keep Procurement Teams happy as a leader?

Jonathan Sims Linkedin

Equans

In this episode, we’re joined by Adwoa Owusu-Banahene, Procurement Leader at London Legacy Development Corporation and a seasoned leader in public procurement and the construction & development space with over 15 years of experience.
She and Sam share a great discussion on how Adwoa felt called to procurement, the responsibilities of public procurement to their communities, how new regulations are reshaping supplier relationships, the importance of diversity in procurement teams and the supply chain, and much more! 

(00:39) - Introducing Adwoa 

(01:20) - What does Sourcing & Procurement mean to Adwoa? 

(04:34) - What made Adwoa choose to work in Sourcing & Procurement? 

(07:37) - Why did Adwoa decide to become a specialist in the Procurement space? 

(09:05) - How is construction & development Procurement different from other industries? And how does public and private Procurement differ? 

(12:22) - Does Adwoa think public Procurement is hindered from innovation or is that shifting? 

(15:00) - How can Procurement practitioners do more with less?

(17:05) - How do regulations in public Procurement affect supplier relationships? 

(20:40) - What value does Adwoa provide for London in her role at LLDC?

(23:12) - Does Adwoa think that Procurement has an obligation to make an impact in communities?

(29:11) - How can Procurement improve its diversity, equity, and inclusion and how does this affect supplier diversity?

(34:08) - What are some of the common misconceptions about Procurement in the construction and development space? 

(36:39) - Adwoa answers our quick fire round of questions