If procurement is going to attract the 'best of the best' to join our ranks, no matter what their background, then at some point we can expect to work alongside someone with no experience in procurement. Whether such a move is successful is likely to be dependent on the individual transferring in as well as the overall culture of the organization. I interviewed Liam Moniz, Manager of Procurement Systems & Services at Fortescue Metals Group, during SAPAriba LIVE in Austin, Texas. Two years ag...
Jul 08, 2019•25 min
Whether you are a consultant or a practitioner, it seems like the grass is always greener on the other side. Consultants are constantly on the road, work late hours and are subject to high expectations from their management team and the point people on each customer account. Practitioners find themselves at the mercy of consulting teams they didn't personally decide to hire, lack the influence naturally extended to external parties and are often left to deal with the details – and the devil in t...
Jul 01, 2019•29 min
Today I am joined on the show by my good friend, procurement executive recruiter Iain McKenna. Iain is Founder and Managing Director of the executive search firm Sourcing Solved. Our conversation is split into a couple of different parts: In the first half of our interview, we discuss the hiring process, and specifically if our reliance on AI - such as keyword searching on CV's and resumes - severely restrict an organizations ability to hire the best candidate for a role. Iain shares tips on how...
Jun 24, 2019•34 min
Many procurement organizations pay lip service to innovation, but few are taking the steps required to make it a reality. Part of this has to do with the difficulty overcoming the paralysis of the unknown and part of it has to do with a willingness on procurement's part to risk failure. Ironically, facing the unknown and pushing past the fear of failure makes it far more likely that disruptive innovation will be achieved. I'm joined today by Cyril Pourrat, Chief Procurement Officer at Sprint. Th...
Jun 17, 2019•45 min
If you've been in the workplace – any kind of workplace at all – for longer than six months, chances are good you've experienced poor management at least once. Sadly, being in the workplace for years or even decades doesn't come with the same odds of encountering even one great manager. Why is that? Why are great managers so rare? I'm joined today by David Deacon, career HR executive and the author of The Self Determined Manager: A Manifesto for Exceptional People Managers. He and I talked about...
Jun 10, 2019•39 min
Whether we are responsible for Procurement and our stakeholder is the c-suite, or we are developing a Category Strategy and our stakeholders are the business users. Alignment continues to be one of the greatest challenges for procurement. Ultimately, it becomes the differentiator that determines whether you are perceived as being a trusted advisor or a back office function. Indeed, it is not possible to become a mature procurement organization without true strategic alignment, at scale. How can ...
Jun 03, 2019•18 min
I'm joined today by Anthony Clervi, President and CEO of UNA, a group purchasing organization (or GPO). He joined us last month for an AoP Live session that proposed an alternative approach to 'automating' procurement – one that doesn't involve robots and doesn't cost a dime. As the opening quote suggests, our preconceived notions can often prevent us from leveraging the full range of options available to us. Acting without being fully informed can be a huge misstep for procurement, given that o...
May 27, 2019•59 min
The only guarantee that comes with a transformation journey is that there will be 'twists and turns' along the way. And since no organization can escape the unexpected, how procurement leaders makers handle those twists and turns becomes a critical differentiator and success factor. While I was at ProcureCon Indirect East, I interviewed Dave Quillin, Manager of Procurement at Alliant Credit Union in Chicago. I last interviewed Dave in early 2017, when he was at the end of his first year of procu...
May 20, 2019•38 min
Everything procurement delivers – from savings to risk mitigation to value – is predicated on having access to clean, trustworthy data. If this foundation does not exist or if it is shaky, then buyers don't know how much the company is spending with a given supplier, let alone how they can improve the efficiency or impact of a given spend category. While I was at the Ivalua NOW event in Paris, I interviewed Cyrille Naux, Purchasing and Supply Chain Vice-President at Chassis Brakes International,...
May 13, 2019•27 min
When procurement talks about transformation, we are usually referring to the critical changes we need to make to our own talent, processes and technology. But does the opportunity exist for procurement to transform the business as a whole? Evidence from the team at VSP Global suggests that it does. I interviewed two members of the VSP Global team, Nathan Haydn-Myer, Manager of Procurement Operations and Insights, and Siddharth Ramesh, Manager of Corporate Procurement about their dynamic program ...
May 06, 2019•27 min
It is impossible to have a forward-looking discussion about procurement without digital transformation and automation coming up. That said, figuring out what their inclusion means on a company-by-company basis will differ drastically – creating a unique challenge for every CPO who decides to lead their organization on a digital journey. I'm joined today by Kris Koneru, the Business Practice Head of Sourcing & Procurement at Infosys BPO. He was in the 'hot seat' for a dynamic AoP Live session...
Apr 29, 2019•1 hr
Saying that someone has or embodies the 'spirit of entrepreneurship' implies a lot of different drives and qualities. There is the willingness to take calculated risks, the need for self-accountability, contagious levels of energy and creativity, and a true understanding of the top to bottom impact of business decisions. Procurement can absolutely benefit from professionals with an entrepreneurial background – the question is how we can add them to our ranks. I interviewed Jill Robbins, Senior D...
Apr 22, 2019•38 min
When you get right down to it, innovation is just solving a business need in an entirely new way. In order to do that, however, you and your team have to really understand the business and its customers. The most strategic suppliers – usually a select few – play an important role in the process of innovation, which creates an opportunity for procurement to guide their technical value potential to the point where it delivers operational results. While I was at ProcureCon Indirect East, I intervie...
Apr 15, 2019•46 min
Everyone wants to be seen as an innovator, and procurement leaders are no exception. The problem with this desire is that, much like procurement transformation, the definition of innovation can be hard to pin down. We all know it when we see it, but setting out in the morning with "innovation" at the top of your to-do list can be paralyzing… unless you have a master plan. I interviewed Nancy Nicoll, Vice President of Not for Resale (NFR) / Indirect Strategic Sourcing, at ProcureCon Indirect East...
Apr 08, 2019•31 min
When we hear about 'fintech' providers, most of us immediately think of a quickly shifting ad diverse landscape of startups – highly innovative companies, some of which are here today and gone tomorrow. If partnering with a fintech is even on your company's radar screen, how can procurement develop a reasonable strategy for such an unpredictable industry? I'm joined today by Andy Atkins, a professional commercial contract manager with a decade of experience negotiating and drafting complex finan...
Apr 01, 2019•44 min
In this episode, AOP Host Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner (AOP Content Director and Owner of Buyers Meeting Point) discuss their major take-aways from March's news, industry topics and podcast interviews. In March, Louis Bastone (Indirect Category Manager at ASML) talked about making the move into procurement from another function or later in one's professional career. Sammeli Sammalkorpi (co-founder of Sievo) provided some grounded advice about AI, making clear that if we want it to generate rea...
Mar 25, 2019•46 min
In a era when we emphasize the importance of 'soft skills' in the face of the hardest business challenges, the human element is impossible to ignore. While most of us tend to focus on developing our own interpersonal skills (or the absence of desired interpersonal skills in others), an equally important element is behavior. What are people doing and why? If we can understand behavior, we are in a far better position to deliver results and build sustainable relationships. I'm joined today by Davi...
Mar 18, 2019•59 min
Automation can only be as good as we program it to be. If we want innovative, industry-leading support from emerging technologies, we need to be informed about the potential applications of AI and machine learning. I'm joined today by Sammeli Sammalkorpi, Co-founder of Sievo, in a discussion that was driven by the engaged audience that joined us for February's AOP Live session. We gathered questions in advance and fielded spontaneous ones during the event rather than wading through a conventiona...
Mar 11, 2019•54 min
We often discuss the impact that procurement talent has on current results and the role it will play in determining how our function evolves in the future. The procurement community is vibrant, diverse and defined, but we need to remember that some of our best future team members are currently either in college or working in other functions. How we represent ourselves to them will determine how soon and how willingly they join our ranks. I'm joined today by Louis Bastone, Indirect Category Manag...
Mar 04, 2019•40 min
In this episode, AOP Host Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner (AOP Content Director and Owner of Buyers Meeting Point) discuss their major take-aways from February's news, industry topics and podcast interviews. In February, Andrew Daley (Edbury Daley) described the importance of conquering risk aversion when we scope out and fill open positions. Jens Hentschel (FIVIS Partnership) reminded us of the danger of "toiling away" at a tactical level while missing the big picture. Finally, Matt Clark (Corce...
Feb 25, 2019•45 min•Ep. 241
The Accounts Payable team play a key role in the success of procurement. The data that they extract from supplier invoices determines the accuracy of our spend analytics (and therefore our strategic insights) and the capture of the cost savings we claim (and thus procurement's ROI). Today's guest on the show is Matt Clark, President and COO of Corcentric. Corcentric's research shows that, despite the importance of Procurement and Accounts Payable alignment, the vast majority of groups still oper...
Feb 18, 2019•33 min•Ep. 240
Recruiting and strategic sourcing actually have a lot in common – even beyond the role that risk appetites play in decision making. In both cases, the sooner you get a specialist or expert involved, the better stated your requirements will be, and the better the outcomes you can achieve. It can also be hard to break free from historical approaches to meeting needs, whether that means escaping the pull of an incumbent supplier or looking beyond a traditional candidate profile. I'm joined today by...
Feb 11, 2019•49 min•Ep. 239
We're all positive that digital automation is the right way forward for procurement, but why? Are we pursuing progress for its own sake or to achieve an expanded range of procurement contributions? Put more simply, what do you plan to do with the time freed up by smart automation? I'm joined today by Jens Hentschel, Founder and CEO of THE FIVIS PARTNERSHIP, a consultancy and training company based in London. With the FIVIS team, Jens focuses on the importance of customer-centricity in procuremen...
Feb 04, 2019•51 min•Ep. 238
This month, AOP revives and reimagines 'This Month in Procurement' as an informal monthly discussion of podcasts, news and trends. In this episode, AOP Host Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner (AOP Content Director and Owner of Buyers Meeting Point) share their secrets for surviving the unceasing onslaught of procurement content and discuss their major take-aways from the month's podcast episodes. In January's podcasts, we heard from Charlotte de Brabandt and Yannick Blattler about generational diffe...
Jan 28, 2019•47 min•Ep. 237
We constantly read about disruptive change affecting companies and entire markets. The source of that disruption is always positioned as the hero - but what about the other characters in each of those stories? What if you are living through change that is not of your own making? I'm joined today by Joanna Martinez, Founder of Supply Chain Advisors, LLC and author of the new book, A Guide to Positive Disruption: How to Thrive and Make an Impact in the Churn of Today's Corporate World. Joanna is h...
Jan 21, 2019•42 min•Ep. 236
Entrepreneurship and innovation are highly prized in today's business environment, but has procurement managed to deliver its fair share of either? I'm joined today by Sarah Scudder, President of the Real Sourcing Network (RSN), a company that provides clients with print management software that allows them to manage the print category in-house. In our conversation we discuss a wide range of topics, including healthy risk taking for the sake of career development, how to make the most of modern ...
Jan 14, 2019•47 min•Ep. 235
How can procurement leaders create the environment necessary to attract the next generation of talent into the profession - and help them fulfill their potential? I'm joined today by returning guest Charlotte de Brabandt - ISM's 2018 30 Under 30 Winner - and Yannick Blattler, the Managing Director of NeoViso, a consulting firm that helps companies more effectively engage with Gen Z. In our conversation, we discuss common misconceptions about Millennial and Gen Z workers, while Charlotte and Yann...
Jan 07, 2019•35 min•Ep. 234
Are you ready for 2019? In today's podcast - the last of 2018 - I reflect on what has changed for procurement this year, and what hasn't! I then share a couple of predictions for 2019, including my recommendations for areas of technology investment next year. Finally, I leave 2018 with three questions to consider over the holiday break that will help you kick-start your change journey in 2019.
Dec 17, 2018•20 min•Ep. 233
Out of the 232 podcasts to date, today is the first time that we dig into GPO's - or Group Purchasing Organizations. And as I planned out this topic, I invited today's guest, Jay Black, to join me. Jay is Vice President at Insight Sourcing Group and has significant experience in the GPO space, selling and operating services under a number of different GPO delivery models. I'll be honest and say that, prior to today's discussion, I have always felt that a GPO fit a very specific market niche of s...
Dec 10, 2018•42 min•Ep. 232
Today on the show I am joined by Mike Morsch. Mike is the Vice President of Global Procurement and Supply Chain at CDK Global. Mike shares more about CDK in our interview, but to give you some context, CDK Global is a $2B+ revenue company that provides technology and digital marketing solutions to the automotive dealership industry. They were formally the Dealer Services division of ADP before being spun off into an independent company back in 2014. In today's conversation, we discuss Mike, and ...
Dec 03, 2018•50 min•Ep. 231
