The Way We Source: Recent Episodes
Kodiak Hub
A podcast hosted by Kodiak Hub SRM Software, where we interview professionals, tech vendors, researchers and people we find inspiring in Procurement, Sourcing, Supply Chain and Sustainability.
The way we source and procure impacts they way we live and has an effect on every person on the planet in some way. We want to dig a bit deeper into the lives and the profession of the people behind this scene.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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 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
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
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
(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
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
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
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
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
-
- 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 (for my sake :)) how does Pactum’s Autonomous Negotiation solution work - in practice?
- What are the primary benefits of leveraging Pactum’s solution?
- My guess would be that 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?
(05:18) 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
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)
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 Sony 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
(04:48) What inspired them to start BT Sourced?
(06:36) How BT is 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
(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
(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
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.
(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
Timestamps & Content: (07:45) How covid was a blessing in disguise for Supply Chain & Procurement Teams (09:40) The importance of having a mentor in your career (12:40) How can Supplier Development be leveraged to improve Supplier Performance? How the Enhanced Supplier Development Framework works. (14:50) Reactive vs Strategic Supplier DevelopmentLinks:Dr. Muddassir Ahmed LinkedInSCM Dojo
-
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
🎙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/
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
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
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