Art of Procurement
Art of Procurement is a podcast that explores the world of procurement through conversations with industry experts. Host Philip Ideson interviews thought leaders who share trends, strategies, and tactics to elevate the role of procurement and advance careers. The show covers topics such as sourcing, supply chain management, and procurement innovation.
Episodes
EP 10: Supplier Management as a Connected Discipline W/ Jesse Lee
"If your business is getting bigger, then supplier management is going to be ever more important to you." - Jesse Lee, Co-founder, CEO of Brooklyn Solutions Procurement's role in managing suppliers is transforming fast: scope is growing, expectations are higher, and the risks are real. Getting supplier management right is essential to business resilience, especially when the entire organization de
872: Beyond Automation: Accelerating Agentic AI Transformation in Procurement W/ Vishal Patel
"The future of procurement isn't actually AI. It's people using AI to improve business outcomes and improve their own value add." - Vishal Patel, SVP Product & Customer Marketing at Ivalua Many procurement teams have adopted AI in some aspect, but only a few have figured out how to turn those early experiments into sustainable, scalable business value. With market expectations rising and teams ove
871: The New Rules of Procurement Leadership W/ Gary Mizhir
"I measure success by the number of executives that come to us before they make decisions." - Gary Mizhir, Senior Director Head of Innovation & Excellence, FIS The pressure to move from tactical cost savings to strategic business impact is growing, especially as AI, data, and new business needs emerge faster than ever. But what does it mean to drive innovation with AI and still keep procurement a
EP 09: Provider of the Week: ProcureAbility
In this Provider of the Week episode of the ProcureTech Insider podcast, host Jyothi Hartley speaks with Darshan Deshmukh, President of ProcureAbility. ProcureAbility is a leading procurement and supply chain services provider, offering advisory, managed services, digital solutions, and talent support to help organizations drive measurable value and build sustainable procurement capabilities. In t
870: Managing the New Spend Frontier: AI Tokens in Procurement W/ Jon Winsett
"You need to get visibility into the AI tokens, what workloads they are being used for, which users are using them, and what department they're coming out of. Most organizations don't have that visibility yet. They just get the bill." - Jon Winsett, CEO, NPI AI tokens have gone from a niche curiosity to a major line item practically overnight. The cost models are new, spending is climbing at brea
869: The Modern Operating Model: Building a Lean, High-Value Procurement Team W/ Stephen Rauf
"Don't overvalue the top procurement spot, and don't undervalue the tools and the budget required. It's an ecosystem." - Stephen Rauf, Global Head of Indirect Procurement, Zoetis Delivering more value with fewer resources is an easy thing to want, but tough to execute consistently over time… unless procurement rethinks their entire approach, from operating model and team structure to technology an
EP 08: Startup of the Week: Suplari W/ Jeff Gerber
Procurement teams are under increasing pressure to do more with less… less time, less headcount, and often less budget. But, at the same time, the volume of data they manage continues to grow, making it harder to uncover insights and act on them quickly. That's the challenge Suplari wants to solve. In this ProcureTech Insider Startup of the Week episode, Jyothi Hartley speaks with Jeff Gerber, Co-
868: Catalyst SFO: (Re)Designing Procurement for an Agentic World W/ Christine Moore and Joe Postiglione Sr.
"Catalyst is really a unicorn. You walk in the room, check your ego at the door, and everybody is there to learn." - Christine Moore, Managing Partner, RAUS Global Procurement is racing to harness AI, but simply "doing more" won't be enough. At Catalyst San Francisco, the most recent in-person event hosted by Art of Procurement, procurement executives came together to confront what's truly needed
BTW EP 32: The Final Phil-Ins: Closing One Door, Opening Another
In the final episode of "Buy: The Way...To Purposeful Procurement," Philip Ideson, Rich Ham, and Kelly Barner reflect on 18 months of exploration, 32 episodes, and a remarkable roster of guests who collectively proved that procurement's incentive problems are both bigger and more solvable than most realize. The flaws we uncovered aren't just procurement's problem, and there are often far-reaching,
867: Building Bridges Between Procurement and the Business W/ Brad DeHart
"If you focus on stakeholders' needs and add value, the savings will always follow." - Brad DeHart, Senior Vice President, Customer Growth, Continuum Procurement leaders have always been expected to deliver value under pressure, but when resources are thin, the old playbook just doesn't cut it. What does it take to truly become a trusted partner to the business and move beyond savings-only convers
EP 07: Procurement as Ecosystem Builder in the Age of AI W/ Saurabh Gupta
"Procurement has to become an ecosystem builder for the enterprise, because no enterprise can do everything by itself in today's world." - Saurabh Gupta Procurement leaders are feeling the pressure to "be AI-first," yet most struggle to get past the hype and deliver real business value. With AI reshaping buying categories and challenging process norms, now is the time to rethink procurement's role
866: How Digital Masters Are Preparing for an AI-enabled Future W/ Deloitte
"Digital masters aren't just deploying technology. They're changing the way procurement runs." - Chris Riley, Partner - Supply Chain and Procurement, Deloitte As AI-enabled tools shift the landscape from efficiency to true strategic impact, CPOs are tasked with making sense of new operating models, changing expectations, and how to redeploy talent toward higher-value work. In this episode, Deloit
BTW EP 31: The Fellowship Against Fake Savings with Alan Veeck
"Isn't it true that everybody talks about supplier management, but nobody does it?" This observation from Summit Procurement CEO and Founder Alan Veeck captures the delta between procurement's aspirations and the reality on the ground. It's a gap, he says, that AI might finally help close, but only if organizations resist the temptation to simply slash headcount when AI-powered efficiencies arriv
865: Confidence, Cost, and Compliance: Insights from the Economist Impact Report W/ Gordon Donovan
"Right now, procurement needs to define their future role in the business. Procurement needs to drive that for themselves, because if we don't, then someone is going to drive it for us, and that could drive us out." - Gordon Donovan, Vice President Research - Procurement & External Workforce, SAP Business models are being disrupted, and so is procurement. This year's Economist Impact report reveal
EP 06: Startup of the Week: Zinit W/ Stan Moskovtsev
It's no secret: procurement teams are under increasing pressure to deliver savings, handle more work with leaner teams, and modernize outdated processes… all at once. While software solutions have flooded the market, much of the daily reality still involves spreadsheets and emails, especially for indirect or non-strategic spend. Stan Moskovtsev, co-founder and U.S. CEO of Zinit, wants to solve thi
864: Benchmarking Procurement: Lessons from $1.4 Trillion in Spend W/ Sammeli Sammalkorpi
"Don't speak about category savings because that's procurement lingo. We need to speak about gross margin expansion at the end-product level." - Sammeli Sammalkorpi, Co-Founder and CEO, Sievo Spend analytics has moved well beyond spreadsheets, but most organizations are still guessing about what 'good' performance looks like. When Sievo analyzed $1.4 trillion of procurement spend, the findings we
BTW EP 30: The Talent Shift No One in Procurement Is Ready For W/ Friddy Hoegener
AI is already changing procurement, but, for many, the bigger and more difficult question is what will happen to people in the process. Procurement has long been constrained by capacity: too much data, too many transactions, and not enough time to step back and think strategically. Now, with AI accelerating analysis, automating tasks, and reshaping workflows, that constraint is starting to loosen.
863: The Agentic Shift in Procurement: The Rise of Autonomous Processes
"Procurement now gets to decide where to play, who does the work, and how much of that work is done by humans versus agents." - Viji Doraiswamy, VP Product Marketing, Coupa Senior procurement leaders are under pressure to deliver much more than just savings. The next advantage lies in the intelligent orchestration of processes, where agentic AI not only automates intake, but enables teams to truly
EP 05: Provider of the Week: Prewave W/ Harald Nitschinger
In a world defined by volatility, procurement leaders need more than gut instinct to navigate supply chain risks. From regulatory pressure to sudden trade disruptions, organizations can't afford blind spots. This is why risk intelligence and AI-powered efficiency are climbing the CPO agenda. This week, Harald Nitschinger, co-founder and CEO of Prewave, joins the ProcureTech Insider podcast to disc
862: AI, Talent, and the New Shape of Procurement in India W/ Dr. Swapnil Dubey
"In the AI regime, things are going to be disrupted. So be ready to be disrupted." - Dr. Swapnil Dubey In a market as complex and fast-changing as India, procurement's role has transformed from tactical to strategic… and fast. As global manufacturers shift operations and Indian firms chase world-class performance, the need for advanced procurement leadership has never been greater. In this Art of
BTW EP 29: The Phil-Ins: Confront the Data Delusion
"What you think of as the data isn't the right data." This observation from FineTune COO Brian Gamble shines an (uncomfortable) spotlight on one of procurement's biggest challenges: AI has the potential to completely transform the function (in a good way) and drive a significant amount of value for the business, but only if organizations first acknowledge how inadequate their current data actuall
861: Procurement Under Pressure: Disruption, AI, and the New Operating Model W/ Amit Mahajan and Jon Jensen
"Change is the only constant today. Disruption is happening more frequently, and procurement has to be ready for the unknown." - Jon Jensen, Partner & Managing Director, AlixPartners Procurement leaders are facing more disruption, pressure, and technology change than ever before. Resilience, agility, and the smart use of AI are now table stakes, but only a handful of teams are turning these shifts
EP 04: Procurement's Innovation Sandbox: How Digital Garages Deliver Value with Adam Brown
"The world as we know it in procurement and tech will change beyond recognition over the next couple of years." - Adam Brown Procurement teams are grappling with a wave of new digital solutions and AI-powered tools, making it harder than ever to stay ahead. The role of the CPO is shifting, as leaders must balance business risk, speed-to-value, and a tech landscape that doesn't wait for anyone. In
860: Inside AOP's Catalyst Event Series: Elevating CPO Collaboration Beyond the Conference Room W/ Philip Ideson and Jim Cahalan
"The goal isn't to create a room where people consume content, it's to create a room where they come ready to work on their organization." - Philip Ideson, Founder and Managing Director, Art of Procurement The pace of business change has made traditional procurement conferences feel outdated. Senior procurement leaders can't afford passive learning; they need real conversations with peers who face
BTW EP 28: Develop Expense-Specific Systems: Why One Dashboard Can't Manage Every Category
Procurement talks about "the data" as if it's neutral. It rarely is. For years, we have talked about "the data" as if it were a single, uniform thing… a stack of invoices, a dashboard of KPIs, a quarterly business review deck handed over by a supplier. Here's the problem: invoices are curated. Reports are crafted. And, most of the time, suppliers decide what you see… unless you know what to ask fo
859: The Real State of Procurement Orchestration: Trends and Trade-Offs W/ Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner
"You don't want to over-engineer orchestration. The goal is progress, not complexity." - Philip Ideson, Founder and Managing Director, Art of Procurement There has never been more tech available to procurement, but navigating the orchestration market is anything but simple. In this episode, Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner unpack the findings from AOP's upcoming "State of Orchestration" report, whi
EP 03: Provider of the Week: Samsung SDS Caidentia
In this episode of the ProcureTech Insider Provider of the Week, host Jyothi Hartley speaks with Imran Shaikh, Head of Pre-Sales and Business Development at Samsung SDS America, about how AI-powered design-to-source-to-pay orchestration is transforming procurement's role in product development. Samsung SDS Caidentia is an AI-powered platform designed to shift procurement upstream, connecting produ
Strategic Divestments: Turning Factory Closures into Supplier Innovation Opportunities W/ Alessandro Comerci
"The strategic rationale of selling is not really to make money. It's about preserving 200-plus jobs and making sure your colleagues have continuity in their lives." - Alessandro Comerci Strategic divestitures and factory closures have become more common as organizations reshape their portfolios and seek agility. For procurement, these aren't just commercial events: they affect livelihoods, brand
BTW EP 27: Data or Delusion? Procurement's Future Runs on Truth
Procurement doesn't have a data problem. It has a data delusion. For 25 years, the function has told itself the same story: if we can just clean up our spend, we'll finally be in control. And yet here we are… swimming in the same dashboards, drowning in fields, and still struggling to answer a simple question: what do we spend? In this episode of Buy: The Way…To Purposeful Procurement, Jason Busch
857: How Decisioning Platforms Reshape Procurement Strategy W/ Tomas Wiemer
"Procurement tools traditionally look at history. To make better decisions, we need to start looking forward." - Tomas Wiemer, Global Multi-Industry Procurement & Digitalization Executive Procurement teams are under pressure to contribute much more than just savings… They're being asked to provide strategic intelligence, support faster decisions, and become true business partners. But as organiza
EP 02: Startup of the Week: SourceReady W/ Ricky Ho
In this episode of the ProcureTech Insider Startup of the Week, host Jyothi Hartley speaks with Ricky Ho, Co-Founder and CEO of SourceReady, about how AI and big data are transforming global supplier discovery and sourcing strategy. SourceReady is building an AI-powered sourcing platform designed to automate the most time-consuming parts of the sourcing process – from supplier discovery to quote c
856: Building an AI-Capable Procurement Team: What CPOs Need to Know W/ Andrew Daley
"The winners will be the people who make it happen themselves. The losers will be the ones that just bury their heads in the sand." - Andrew Daley, Managing Director, Digital Procurement and Supply Chain at Edbury Daley The AI revolution is transforming procurement faster than ever before. Whether you're upskilling your team or rethinking your operating model, the choices you make now will set the
BTW EP 26: The Phil-Ins: Stop Counting Wins Start Counting Outcomes
Procurement's incentive problem doesn't stop at the contract. It gets worse after signature. In this Phil-Ins episode of "Buy: The Way…To Purposeful Procurement," Rich Ham and Philip Ideson are joined by Kelly Barner to unpack three "Buy Laws" at once, mainly because they're inseparable in practice. First: count only what hits the ledger. If the value doesn't show up in actuals, it doesn't count.
855: Coworking Trends Every CPO Should Watch W/ Sarah Travers
"We compete with people's homes more than we do with other coworking locations because my job is to get people to want to come into my spaces, and that is what I focus on every single day." - Sarah Travers, CEO, Workbar The future of work is unfolding quickly, and procurement leaders who also own real estate decisions can't afford to ignore trends in co-working. Whether you need to unlock flexibil
EP 01: Introducing the ProcureTech Insider: A New Art of Procurement Podcast
"Sometimes you just need to recognize that getting from the baseline, whatever your baseline, to the next step… that's really significant." - Jyothi Hartley, Director of Digital Enablement, AOP Art of Procurement is proud to launch a brand-new podcast series: the ProcureTech Insider. The procurement technology market is evolving faster than ever, promising exponential transformation. But what actu
854: Transforming Procurement from the Inside Out W/ Ben Farrell
"The procurement and supply chain professions are ever more relevant to the prosperity of nations and to businesses as we go into the future." - Ben Farrell, Global Chief Executive Officer, The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) Striking a balance between tradition and disruption is at the top of the agenda for today's procurement leaders. Whether it's shifting global dynamics, tec
BTW EP 25: The S-Word: Why Procurement Must Stop Saying "Savings" (and What to Replace it With)
Procurement's biggest measurement problem isn't that "savings" is incomplete. It's that "savings" has become a substitute for truth. In the first Buy: The Way…To Purposeful Procurement episode of 2026, co-hosts Philip Ideson and Rich Ham unveil the first of the show's new procurement "Buy-laws." It's the one that almost every serious practitioner agrees with, but very few organizations are ready t
853: From Pain Points to Progress: Medtronic's Procurement Evolution W/ Amit Saronwala and Jeremy Lappin
"Procurement is what you make of it. It can be a bargain basement function at some firms, but it's also becoming more strategic. We have to take a more holistic, integrated view of things and try to understand the big business problems we can help solve and then offer a business solution, not just a procurement solution." – Amit Saronwala, VP, Global Indirect Supply Management, Medtronic Procureme
852: The Future of RFPs: Leaner, Smarter, and Agentic AI-Driven W/ Barri Horn
"Now with agentic AI, RFPs are becoming and will become even leaner, and they'll cut to the chase a whole lot faster. There'll be a lot less fluff." - Barri Horn, Director of Product Marketing for AI for SAP Ariba and SAP Fieldglass' strategic procurement portfolios AI is reshaping the RFP process, but smart procurement leaders know they have to think beyond speed or efficiency drivers and, instea
851: Reframing Procurement as a Revenue Enabler W/ Sergio Martin
"There is a limit on how much you can save, but there is no limit on how much you can make." - Sergio Martin Procurement is evolving fast. The true differentiator now is how the function can become a partner for growth and resilience. That means reimagining "customer experience" at every touchpoint, not just inside the business, but with suppliers as well. In this episode, procurement advisor and
850: Persuasion Is a Procurement Power Skill – When It's Done Right W/ Martin John
"Persuasion is about your intent. If your intent is solely to win at the other person's expense, that's manipulation. If you want the other party to also benefit from the conversation, then that's collaborative, and that's ethical persuasion." - Martin John Procurement leaders know that success often depends on more than just negotiating skills or cost models; it demands the ability to influence p
849: Reinventing Direct Procurement in the Digital Age W/ Spencer Penn
"Direct materials is the most under-innovated, untouched by modern technology of any spend area." - Spencer Penn, Co-Founder and CEO, LightSource Direct spend makes up the lion's share of the procurement budget, but all too often, it's still managed in spreadsheets and disconnected tools. Today's volatile supply market and relentless cost pressures demand more. What is holding companies back from
848: Relationship Builder or Robot? Keeping Procurement Human in a Digital Age W/ Brad Keighley
"AI has fantastic value when you look at spend analytics, sourcing decisions, and process efficiency, but to replace the infancy stage that allows you to have a relationship with stakeholders, I think, is a mistake." – Brad Keighley Digitization and automation promise so much for procurement, but what gets lost if we let technology run the show? As organizations scale and regulatory pressure mount
847: 2026: A Defining Moment for Procurement
"Efficiency should fund the future, not erase the people needed to deliver it." – Philip Ideson, Founder and Managing Director of Art of Procurement 2026 is going to be another year of volatility, but it will also be a year of immense opportunity for procurement pragmatists, the ones who are willing to do the work to build the future rather than just waiting for it to arrive. In a tradition that d
846: Building Agility Through Emergency Procurement Readiness W/ Rick Bond and Tammy Rimes
"The first time that you speak with a supplier shouldn't be in a time of crisis. Our best customers work with us regularly, and we're constantly hearing from them." - Rick Bond, Chief Revenue Officer, Safeware When a crisis hits, procurement must move at lightning speed… but without cutting corners. How do public agencies build systems that are nimble, compliant, and ready for anything? The answe
BTW EP 24: Phil-out Season Finale: A Procurement Roast With Purpose
After 23 episodes of dissecting procurement's incentive flaws, behavioral blind spots, and structural contradictions, the "Buy: The Way…To Purposeful Procurement" podcast team closes season one with something different: reflection, humor, a little chaos, and a first look at what comes next. In this episode, Rich Ham seizes the mic for a surprise "hostile takeover," pulling Philip Ideson and Kelly
845: Inside the AI Foundation Behind Next-Gen Procurement W/ Fang Chang
"If you don't go on the journey, you risk being left behind. The key is to try, learn, and apply AI in a way that creates real value." - Fang Chang, EVP and Chief Product Officer at SAP AI isn't just another feature on your tech checklist. It's changing the way procurement teams deliver impact… but only for those bold enough to rethink from the ground up. In this podcast episode, host Philip Ides
BTW EP 23: The Phil-Ins: The Procurement Performance Paradox
After nearly a year of exploring procurement's incentive paradox from every angle, Philip Ideson, Rich Ham, and Kelly Barner reconvene to connect the dots between three of the series' most thought-provoking guests: Jason Brown, David Loseby, and Omid Ghamami. Each offered a distinct lens on the same fundamental question: What does performance really mean in procurement today? Jason Brown framed in
844: Contracting for Speed: How Orchestration Empowers Procurement W/ Clare Cassano and Toby Laforest
"Your contracts are your source of truth. You should have a tool that can go through the contracts and help you understand the impact and make an assessment, all in one place." -Toby Laforest, Senior Director PMM - Market Insights and Solutions at Ironclad Procurement leaders can no longer afford to wait for requests to land in their inbox. Facing regulatory change, market volatility, and growing
843: How Change Management Powers Procurement Transformation W/ Jesse Jacoby
"Taking the time to get input, to get the feedback and listen to the needs might add a few weeks up front, but ultimately, you're going to have a better, stronger solution and support and alignment." - Jesse Jacoby, Founder and Managing Principal, Emergent, LLC Procurement and business leaders face a tangled web: legacy systems, evolving digital capabilities, and rising pressure to do more with le
843: The Future Is Frictionless: Simplifying Procurement with Tech and Trust W/ Todd Heimes
"We want our customers to be able to put their own internal procurement rules into our Amazon Business marketplace, so they can feel secure and still get that great experience." - Todd Heimes, Vice President and General Manager, Amazon Business Worldwide Right now, procurement leaders are balancing pressure to deliver savings, manage risk, and remove barriers for business users. As organizations
BTW EP 22: Challenging Procurement's Most Comfortable (Bad) Habits
Procurement's problem isn't speed. It's form. They've gotten great at automating and accelerating weak processes while quietly rewarding the "good contract, bad deal" mentality that ultimately undercuts their own efforts. In this podcast episode of "Buy: The Way…To Purposeful Procurement," Omid Ghamami, president of the Procurement and Supply Chain Management Institute and former Intel purchasing
841: Three AI-Powered Opportunities: Assist, Augment, Autonomize W/ Etosha Thurman
"If your only role is cost management and processes, that's scary to me. The value of procurement is so much more than that." – Etosha Thurman, Chief Marketing Officer, Finance and Spend Management at SAP AI is rapidly changing procurement's mandate and the expectations that business leaders now have. Technology is no longer just digitizing processes; it's opening the door to new operating models
839: Building Data-Driven Procurement at Scale W/ Adrian Vicol
"The value you bring as a procurement function has transcended being a cost saver. They are now a discussion partner with other functions and bring value in the form of intelligence." - Adrian Vicol, Data Strategy Lead & Data Architect, Siemens Energy Procurement leaders are facing more complex questions about data than ever before. As organizations move toward AI and automation, the need for clea
840: Why Data Literacy Matters More Than Ever in Procurement W/ Satvinder Panesar
"The value isn't in giving them the coffee beans and hoping they take that away and make a cup of coffee – what they need is a drink. So instead of giving them the data, do the extra steps and pull out the insights for them." - Satvinder Panesar, Data and Analytics Strategy Director, AstraZeneca Procurement leaders are surrounded by data, but turning numbers into true business impact is a new kind
BTW EP 21: Planning for People: Behavioral Architecture with David Loseby
Procurement's toughest problems rarely come from spreadsheets or contracts. They come from people. In this episode of "Buy: The Way…To Purposeful Procurement," David Loseby – professor, former CPO, and self-described "pracademic" – joins Philip Ideson and Rich Ham to explore why procurement's incentive systems often fail not because they're wrong on paper, but because they ignore how people actua
838: Protecting Competition: Inside the DOJ's Fight Against Procurement Collusion
"Fraudulent conduct robs the government – at all levels, local, state, or federal – of the benefit of competition. Competition is free and open; it is the Magna Carta of the American economic system, and robbing the government of that benefit is inherently wrongful." Public sector procurement faces mounting challenges, not least of which is the threat of collusion and fraud that quietly erodes bu
837: Mastering Influence: Procurement's Internal and External Edge W/ Giuseppe Conti
"Too many procurement professionals have developed a push energy. If you take that same approach with internal stakeholders, it won't work. We need to develop pull energy — asking questions, listening, and creating a shared vision." - Giuseppe Conti, Professor, Author of Negotiation + Influence = Success: Quick Lessons to Help You Win in Corporate Life Procurement leaders know how much the field h
BTW EP 20: Inventive Incentives: Jason Brown on Procurement Incentive Structures
Procurement doesn't just have a measurement problem. It has a motivation problem. Behind every misaligned target, every "savings" claim, and every missed opportunity is the same invisible culprit: incentives that quietly tell people to do the wrong things well. In this episode of Buy: The Way…To Purposeful Procurement, Jason Brown, accounting professor at Indiana University and longtime corporate
836: Inside Next-Gen SAP Ariba: Rebuilding Procurement for the AI Era W/ Baber Farooq
"Everyone keeps talking about AI just for the sake of AI, but, ultimately, the only thing that matters is the outcome you can achieve." - Baber Farooq, Senior Vice President, Market Strategy, Procurement Solutions at SAP Procurement leaders have long felt the pinch: rising expectations, tight budgets, and platforms that struggle to keep up with user expectations. As AI shifts from a buzzword to tr
835: "We Win" Relationships: A Playbook for Procurement Value W/ Neji Isaac
"There is no stagnancy in a supply relationship. Continuous improvement is the basis for that." - Neji Isaac, Global Category Manager, NOVA Chemicals Procurement often measures success in cost savings and contract terms, but today's business environment demands more. As supplier markets consolidate and customer needs shift, procurement leaders must find new ways to bring value to the business, es
BTW EP 19: The Phil-Ins: Common Sense and Clunky Sports References
In this Phil-Ins episode of "Buy: The Way…To Purposeful Procurement," Philip Ideson, Rich Ham, and Kelly Barner reflect on their conversations with Bayer CPO Thomas Udesen, franchise procurement leader Kristine Morton, and procurement entrepreneur Jason Busch. Despite differences in scope, scale, and sector, the through-line is unmistakable: common sense. For example, Thomas showed how Bayer aban
834: Rewiring Operating Models for an Unpredictable Future W/ Darshan Deshmukh
"Play the long game, avoid myopic thinking and approaches to solve immediate problems as much as you can, and treat your suppliers as your customers or clients." – Darshan Deshmukh, President at ProcureAbility Procurement leaders are facing unparalleled uncertainty – trade wars, shifting regulations, and headlines that change overnight. Pressure is mounting to build more resilient, agile supply
833: The Polycrisis Playbook: How Procurement Can Lead Through Turbulence W/ Gordon Donovan
"We're in the business of change – selling change and then delivering it." - Gordon Donovan, Vice President Research - Procurement & External Workforce, SAP In an era of overlapping crises, procurement faces fast-evolving challenges… and opportunities. Senior leaders are tasked with not only keeping the engine running but also building resilient, future-facing teams that thrive in complexity. Th
BTW EP 18: It's Getting Real: AI, Procurement, and the End of Savings Theater with Jason Busch
"We can all claim savings without necessarily achieving the result." This stark observation from Jason Busch sums up decades of dysfunction in how procurement measures their impact and why AI may finally force a (much-needed) reckoning with reality. In this episode of "Buy: The Way...To Purposeful Procurement," Jason joins co-hosts Philip Ideson and Rich Ham to explore how artificial intelligence
832: AI, Data, and the New Procurement Advantage W/ Vel Dhinagaravel
"Procurement is going to be on the front lines, creating competitive advantage for the corporation." - Vel Dhinagaravel, CEO at Beroe AI isn't just a buzzword anymore… it's rapidly becoming procurement's sharpest tool for staying ahead. Business leaders now demand more than "check-the-box" savings; they want real, data-driven competitiveness that puts their organizations at the front of the pack.
831: Conquering the Decision Abyss: From Data to Supply Chain Impact W/ Keith Hartley
"A decision abyss is the chasm that forms between critical supply chain functions… and that's what keeps and prevents organizations from making fast, cross-functional, well-informed data-driven decisions." – Keith Hartley, CEO and Board Member at LevaData, CEO of The Abyss Group In today's hyper-connected supply chains, data is everywhere, but turning it into fast, confident decisions remains elus
BTW EP 17: Check Yourself Before You Wreck Your P&L: Validating Procurement's Efforts with Kristine Morton
When Kristine Morton's was first introduced to the flawed incentive structures plaguing much of corporate procurement, she said, "That all sounds stupid." Her blunt reaction reveals something profound: it is possible to build a procurement career without ever encountering the dysfunctional systems that dominate so many large organizations. In this episode of "Buy: The Way...To Purposeful Procurem
830: Inside AOP's Acquisition of the ProcureTech100: Objectivity, Community, Impact
"ProcureTech100 is the voice of the user. It's the voice of the customer. We want the perspective of those who are using these solutions every day, who have done proof of concepts, and who have seen the ROI." - Philip Ideson, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Art of Procurement Today's procurement leaders are surrounded by tech innovation and disruption, but separating real value from empty hype
829: From Good to Great: How Business Partnering Transforms Procurement Teams
"Business partnering is what sets apart good procurement teams from great procurement teams, especially in indirect procurement... Those who are good at partnering with the business, they actually are able to excel." - Sasha Sergeev, Director of Technical & Corporate Procurement, Nova Chemicals Procurement must evolve beyond traditional cost-focused metrics to become true business partners that dr
BTW EP 16: Lightbulb Moments: Shedding Light on Purposeful & Productive Procurement
"Savings is completely self-invented and pointless because it's separated from the real P&L." This assessment from Bayer Chief Procurement Officer Thomas Udesen captures the essence of what may be procurement's most radical transformation in decades. In this episode of "Buy: The Way...To Purposeful Procurement," Thomas joins Philip Ideson and Rich Ham to discuss how one of the world's largest ph
828: How to Turn Market Chaos Into Procurement's Strategic Advantage W/ Adam Collins
"I believe if you can define it, you can source it. And if you can source it, you can auction it." - Adam Collins, Head of Sales, Esker Procurement teams are navigating unprecedented global disruptions, from tariffs and geopolitical tensions to supply chain instabilities that refuse to settle. What if these chaotic conditions actually present procurement's greatest opportunity to demonstrate stra
827: Lessons in Resilience From a Procurement Change Journey W/ Tanya Roach
There is no template for transformation. You have to build transformation for the organization that you're in. Go and learn as much as you can about the organization and then pivot where you need to." - Tanya Roach, Director of Procurement, Federated Co-operatives Limited Building procurement from scratch is never easy… let alone within a 90-year-old organization, during a pandemic, and with busi
BTW EP 15: The Phil-Ins: Expanding the Value Menu
Halfway through their journey toward purposeful procurement, the co-hosts confront a fundamental question: if procurement drives value in so many ways beyond cost savings, why do incentive structures ignore virtually everything else? In this episode of "Buy: The Way...To Purposeful Procurement," Philip Ideson, Rich Ham, and Kelly Barner discuss insights from their recent conversations with Martin
826: Deglobalization Hype and Reality for Supply Chain Leaders W/ Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner
"Deglobalization is a nice soundbite, but the reality is, we need more focus on risk management and mitigation." – Philip Ideson, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Art of Procurement Deglobalization is a hot topic right now, but behind the big headlines and boardroom buzzwords, real change is proving to be slow, complicated, and deeply influenced by geopolitics and regulation. Are companies reall
825: Procurement 6 | August 1st, 2025
Procurement 6 is a short podcast from Art of Procurement that publishes in the Art of Procurement feed every Friday morning at 6am US Eastern Time. Presented by a member of the Art of Procurement team, each episode has 6 short segments that summarize the week in procurement. Segments range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that ca
824: Why Technology Complexity Kills User Adoption W/ Jason Kim
"I think we have hit a tipping point where procurement has become a pretty complicated practice. There's so many options and choices and optimizations with concepts that are just so alien to the typical user." - Jason Kim, Senior Director of Product Management, Coupa The procurement technology landscape demands solutions that work for both power users and occasional requesters, yet many organizati
823: Procurement 6 | July 25th, 2025
Procurement 6 is a short podcast from Art of Procurement that publishes in the Art of Procurement feed every Friday morning at 6am US Eastern Time. Presented by a member of the Art of Procurement team, each episode has 6 short segments that summarize the week in procurement. Segments range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that ca
BTW EP 14: Targeted Social Impact: Exploring Often Overlooked Value with Paul Polizzotto
"Businesses are wasting more money than they're making." This stark assessment from serial entrepreneur Paul Polizzotto frames a provocative question: what if procurement's greatest untapped opportunity lies not in negotiating better prices, but in redirecting the millions corporations already squander on ineffective sales and marketing spend? In this episode of "Buy: The Way...To Purposeful Proc
822: Active Communication as a Procurement Game Changer W/ Jack Skerry
"You really have to intimately understand what the organization needs out of you, and that happens through good discourse, good conversation, good communication." - Jack Skerry, Vice President of Supply Chain, Moosehead Breweries Transforming procurement performance demands more than technical expertise. Senior leaders know that without strong communication skills like active listening, transpare
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