In addition to being the Head of Content and Brand Partnerships at Art of Procurement, Kelly Barner is also the host of The Sourcing Hero podcast, a collaboration with Una. New episodes air every Wednesday at 6am ET and they cover a wide range of topics… everything from soft skills to sales, and category management to digital transformation.

In this specially curated podcast, Kelly shares excerpts from three recent interviews featuring authors:

• Simon Horton, a negotiations expert, talks about persuasion. 
• Tim Hughes provides a lesson on Social Selling for procurement 
• Jonathan O’Brien talks about the challenge of sustainability - and how procurement can rise to meet that challenge.

So get in your most comfortable book position, grab a cup of tea or coffee, and join us to hear Kelly’s selected highlights.

Art of Procurement is best known for our podcast, but did you know that we also host a number of virtual conferences each year as well? These longer form events allow us to have in-depth discussions about the opportunities and challenges procurement professionals face.

All of those opportunities and challenges can be met with a combination of digital solutions, data, and powerful relationships - and we get to hear real world examples of how that works from our event speakers. 

In this specially curated podcast, Helen Mackenzie shares her most memorable excerpts from this year’s virtual events:

• Melissa Drew, Associate Partner at IBM, speaking about how AI can elevate procurement's focus from tactical to strategic
• SpendHQ Chief Operating Officer Doug Van Wingerden talking about how technology is changing the ‘game’ of category management
• Tanya Manning-Grant, CEO of TMG Professional Services Consulting Firm, focusing on driving supply chain value in disrupted times

Procurement 6 is a new short podcast from Art of Procurement that will be published 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 will have 6 short segments that summarize this week in procurement.  

Segments will range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that have captured our attention this week.

Digital procurement is no longer a ‘next level’ approach to spend and supplier management. Digitized procurement processes have fast become the table stakes for any procurement team that hopes to become a true business partner. 

And yet, procurement often still struggles to ‘connect the dots’ between multiple strategic and technical considerations - a business-wide effort. In a recent LinkedIn Snap Poll, Art of Procurement community members told us that alignment with the business is the most important input to digital transformation. That in and of itself is an important indication of procurement maturity.

This episode features a recent AOP Live session where Philip Ideson was joined by Alpar Kamber, Julie Brignac, and Chris Eyerman from WNS Denali. They took the opportunity to dig deeper into the connection between alignment with the business and procurement’s digital transformation goals.

They discussed:

• What the concept of a digital ecosystem really means - to procurement and to the rest of the company
• How procurement should perceive the connections between digital transformation and their own maturity journey
• The important role that experienced and objective third parties can play in accelerating both transformation and maturation

Procurement 6 is a new short podcast from Art of Procurement that will be published 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 will have 6 short segments that summarize this week in procurement.  

Segments will range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that have captured our attention this week.

In challenging economic times, each company has to eke the most value out of every contract. But are there limitations to that?

A recent article from CIPS’ Supply Management Magazine, How the Actions of Procurement Teams Are Contributing to Insolvencies, brought this question to the forefront.

In a LinkedIn Pulse Poll, Philip Ideson asked, should procurement be responsible for what they ask for in situations where they hold a high amount of leverage or is it up to the supplier not to offer what they cannot afford?

In this episode of the podcast, Philip is joined by Kelly Barner to discuss the results of the poll as well as some related ‘ethical’ questions that procurement teams may be facing today:

• How can procurement ‘protect’ suppliers from bankruptcy if those suppliers are not fully transparent about their cost model?
• Who should decide what it means to make a ‘fair profit?’
• Could holding a supplier’s feet to the fire lead to brand damage for the buying company?

Procurement 6 is a new short podcast from Art of Procurement that will be published 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 will have 6 short segments that summarize this week in procurement.  

Segments will range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that have captured our attention this week.

It is not easy to strike a balance between the need for speed, control, and compliance. 

Get it right and you’ve unlocked the X factor. Get it wrong and the customer experience will suffer.

The business wants more convenience but procurement is wired to ensure control. Can procurement satisfy both at the same time?

In this session from Mastermind LIVE 2022, Radhika Samant, VP of Finance and Head of Global Procurement at Optimizely, and Lalitha Rajagopalan, Co-founder and Head of Strategy & Marketing at ORO Labs, share their thoughts on the procurement X factor and why it is so critical to transformation.

They shared their perspectives about:

• How procurement can be a revenue driver as well as a cost manager
• What is driving the shift towards decentralized procurement activity and ownership
• Ways that new digital capabilities are allowing greater freedom spending without sacrificing oversight

Procurement 6 is a new short podcast from Art of Procurement that will be published 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 will have 6 short segments that summarize this week in procurement.  

Segments will range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that have captured our attention this week.

The procurement talent landscape has always been complex, and the last few years have accelerated the rate of change and amplified the impact on companies of all sizes.

First there was the pandemic, and the transition to working from home. This gave way to the Great Resignation, which saw people leaving their jobs in droves. Some exited the workforce altogether, others switched jobs or industries, and many decided to take the opportunity to dabble in entrepreneurship. 

Now, with trouble looming on the economic horizon, the pendulum is starting to swing back in the other direction, and news of large scale layoffs is making people think twice about leaving a secure position.

In this episode, based on an AOP Live session, Joe Payne, SVP of Source-to-Pay, and Jennifer Ulrich, VP of Advisory, from Corcentric answered a range of questions about these employment trends and how they are impacting procurement talent:

• The challenges created by the 59% of procurement professionals who told us that when faced with talent shortages they just “work harder”
• The opportunity that exists to leverage hybrid insource/outsource procurement delivery models - particularly at the strategic end of the hiring market
• How the combination of so much disruption in the overall employment market is expected to affect hiring managers and procurement organizations into next year

Procurement 6 is a new short podcast from Art of Procurement that will be published 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 will have 6 short segments that summarize this week in procurement.  

Segments will range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that have captured our attention this week.

What does it take to formulate an ambitious vision and then go hands-on to bring it to fruition?

Tony Uphoff is a growth advisor, tech mentor, and turn around expert. He was the President and CEO at Thomas (formerly ThomasNet), and personally drove the effort to transform the 100 year old business into a modern media enterprise, what he calls a “125 year old startup.”

This week’s episode is from the first session of Mastermind LIVE 2022. Tony joined Kelly Barner to kick off the two day event by sharing his experiences with driving organizations towards a big goal or vision - despite enterprise inertia in a challenging market.

Listen to hear Tony share his point of view on:

• How to drive significant change quickly without jeopardizing the future success of the company
• One of the most common mistakes turnaround leaders make when they are approaching a new project
• Strategies procurement can use to liberate themselves from traditional roles, perspectives, and results

Procurement 6 is a new short podcast from Art of Procurement that will be published 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 will have 6 short segments that summarize this week in procurement.  

Segments will range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that have captured our attention this week.

The last few years have seen an explosion of new investment and startups to serve leading procurement organizations. While procurement is certainly worthy of such attention and enablement, they are also the ‘innovation gateway’ for the company as a whole. Keeping them inspired is a critical job - one that this week’s guest takes personally.

Matthias Gutzmann founded DPW in 2019 to deliver against an unmet need that he recognized in the procurement community. He didn’t want to host another conference, but rather to create an event, one that would bring together the most diverse community of professionals possible.

In this conversation, Matthias joins host Philip Ideson to share his founder’s story and talk about where his attention is focused right now:

• The lengths he and his team go to in their efforts to avoid the ‘same old stuff’ onstage at DPW
• The genesis of the ScoutLab initiative and how it is making it possible for innovation to scale within large procurement teams and large organizations
• The potential downside of having so many digital options at a time when procurement is facing constant challenges and change

Procurement 6 is a new short podcast from Art of Procurement that will be published 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 will have 6 short segments that summarize this week in procurement.  

Segments will range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that have captured our attention this week.

Professional athletes represent the top 1% in their sport. While talent will take an athlete a long way, the key differentiator between those that reach the top and those who come close is mindset: the ‘athlete's mindset.’ This powerful but intangible way of thinking makes it possible to achieve seemingly insurmountable goals - no matter what arena you compete in.

In this week’s episode, we are sharing the final session of Mastermind LIVE 2022. Philip Ideson was joined on the virtual stage by Lou Alexander, a former NFL and Division 1 football player who now works with procurement teams daily as part of his role at ProcurementIQ. 

Join Philip and Lou to hear how the determination required to build an athlete’s mindset is critical for anyone who wants to embark on their own journey to 10X the impact of procurement:

• Why the most important thing a leader may do is stop talking and start listening
• How procurement professionals and teams can redefine what is means to be successful

Procurement 6 is a new short podcast from Art of Procurement that will be published 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 will have 6 short segments that summarize this week in procurement.  

Segments will range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that have captured our attention this week.

According to research done by Globality, "90% of global procurement leaders are committed to the urgent transformation of their operating models and processes to be more resilient and agile.” And yet, committing to an idea does not necessarily guarantee that it will gain operational traction. For that, procurement needs to change the way they engage with the business.

During this fireside chat moderated by Philip Ideson as part of Mastermind LIVE 2022, BP Director of Digital and Innovation Sourcing Nicholas Wright and Global Category Manager for Talent and Consulting Ben Weston were joined Globality’s Graham Moore to discuss how agile sourcing can deliver increased efficiencies and ROI by moving more spend to a self-service process. 

In this session, they explored topics such as:

• How procurement should rethink the sourcing process to be more responsive to the needs of the business. 
• The corresponding adjustments that requires to engagement with specific suppliers and stakeholders
• How the team at BP, one of the world's largest integrated energy businesses, approached transforming their sourcing process to become more agile by placing a particular focus on services categories.

Procurement 6 is a new short podcast from Art of Procurement that will be published 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 will have 6 short segments that summarize this week in procurement.  

Segments will range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that have captured our attention this week.

In this episode, Philip Ideson is joined by Helen Mackenzie, Art of Procurement’s Head of Community and Events. They recently had the opportunity to attend ProcureCon EU in Barcelona, Spain. 

Not only was the conference a great place to meet with colleagues face to face, it also presented an opportunity to consider today’s key economic, geopolitical, and business challenges from a uniquely European perspective.

During the conversation Philip and Helen discuss:

• Some of the most memorable procurement executives and points of view shared during the trip
• The changes procurement needs to make if they really want to form partnerships and drive innovation by working with smaller suppliers
• Setting sustainability targets that ensure progress is being made and the right kinds of change are driven by the business

Procurement 6 is a new short podcast from Art of Procurement that will be published 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 will have 6 short segments that summarize this week in procurement.  

Segments will range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that have captured our attention this week.

Procurement’s role in integrations and separations is often overlooked – and understandably so. Corporate development teams and M&A professionals are chartered with identifying, negotiating, and closing the deal. Execution on the investment thesis is paramount.

However, the untapped potential in procurement represents an opportunity to ‘sweeten the deal’. At its core, procurement is chartered with the management of third party spend and partner relationship oversight. The inherent supply base influence on profitability and risk is only magnified in a M&A environment. Thus, sidelining procurement in inorganic activities such as acquisitions or divestitures could mean missing the opportunity for deal upside and value acceleration.

This episode of the podcast is based on an AOP Live session with Chris McCarney and Marcos Cortes from KPMG, LLP. 

Chris and Marcos joined host Philip Ideson to explore…

• Procurement’s role at each stage of the deal cycle
• Overlooked and under-estimated procurement opportunities in integrations and separations
• Pre-deal, post-deal, and no-deal elements to consider

Procurement 6 is a new short podcast from Art of Procurement that will be published 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 will have 6 short segments that summarize this week in procurement.  

Segments will range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that have captured our attention this week.

There has been a lot of talk about ‘experience’ in procurement during the last couple of years, but how important is it really? Could it be that improving the employee experience is the only way for procurement to fully leverage their ability to drive value?

We wanted to know more, so we partnered with the team at Zip Intake-to-Procure to run a survey that looked at how the procurement-created employee experience impacts procurement performance. The findings were really compelling, as you will hear. 

In this episode, Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner share their perspectives on the report findings as well as the changes procurement can make to improve experience and results in parallel:

• Increasing transparency so that buyers know the status of their purchases and also which functions other than procurement may be holding up their approval
• How the meaning of risk and compliance change when procurement expands from traditional indirect spend categories into technology and knowledge-based service spend
• Why procurement should stop worrying about maverick or rogue spend and instead invest in the convenience of digitally-enabled processes

Procurement 6 is a new short podcast from Art of Procurement that will be published 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 will have 6 short segments that summarize this week in procurement.  

Segments will range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that have captured our attention this week.