Talent Talks Podcast

In this episode of the Talent Talks podcast, Martin Smith interviews Brian Lombard, a manager at Talent Drive. Brian shares his background and how he transitioned from procurement into procurement recruitment.  He primarily focuses on the interim market and discusses the current opportunities and trends in UK procurement. They also touch on the impact of IR35 regulation and the hiring activity in...

“The most critical thing right now is to really develop the relationships with the people you work with, spend time with them understand them really well and form as trusting a relationship as you possibly can” Tim has had a diverse journey in procurement, working in the industry for nearly 20yrs. He began his career joining Tesco on their graduate scheme and hasn’t looked back, working for variou...

“We need suppliers who understand what it's like from underrepresented groups’ perspectives, because those often are the groups that we're looking to speak to.” Supplier diversity is essential to any good procurement professional’s portfolio, which emphasises the importance of the SRM that underpins everything. That’s a focus area for one of procurement’s most prominent voices, Coventry...

“Really push yourself out there - pushing your comfort zone is where you really feel alive.” Soft skills in procurement are one thing, but employing them to become one of procurement’s most prominent names on social media is another ball game entirely. If we’re to elevate the profession, it’s the kind of work that Tom Mills puts into his social following which we need to see more often.  Tom retur...

“Everyone should be learning right through their career. It's actually the power of saying very little, and listening.” Soft skills are an undoubtedly vital part of any procurement professional’s skillset, but it’s such a vague term for something so key. That’s why Tom Mills’ advocacy for soft skill development makes him the perfect guest on Talent Talks for a two-part discussion around how n...

“Procurement has been really effective in seeing growth opportunities and saying ‘Let us manage this, we can look after this’.” While Will Bowley’s route into procurement may not be conventional, his pedigree in the industry matches the impact delivered as Director of Staverton Consulting. With a unique perspective on the industry, Will joins us on Talent Talks to discuss the biggest challenges fa...

“It’s not hard to find bodies if you want bodies, but the best people have options. You’ve got to be approaching them.” When good procurement people have the power to choose their path, it takes proactivity to create a quality team - as Sermet Baykaner has done proficiently through his career to date.  With names like Carnival and Unilever under his belt, Sermet - Bourne Leisure’s Group Procuremen...

“We have all these other things that we can do, but the end game that the Chief Executive wants is the value that you're giving them.” The procurement industry is ever-evolving with shifting skillsets, constrained talent pool and a new age of technology & automation - it’s on us to evolve with it.  We hosted an incredible Talent Talks Live event at Landsec in September, where we delighted...

“The challenge is finding somebody with a really good set of soft skills, and that transcends both public and private sectors.” When it comes to recruiting exciting new procurement talent, good apprenticeships can be the perfect combination of experience and learning. Emma Law’s sustained efforts to create such apprenticeship opportunities are becoming fruitful, alongside her already stellar decad...

“Procurement was once the gatekeeper to the marketplace. Technology speeds up how we do things, and brings the external market to internal stakeholders.” The one defence we have against extinction of any kind is adaptation. It might be drastic to suggest procurement is on the brink of extinction, but it certainly needs to adapt… Whether it’s in the attraction of new talent or moving away from gate...

“Marketing, arguably more so than other categories, needs to be seen as an investment for growth, not a cost to be cut.” There’s a boldness that roles in Nike, Danone and Reckitt would give anyone, and Stuart Dunk has funnelled that boldness into a business that’s now over 3 years strong. Stuart’s specialism is in marketing procurement, an area which he believes to lean further towards value over...

“Build yourself a great team, and build a team that challenges you. You can't do it all yourself, you're only as good as the people around you.” With huge, long-spanning roles at Diageo and Compass Group, Oliver Cock has developed the blueprints for successful procurement change, fulfilling leadership, and introducing category management from scratch. Oliver is an incredibly experienced...

“There’s a hidden cost - the cost of bad deals because you don’t choose to use interim resources.” Since 2021’s reforms, IR35 has been a major factor in the channels through which procurement resource is found, and Mark Coulson has become a guiding light through the confusion. Having spent many years specialising in IR35, he’s perfectly placed to share with us on Talent Talks how to navigate the m...

“I love seeing people grow and flourish. It’s fulfilling and quite humbling that you've been part of someone else's success and growth..” Bringing together the best of both worlds is a powerful procurement strategy for those with private and public sector experience - Divyesh Lad combines those in a challenging utility sector. The Head of Commercial Services for United Utilities joins us...

“We should always remember opportunity cost - sometimes time itself is much more valuable and important than a potential monetary saving.” Across a career that’s spanned THG, Sky and now Epos Now, Isabella Moise has thrived in her roles with an ability to marry the needs of stakeholders with wildly conflicting ideas of success. Now in a Head of Procurement role early in her career, Isabella’s insi...

“As a consultant I had direct access to the chief executive. As a secondee, to go anywhere near the chief executive wasn’t going to happen.” The procurement consultancy world has its draws, from intense and varied experiences to, at times, greater access within the business. That said, Daniel Abda has worked on both consultancy and in-house teams, currently with Efficio and previously leading an A...

“Procurement’s relevance depends on our ability to embrace technological change.” Greenfield procurement presents an opportunity that most procurement professionals would relish, a chance which Robert Jones has taken with open arms at Community Fibre. Currently Senior Procurement Manager in a function that he’s helped to grow since roles at The AA and Johnson & Johnson, Robert joins Martin Smi...

“This is actually a great time to be in procurement, because it's a time to shine.” Andrew Smith’s career has taken him from huge roles in Royal Mail to international leadership with Avis Budget in Copenhagen, an industry forced recently to rapidly evolve. As a result of such impressive experiences across several decades, Andrew has a keen eye on what it takes to create impact while respectin...

“People make the world go round. If you ever have a problem, it's often the people that you've won over who will back you up or help you out.” Whether it’s through his own procurement leadership roles or rich experience in consulting and training, Oliver Jones knows the key to presenting procurement’s value. Return on investment extends beyond numbers, and when it’s time to get people on...

“It comes back to innovation: what could we do differently to get ourselves through this difficult period?” Whether you’re among the largest corporations in the world, or the bustling startups growing through adversity, innovation needs to be at the heart of your procurement function. Applying that principle at both ends of the spectrum with Coca-Cola and Mum & You, David Cowell is the perfect...

“Ultimately, the challenges for a procurement function are very similar, but going into a different environment helps you grow.” There’s no substitute for the level of depth and breadth of experience that Tracey Williamson has developed over the course of her illustrious career as a procurement leader. From roles in several major blue chip organisations like Nissan, Tesco, Vodafone and many more,...

“If you are purely doing procurement and commercial on paper, the paper doesn't stand the litmus test,” Victoria Cope’s career roles are supremely varied and her credentials numerous, so she serves as a perfect example of how wide ranging experiences can aid procurement leaders in succeeding at the highest level. With an Aeronautical Engineering background, over 20 years in the Defence &...

“We often create a list of 12 things, but if you focus on the one thing that makes the biggest difference, you’ll be more successful than having a big shopping list.” ITV, Sky, Starbucks, Serco and Nestle may not share much in terms of sector, but all are huge brands that Jonathan Patrick has at one point called home. His ability to instigate successful transformation at the highest level is beyon...

“We had to stay absolutely core to our principles around collaboration, relationships and partnerships. In the supply chain arena, the strength of those came to the forefront.” It’s hard to deny that one of the most affected industries from the pandemic has been air travel, so how has the industry’s supply chain stayed strong in preparation for its return? The value of strong, long-lasting relatio...

“You need to become the commercial architect, as opposed to the person that sends out the RFP and spends hours on Excel trying to analyse the responses of those prices.” As procurement professionals venture further into becoming commercial leads looking to drive value, the skillset sought from those entering the role is ever-shifting. Amassing a huge arsenal of skills throughout his illustrious ca...