Talent Talks Podcast

“I always think procurement’s like a really good joke; it’s about timing.” Innovation is a keyword thrown around in business like a well-loved frisbee, and perhaps with that it’s easy to lose sight of its definition and meaning in a procurement setting.  Sarah-Jayne Aldridge is no stranger to innovating on a massive scale, with an impressive roster of roles at Sky, O2, G4S and now Network Rail.  J...

“The next stage of the stakeholder understanding of what value could be for procurement is unlocking new things that they haven't already thought of.” Procurement is an ever evolving world, and with several decades of experience between them, this week’s guests on Talent Talks are well acquainted with how to adapt to new technologies and opportunities.  Robert Bonnar is a Global Procurement D...

“What is procurement to an organization? Always come back to that.” The power of business partnering is an often unfulfilled potential which can massively improve a procurement function’s impact on a business. Overcoming that first hurdle and making those connections is made easier through proper collaboration with the rest of the business, and helping stakeholders to understand the value in procu...

“It's not just about just ripping cost out for the sake of it, but it's actually doing it in a more intelligent way that says ‘We’ll create value’.” It can take a number of months or years to set up a supply chain, but as we’ve all discovered from the past year it takes far less time to stress test it to breaking point. The events of the past year highlight a necessity for any procuremen...

“Globalisation is very much determined not by the organisation, but by how it serves its customers.” “Globalisation is very much determined not by the organization, but by how it serves its customers.” Jayesh Joshi joins us this week to discuss how he has managed to boost the profile of Procurement as an industry through many great initiatives including the APAC CPO Forum he created and how Procur...

“Marketing is an investment, and we are guardians of that investment, and we can drive the value for that investment.” If there’s one category within procurement that we haven’t yet really dived into on Talent Talks, it’s likely to be marketing procurement. It’s proven to be an area with some unique and interesting challenges, particularly recruiting and training in the sector.  This poses a fanta...

“I think that women are more cautious about putting themselves out there in case of failure, where I think that men are much more willing to take that risk, and can see themselves succeeding, where women can see themselves failing..” To see a greater representation for females at director level roles, we need to encourage women in procurement to seize the opportunities that they deserve.  Speaking...

Where most businesses’ motivations are generally financial, one needs to take a different approach in the more philanthropic not-for-profit sector. The value added comes from a completely different operation to that of a private sector corporate. Having progressed to Head of Procurement over his 4 and a half years with Wellcome Trust, Josh Dempsey has facilitated the supply chain behind some key h...

“Once stakeholders are on board with e-procurement systems, they find it much more efficient. They're more enthusiastic about being involved in procurement processes.” Like the digitisation of most things in the world, the rise of e-procurement promises to bring all parties closer together which, when trying to integrate procurement with the interests of stakeholders, is a giant leap for our...

“Ultimately, unless you're joining a start-up, then it's not ever really a greenfield site. There's going to be existing practices.” Generally a greenfield project can be considered one where the processes you implement aren’t constrained by prior practice, but the reality of breaking the habits already in place can be complex, particularly if your knowledge of the category is limit...

One of the key links in the sourcing and procurement process is naturally the wealth of suppliers, without whom the supply chain would not function. Given the demands and pressure burdened upon them, it seems only fitting that those who go above and beyond should be recognised.  A keen advocate of the supplier recognition awards hosted by his business, this week’s Talent Talks guest - Vitality’s H...

“You can't have everyone wanting to have the next job up, otherwise you run the risk of getting into that conflict with the team” Building a procurement team that works well together requires an overview of the whole team’s needs when hiring, not just looking at the role to be filled. Finding talent with the skill set you don’t yet cover may require an open-minded CPO to look beyond applicant...

“You see dozens of LinkedIn posts, webinars, virtual conferences, forums, and they're all saying ‘Procurement’s time to shine, take a seat at the table’. And this isn't probably going to be very popular but here goes - it's not. If you've only just realized this now you're probably a bit late to the party.” Gareth Hughes is well versed in a diverse range of procurement fun...

Transforming a procurement function can seem a mammoth task, requiring the coordination of several people to create tangible change. To demystify procurement transformation and sustainable sourcing, Martin Smith is joined by CPO at Legal & General, Daniel Keyworth and Group Procurement Director at M&S, Andrew Newnham. Daniel and Andrew break down the most effective way to generate procurem...

“I think the basis of SRM is building a program, and that sounds a bit grandiose, but building a strategy where you're helping suppliers treat you like you'd like to be treated, and also doing the same to them. So it's a two way street.” The guest for this episode of Talent Talks has one of the most diverse procurement backgrounds we’ve seen yet. Scott Collins has been a Councillor...

In an increasingly global business environment, there is a growing necessity to focus on Supplier Risk Management. The impact of reputational risks, data security breaches and issues within the supply chain have evolved over the course of 2020 in particular. In episode 24 of Talent Talks, Martin Smith is joined by Oliver Mountain and Avnish Patel, whose decades of experience with Revive Consulting...

“ If you're collaborating and networking with your peers, you're probably getting better insights and better knowledge into what you do for a day to day job.” Michael Cadieux is the Founder and CEO of an exclusive, free network of procurement professionals called The Procurement Foundry which, over the course of the past year, has transformed the way people define networking.  Given the...

There’s a key difference between viewing procurement as a cost-saver and as a driving force for business growth, and the chance to take this optimistic approach is occasionally overlooked.  In episode 22 of Talent Talks, Martin Smith welcomes Jeremy Bowley, Managing Director of Insider Pro and Tom Lewers, former Commercial Director of Network Rail, CPO Royal London & LV= and now MD at Procurem...

Martin head’s across the Atlantic this episode with a North American panel to discuss how to improve the revolving door in procurement and supply-chain, the impact of COVID-19 in the American market and the increase in content marketing and personal branding movement in the industry.   Our panel includes: Richard Ham - CEO at Fine Tune:  Sarah Barnes-Humphry - CEO of Shipz - Host of “Lets Talk Sup...

2020 has accelerated diversity and inclusion in procurement through the impact of the global pandemic and BlackLivesMatter protests. In this special episode of Talent Talks, Martin welcomes another incredible line-up who discuss how their own companies are encouraging diversity and inclusion and how we can continue this momentum within the procurement industry. Our panel includes: Laura Grant. For...

Did you know that 50% of the workforce in procurement is now female? There’s been a tremendous sea of change in the last 10 years, but the board level and leadership teams don’t yet represent this at the higher levels.  In episode 19 of Talent Talks Martin Smith welcomes an excellent panel who discuss how to attract, nurture and develop female talent within the procurement and supply-chain industr...

What is the impact of digitalisation on modern day procurement? In this episode of Talent Talks, Martin Smith, Founder of Talent Drive is joined by three procurement leaders in the tech and digital area; - Dave Jones - Indirect Procurement Senior Leadership Team at John Lewis Partnership - James Meads - Consultant & Host of The Procuretech Podcast - Dr. Thierry Fausten - Consultant at Informed...

For this very special episode of Talent Talks, I’m delighted to be joined by three well-known leading experts in the world of procurement consultancy for a panel discussion; Simon Whatson - Principal - Efficio Consulting Simon Geale - VP - Proxima Jeremy Smith - Managing Partner - 4C Associates We discuss using external consultants versus hiring procurement talent in-house and what the mindset and...

Your role in procurement is to achieve and to promote the aims of the business.”  Daniel Barnes, Founder of World of Procurement and host of the World of Procurement Podcast works across all sectors of procurement, which in itself is pretty niche. Starting his career with a degree in Commercial Law and a Masters in IT and Commerce Law, Daniel truly found his passion within the world of procurement...

“ Get it right now and you're saving yourself some more time down the line.”  Susan Walsh Classification Guru set up her own company three years ago when she left her job in data classification, and wasn’t sure where to turn next. Her confidence and ability to classify spend data for businesses solidified her decision to start up on her own.  In episode 15 of Talent Talks, Martin and Susan Wa...