The Procurement Game Changers

Everyone’s talking about AI. Few are buying it wisely. In this episode of Procurement Game Changers, we tackle the big question: How do you navigate uncertainty when buying AI solutions — and still make smart, strategic decisions? Our guest, Debo Lufadeju brings a wealth of experience leading complex strategic sourcing projects across private and public sectors. His golden rule? “Take a step back...

Guess what? Our Procurement Game Changers podcast has unveiled a fascinating secret—none of our guests willingly chose to enter this field. For each of them, it was either a stroke of luck or an unexpected twist of fate that led them here. In today's episode, our esteemed guest, Thejo Kote, shed light on the underlying reason: "In business school, they teach you how to make money, not how to spend...

The digital procurement trend is gradually replacing traditional practices, and it's not just a trend; it's a reality. What essential skills and tools do procurement leaders need in this digital age? They need to be familiar with the end-to-end "procure-to-pay" process. This involves understanding the company's external needs, market dynamics, finding suppliers, creating contracts, receiving deliv...

Burnout, like a global epidemic, casts its dark shadow over both genders. However, its grip on women is particularly tight, leaving them more vulnerable to its detrimental effects. It's as if women find it challenging to hit the "off" switch, constantly grappling with concerns about the impact on their career progression. Startlingly, only 45% of women rate their ability to disconnect from work as...

There is no denying the fact that Generative AI is about to disrupt the professional services landscape like never before. It's like a storm of innovation brewing on the horizon, ready to revolutionize procurement as we know it. And guess what? We can't afford to be left in the dust! We need to be the pioneers, the ones who ride this wave of change and come out on top. That's where our extraordina...

We were blown away by the amazing response to our women's day special podcast! And you know what? We're not done celebrating all the incredible women out there just yet. So, we've decided to keep the momentum going by continuing the series. And, Today's episode is going to be a real treat! We've got Carmella Long, a procurement veteran who's going to give us the inside scoop on her journey through...

In this Women's Day special podcast series, Alpha Female in Procurement - the Lone Road to Leadership, host Helene introduces Alejandra Garcia, Senior Vice President of Global Procurement at DSM. Alejandra has 25 years of experience in procurement and shares her valuable insights on procurement challenges and strategies for success. In this episode, Alejandra talks about the biggest challenge she...

Get ready to celebrate International Women's Day 2023 with our fantastic interview series, "Alpha Females in Procurement - the Lone Road to Leadership." We've been lucky to chat with three phenomenal women: Susan Spence, Vera Rozanova, and Donna Donato. And let me tell you, their stories are truly inspiring! Our host Helene Laffitte has been doing an incredible job guiding the conversations with t...

The world of procurement and supply chain management is changing rapidly. The past three years have shown us just how vital it is to have a solid supply chain strategy, no matter your industry. It's like building a castle - you want to make sure your foundation is strong enough to withstand any attack that comes your way. At the same time, building a sustainable supply chain is essential for our f...

As we celebrate Women's Day this year, we're proud to feature a group of influential women in procurement. And today, we're thrilled to have Donna Donato join us for our third episode of the "Alpha Females in Procurement: The Lone Road to Leadership" podcast series.   A seasoned leader in the procurement world, Donna has over 25 years of global experience under her belt. She's currently rocking th...

Join us to Celebrate International Women's Day with our latest episode featuring a remarkable guest, Vera Rozanova – the Global Director at Open Forum Enterprise Ltd, an expert in procurement and supply chain management, a beloved coach and mentor, and a champion of climate change! Did we mention she is also an MCIPS? In this episode, we dive into the procurement world with Vera and explore how wo...

As we have finally arrived at the inaugural episode of our Women's Day Special series,"Alpha Women in Procurement - A Lone Road to Leadership." we're thrilled to have the fabulous Susan Spence as our guest. If you're ready to get inspired and maybe even pick up a few career strategies, be sure to join us for this exciting conversation.

Soumava Laha discusses supply chain resilience on Procurement Game Changers Podcast. Learn how to invest strategically for competitive advantage and disruption protection. Tune in.

A best-in-class procurement can be a key differentiator for a company’s success. And one of the ways to determine whether it is best-in-class is by looking at its ability to save money for the organization. According to Ricardo Gaxiola, a procurement veteran with 25 years of experience, the mark of an outstanding procurement is its ability to be recognized as a valuable brand that external supplie...

When the finance, marketing, IT, or HR departments get huge attention and patronage from the top management, procurement is seldom invited to share the limelight. But best-in-class procurement can contribute to an organization's success in multiple ways, and companies must not fail to use that potential. They should start by building up an efficient procurement team. Notwithstanding its potential,...

It is an open secret that procurement is widely underestimated and seldom given the opportunity to prove its potential. No wonder you rarely will find a procurement expert who started his career in this field. Most people join procurement later in their careers from other fields. This has its advantage; procurement becomes a melting pot of different skills and mindsets. Fred Leeds, an accomplished...

Attracting top talents in the procurement space has always been a challenge. And in this post-covid world, where things like work-life balance or the flexibility to work from home have become more important to candidates than a hefty paycheck or a steep rise in the corporate ladder, filling up positions in the procurement space has become even more critical than ever. Against this backdrop, HR dep...

Supply relationship management (SRM) and its contributions to a company's long-term growth is perhaps the most discussed topic in the sourcing and procurement circles today. We do not exaggerate when we say that without a proper SRM plan in place, you may even face business continuity risk. In this episode of our #PGC podcast, join Kevin Giblin, the head of strategic sourcing at Fitch Group, for a...

Cooperation is empowering and the concept of cooperative procurement is premised on cooperation.  By leveraging cooperative purchasing (where it makes sense) you can enjoy the benefits of economies of scale and greater efficiency in obtaining goods and services. The idea behind such a program is to combine the requirements of several entities to obtain conditions on pricing, volumes, terms, and co...

Digital Transformation in Procurement can create unexpected and intangible value. Tune in to this episode and explore the path to that value creation with the procurement thought leader, Tomas Wiemer.  

Today's procurement decisions are going to make a difference tomorrow. Sustainability has become the central theme of the procurement decision-making game. In this episode of our PGC podcast, we are excited to have Thomas Udesen. The CPO at Pharma giant Bayer, and the co-founder of the Sustainable Procurement Pledge, a not-for-profit community. Join the thought leader to know about what is happeni...

For centuries, Geopolitics remained a major influencer in global trades. Nations that could manage geopolitical risks well, became wealthier than others, and eventually more powerful and influential as far as international relations were concerned. What can be some of the ways to handle these situations, effectively?  What can be the best strategies that nations can embrace to reduce their risks o...

It's no news that indirect procurement is a complex job. But what are the factors that make it complex? Well, that calls for a deep discussion. Fragmentation, decentralization, less than adequate talent inflow – multiple factors may add to the complexity of indirect procurement. In today's episode of our Procurement Game Changer podcast series, sourcing expert, John Dockins takes a close look at a...

  Organizations never hesitate when it comes to soaking up new, promising ideas and turning them into opportunities. These ideas need not necessarily have to come from the R&D departments only. Often the best and the most viable ideas come from outside of the organization. In the case of procurement organizations, their suppliers and partners happen to be the source of some of the most brilliant i...

Procurement has always been a critical function within companies, responsible for ensuring that the supply of goods and services is uninterrupted. However, in recent years supply chain disruptions have become more common, due to factors such as political instability, natural disasters, and pandemics. As a result, procurement teams have been under increasing pressure to ensure that their supply cha...