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Philip Ideson

Managing Director at Art of Procurement

Orlando, United States

Philip Ideson is passionate about the role that procurement professionals and leaders can plan in creating a competitive advantage for their organizations.

Over a two-decade career spanning the entire procurement value chain from Buyer to Head of Procurement, as a practitioner and consultant, Philip observed first hand the challenges that procurement professionals face in fighting the status quo, and ultimately in fulfilling their potential.

Philip founded Art of Procurement in 2015 as a way to empower procurement professionals at all levels to deliver change with confidence; whether from the inspiration of the popular weekly podcast that he hosts, or with targeted solution offerings that guide clients on their journey to transform the impact of procurement.

Philip Ideson Points
Academic 0
Author 951
Influencer 95
Speaker 3
Entrepreneur 20
Total 1069

Points based upon Thinkers360 patent-pending algorithm.

Thought Leader Profile

Portfolio Mix

Company Information

Company Type: Company
Theatre: Global
Minimum Project Size: Undisclosed
Average Hourly Rate: Undisclosed
Number of Employees: Undisclosed
Company Founded Date: Undisclosed
Media Experience: 10 years
Last Media Training: 05/01/2015
Last Media Interview: 03/01/2022

Areas of Expertise

AI 30.09
Analytics 30.12
Business Continuity 31.96
Business Strategy 31.28
Change Management 30.14
COVID19 36.70
CSR 30.68
Customer Experience 30.21
Customer Loyalty 30.18
Digital Disruption 30.19
Digital Transformation 31.42
Diversity and Inclusion 30.59
Ecosystems 30.29
Entrepreneurship 33.16
FinTech 30.16
Future of Work 30.03
HR 30.12
Innovation 30.54
IoT 30.06
Leadership 31.01
Management 33.82
Marketing 30.15
Mental Health 30.28
Procurement 65.13
Retail 30.43
Risk Management 32.77
RPA 30.27
Sales 30.94
Startups 30.82
Supply Chain 36.01
Sustainability 31.65

Industry Experience

Automotive
Consumer Products
Financial Services & Banking
High Tech & Electronics
Insurance
Manufacturing
Media
Other
Pharmaceuticals
Professional Services
Retail
Travel & Transportation
Utilities

Publications

104 Article/Blogs
AOP Introducing… Tonkean Enterprise Copilot
Import from wordpress feed
July 17, 2024
Procurement intake processes are often misunderstood by other areas of the business, and having to constantly guide distributed buyers through...
The post AOP Introducing… Tonkean Enterprise Copilot appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Procurement, Supply Chain

3 Perspectives on Procurement and Risk for Mid-sized Organizations
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April 01, 2024
Procurement’s ability to have the desired impact is dependent upon a combination of knowledge, skills, technology – and relationships. Misalignment,...
The post 3 Perspectives on Procurement and Risk for Mid-sized Organizations appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

Great Shortages Make Great Opportunities: Shifts in the Manufacturing Workforce
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April 01, 2024
A combination of factors, including retirement rates, lower birth rates, and generational differences in worker preference have led to particularly...
The post Great Shortages Make Great Opportunities: Shifts in the Manufacturing Workforce appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

When Third Party Risk is a First Tier Priority
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April 01, 2024
Risk is everywhere, all the time, and it takes many forms. Despite the fact that procurement and supply chain professionals...
The post When Third Party Risk is a First Tier Priority appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

Case Study: Measuring Global Supplier Contributions to ESG Impact
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April 01, 2024
Procurement organizations all over the world are being tasked with driving and measuring the impact of investments in ESG: environmental,...
The post Case Study: Measuring Global Supplier Contributions to ESG Impact appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

Augmenting P2P and ERP with Intake Orchestration and AI
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April 01, 2024
Most procurement organizations use P2P/ERP platforms to facilitate procurement intake, triage, and coordination. These are important and powerful tools, but...
The post Augmenting P2P and ERP with Intake Orchestration and AI appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

Analyzing the Global State of Services Procurement
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March 20, 2024
Services spend is becoming an increasingly important strategic category for procurement to manage as more and more businesses rely on...
The post Analyzing the Global State of Services Procurement appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

Achieving a Winning Difference
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March 17, 2024
“It’s really nice to have a bigger purpose and actually see the communities that you are changing, the lives that...
The post Achieving a Winning Difference appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

Announcing the Launch of Art of Procurement SpendPros
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March 10, 2024
“In procurement’s operating model of the future, internal teams are delivery leaders, relationships builders, and the ones who understand what...
The post Announcing the Launch of Art of Procurement SpendPros appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

Art of Procurement Launches SpendPros, Expert-guided Category and Sourcing Enablement
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March 10, 2024
“If our experts succeed, if the processes we build succeed, it will train the client’s team in what best in...
The post Art of Procurement Launches SpendPros, Expert-guided Category and Sourcing Enablement appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

Transparency is the Antidote for Rising IT Costs
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March 03, 2024
“There is always room for negotiation around IT spend. The worst they can do is say ‘no,’ but at least...
The post Transparency is the Antidote for Rising IT Costs appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

Challenging Traditional Thinking with Nemawashi
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February 25, 2024
“Nemawashi is generally something we do on a yearly basis. Is it tedious? Yes. Is it easy? No. Does it...
The post Challenging Traditional Thinking with Nemawashi appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

Procurement 6 – February 23rd, 2024
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February 22, 2024
Procurement 6 is a short podcast from Art of Procurement that publishes in the Art of Procurement feed every Friday...
The post Procurement 6 – February 23rd, 2024 appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

Redefining Procurement’s Value and Shifting Mindsets
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February 18, 2024
“Given all the things procurement is doing, it does seem that a lot of their work tends to go unnoticed...
The post Redefining Procurement’s Value and Shifting Mindsets appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

Top Priorities for IT Spend in 2024
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February 13, 2024
Technology spend poses a unique set of challenges for procurement. Cost increases, waste and inefficiency, a crowded marketplace, and the...
The post Top Priorities for IT Spend in 2024 appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

Escaping the Services Procurement Comfort Zone
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February 11, 2024
“We have to incentivize the supplier to collaborate with us in a way that creates a different way of doing...
The post Escaping the Services Procurement Comfort Zone appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

The ESG Imperative: Balancing the Attainable With the Aspirational
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February 04, 2024
“I think a large part of the ESG model is about bringing each other up together – capacity building –...
The post The ESG Imperative: Balancing the Attainable With the Aspirational appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

Procurement 6 – February 2nd, 2024
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February 01, 2024
Procurement 6 is a short podcast from Art of Procurement that publishes in the Art of Procurement feed every Friday...
The post Procurement 6 – February 2nd, 2024 appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

Debunking Common Software Procurement Myths
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January 28, 2024
“There is this misconception that procurement pros are paper-pushers – that we are not strategic, or we are not business...
The post Debunking Common Software Procurement Myths appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

Three (3) Indispensable Skills for Today’s Procurement Leaders
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January 21, 2024
“In procurement, we have a perception of the world we’re in, and we put boundaries around ourselves. But we have...
The post Three (3) Indispensable Skills for Today’s Procurement Leaders appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

Procurement’s Data Dream Team
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January 14, 2024
“Once you have clean data, it becomes a business asset. You can now answer questions from it. When it’s sitting...
The post Procurement’s Data Dream Team appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

Procurement 6 – January 12th, 2024
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January 11, 2024
Procurement 6 is a short podcast from Art of Procurement that publishes in the Art of Procurement feed every Friday...
The post Procurement 6 – January 12th, 2024 appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

Communicating Procurement’s Value Up the Chain
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January 09, 2024
Procurement often feels like they are increasingly asked to ‘do more with less,’ and there seems to be no shortage...
The post Communicating Procurement’s Value Up the Chain appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

2024: Pride Of Purpose For Procurement
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January 07, 2024
“If procurement wants to have an outsized impact, they need to provide value in a way that alters how decision...
The post 2024: Pride Of Purpose For Procurement appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

The Good News and Bad News About Procurement Influence Today
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January 07, 2024
“I think it is really important not to assume that just trying to tie everything to revenue is the right...
The post The Good News and Bad News About Procurement Influence Today appeared first on Art of Procurement.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

1 Founder
Art of Procurement
LinkedIn
September 08, 2015
At Art of Procurement, our goals are:

- to inspire the art of the possible by thinking differently about the impact that procurement can achieve.
- to help you build and execute your transformation roadmap.
- to help you rapidly deploy teams of experts that deliver sustainable cost savings
- to help you tackle complex problems, categories, and sourcing events to unlock new sources of value.
- to provide you with the insights, tools, and coaching to succeed day in, and day out.

We strive to achieve these goals through our podcast, consulting, and microlearning offerings.

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Tags: Procurement, Leadership, Entrepreneurship

3 Media Interviews
Episode 25: How to be a Procurement All-Star
World of Procurement
October 21, 2020
Philip Ideson is the man behind Art of Procurement, the number one Procurement Podcast in the world. In addition to this, Art of Procurement provides Education and Consultancy Services. Philip recently hit an incredible milestone of 500,000 downloads over five years of running his Podcast.

Philip has a wealth of experience as a Procurement Practitioner and has spoken with over three hundred Procurement Professionals on his Podcast. As you can Imagine, I was keen to get his views on what the Best Procurement Pros do.

We covered a lot in this thirty minute Podcast episode:

Football, Why Running is incredible for mindset, the traits of Procurement All-Stars, Why focussing on Procurement Technical Skills will only get you so far, why we hate the term “seat at the table” and the challenges COVID 19 has posed to Procurement Teams.

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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement, Management

PAT Chat: Art of Procurement’s Phil Ideson on Elevating the Role of Procurement
SAP Ariba
February 06, 2020
How do we elevate the role of procurement? Meet Phil Ideson, the founder and managing director of Art of Procurement, who has dedicated himself to precisely that task.

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Tags: Customer Experience, Digital Transformation, Procurement

Out of the Mouth of Babes
ProcuRising
June 03, 2019
Art of Procurement Founder Philip Ideson shares his entrepreneurial journey, and why the future of procurement relies on a combination of both art and science.

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Tags: Procurement, Entrepreneurship

272 Podcasts
766: Procurement’s Inflection Point: What to Expect in 2025
Philip Ideson
January 06, 2025
“As we stand here at the start of 2025, it's clear that this moment isn't about minor tweaks or incremental gains. It's about embracing fundamental shifts that challenge our long-held assumptions.” - Philip Ideson, Founder and Managing Director of Art of Procurement

As we head into 2025, which also marks the 10th anniversary of Art of Procurement, Founder and Managing Director Philip Ideson pauses for his annual look at the state of procurement. This year, he examines five critical trends that are reshaping procurement and redefining their role in the business, including labor trends, the role of AI and automation, the return to stakeholder-led buying, and growing geopolitical and economic uncertainty.

Drawing from hundreds of conversations with procurement leaders and subject matter experts over the last year, Philip explores how procurement teams can best position themselves at what feels like an existential and transformative inflection point for the profession.

In this episode, Philip explores:

- How procurement will have to do more with less in 2025, and the role that AI and automation will play in making that happen
- The trend toward “invisible procurement” as stakeholders take back control of the purchasing process, aided by technology
- Why potential tariffs, inflation, and supply disruptions could present significant opportunity for procurement
- The four most important ways procurement can add value that machines and AI can’t compete with

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Tags: Procurement

763: Macro Clouds Gather on the Horizon: Mastermind LIVE 2024
Philip Ideson
December 23, 2024
“I think there's this dichotomy of two things that we always have to keep in mind in procurement. We don't want to create friction. We want frictionless procurement. At the same time, we want to be seen as the people who have ideas, who could come up with something that could be innovative and have influence in the business.” - Constantine Limberakis, CEO and Owner of Liberis Consulting LLC

In a session at AOP Mastermind Live 2024, Kelly Barner sat down with Constantine Limberakis, CEO and Owner of Liberis Consulting LLC, to discuss the macroeconomic concerns and trends that procurement will certainly need to keep an eye on in the coming year.

During the session, Constantine combined his Masters Degree in public and international affairs and more than 20 years in procurement to give his perspective on:

- How procurement needs to navigate this new inflationary environment with a different mindset
- The ways technology offers procurement an opportunity to create influence across the business and support a workforce pivot
- How de-globilization lets procurement shine, even in the face of changing regulations, as they plan for the future

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Tags: Procurement

761: The State of Procure Tech: Testing the Limits of What’s Possible
Philip Ideson
December 16, 2024
"Procurement organizations that are able to master knowledge around their workflows and categories, and bring that intelligence on demand into their processes and tech, are going to really be able to get that 5x, 10x, 20x kind of performance advantage. It’s a game-changer.” - Pierre Mitchell, Chief Research Officer and Managing Director, Spend Matters

Procurement technology is a fast moving target, and well-known industry analyst Pierre Mitchell is one of a handful of highly experienced people who can provide a nuanced perspective on the evolving landscape of procure tech, both looking back at what’s been accomplished while simultaneously predicting the trends that will drive us into 2025 and beyond.

In this episode, Philip Ideson speaks with Pierre, who is the Chief Research Officer and Managing Director at Spend Matters, about the critical factors impacting the procure tech market, how to avoid data paralysis, the road ahead for procurement and generative AI, and how procurement leaders can wade through a crowded, fragmented, (and still growing!) procure tech landscape.

They also discuss:

- The most important procure tech trends to pay attention to in 2025
- What procurement leaders should look for in an intake and orchestration platform
- The likely outcomes, key developments, and challenges for the procure tech market in 2025

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Tags: Procurement

759: 2024 AI Adoption Trends
Philip Ideson
December 09, 2024
“For procurement, now is the time to raise your hand and sit at the table where your company is deciding on AI use cases, because that is going to transform your trajectory in the industry and the company.” - Mary Purk, Co-Author of "Growing Up: Navigating Generative AI’s Early Years – AI Adoption Report" by AI at Wharton

It’s been two years since ChatGPT democratized AI technology access and became the most rapidly downloaded consumer application in history. Since then we’ve seen a steep acceleration of AI-driven innovation, opportunity, and concern.

Just like every other area of the business, procurement has their own unique story about the way AI continues to change the way they function and create value.

In this episode, Philip Ideson speaks with Mary Purk, co-author of the recently published AI adoption report “Growing Up: Navigating Generative AI’s Early Years” by AI at Wharton and GBK Collective. The report provides data on AI adoption trends within businesses and across functions and the impact that AI is having and will have in the future.

Mary and Philip discuss:

- How far procurement has come since ChatGPT’s release in 2022 and where they’re headed in 2025 and beyond
- Why procurement managers are better positioned than any other role in the business to drive AI transformation in the next 12-18 months
- The pros and cons of make versus buy when weighing your organization’s approach AI-driven procurement technology
- The perception of AI’s impact, and what that says about opportunity within procurement to demonstrate their success and secure their future

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Tags: Procurement

757: Is Supplier Relationship Management the Key to Procurement’s Success?
Philip Ideson
December 02, 2024
“If you want to be a customer of choice, it's not going to come down to the contract, it's going to come down to the relationship, even at the individual level.” - Oliver Jones, Director (Procurement) for H&Z Management Consultancy

Procurement may be a highly tech-driven function – and growing ever more so by the day – but at its core, the quality of procurement’s relationships with internal stakeholders and suppliers ultimately determine their success or failure for the business.

In this episode, Philip Ideson speaks with Oliver Jones, Director (Procurement) for H&Z Management Consultancy, about why the “relationship” part of supplier relationship management (SRM) is vital for procurement’s ability to deliver value to the business. He also shares his perspective on how procurement can overcome some of the more common obstacles to creating strong relationships, but why, in the end, it’s well worth the effort – for procurement, for suppliers, and for the business in general.

They also discuss:
- How multiple metrics of procurement’s success – like risk management, ESG, or value beyond savings – are all tied back to (and dependant on) supplier relationship management
- Why the ‘center-led’ operating model is the optimal framework to enable successful supplier relationship management
- Best practices for dividing procurement’s focus and prioritization among tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 suppliers

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Tags: Procurement

755: Mastermind LIVE 2024 Debrief with Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner
Philip Ideson
November 25, 2024
“Every procurement journey is unique, and now we have the tools and technologies that allow us to be a lot more flexible in how we build procurement operating models so that we can truly adapt to exactly what the business needs.” – Philip Ideson, Founder and Managing Director, Art of Procurement

In the hustle and bustle of end-of-year reporting, wrap ups, and planning for the year to come, it’s important for procurement to take a pause – even a very brief one – and think about how they should be reacting to some of the ‘bigger picture’ forces impacting the function and the business in general.

In this episode, Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner take a look back at the recent Mastermind LIVE 2024, one of AOP’s most popular digital events of the year, where we considered some of the most important, even challenging, issues facing procurement today. They debrief each of the 6 sessions and tease out the most important insights, surprising and unexpected moments, and tactical call outs that procurement should keep in mind as they plan for 2025 and beyond.

Kelly and Philip add their own perspectives to the session topics, including:

- How procurement is positioning themselves for success in 2025 and how procurement operating models should evolve to clear the way for success
- What kinds of changes – both good and bad – we can expect to procurement roles in the coming months or years, and which jobs are least likely to survive AI
- How procurement can build a tech roadmap that maximizes stakeholder adoption and user satisfaction
- And much much more!

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Tags: Procurement

753: Can Procurement Save the World?
Philip Ideson
November 18, 2024
“There are not many functions, if any, other than procurement that sit in a position to both positively and negatively have such an impact on organizations, on strategy, on direction.” - Gordon Donovan

In an era of increasing uncertainty and existential angst over AI, Gordon Donovan has a refreshingly optimistic view of procurement’s future. In fact, he says, procurement might just very well save the world.

While this may be a hyperbolic statement, it’s not that far off the mark, as Gordon explains to Philip Ideson in this episode of Art of Procurement.

As Gordon sees it, procurement is one of the only functions that holds the power – or privilege – to directly impact almost every corner of the business, well beyond cost. As such, how procurement approaches things like relationship building, crisis management, volatility, risk assessment, digital disruption, and strategic planning will play a huge role in determining just how successful they are in ‘saving the world.’

In this episode, Philip and Gordon also discuss:

- Redefining procurement as a risk function, critical to business continuity and supply chain visibility
- Procurement’s role in driving global supply chain trends in reshoring, nearshoring, and “friend-shoring”
- How establishing genuine trust with suppliers leads to bottom-line results for the business

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Tags: Procurement

751: Extinction or Opportunity: What is Procurement’s Destiny?
Philip Ideson
November 11, 2024
“No matter how strong or how solid your foundations might be, the environment in which we operate is changing at such a pace that if we do not evolve with it, we will become obsolete.” - Sebastien Bals, EVP, Chief Procurement Officer at Merck Group

As technology – AI in particular – continues to transform the way we work and live, the future of procurement hangs in the balance.

In this episode, Philip Ideson and Sebastien Bals, EVP and Chief Procurement Officer at Merck Group, talk about the “two roads” facing procurement: one, defined by opportunity, innovation, and transformation, and the other marked by disruption, outdated roles and practices, and far more uncertainty.

They confront the larger, existential questions that keep many procurement leaders up at night, while recognizing that procurement’s willingness to adapt and adjust could be the very skills that keep them from traveling down the path to extinction.

They also discuss:

- Overcoming procurement’s inferiority complex and demonstrating value in new digital contexts
- How procurement can keep and leverage that long-coveted “seat at the table” they now enjoy
- Securing procurement’s future in an increasingly digitized, AI-powered world

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Tags: Procurement

747: Continuous Improvement as the Cure for Transformation Fatigue with Joël Collin-Demers
Philip Ideson
October 21, 2024
“You have to build a business case and be mindful and purposeful about your continuous improvement and your education around the art of what is possible.” Joël Collin-Demers, Consulting Principal at Pure Procurement

The rapid expansion in the procurement technology landscape in recent years has left many procurement leaders feeling overwhelmed by choice and complexity and second-guessing themselves about how to successfully take advantage of all the opportunities that technology provides.

In this episode, Philip Ideson speaks with Joël Collin-Demers, Consulting Principal at Pure Procurement, about why continuous improvement, rather than transformation, might be the key to successful procurement digitization.

Joël explains how the tendency to view transformation as a means to a clearly defined endpoint often leads to overwhelmed teams and unrealized value. Instead of a one-off digital transformation overhaul, he advocates for a measured, strategic approach that starts with understanding business processes and builds technology capabilities incrementally over a sustained period of time.

In this episode, Joel and Philip explore:

- Practical steps on how to embark on a digitization journey and develop an effective procurement technology roadmap, no matter where you’re starting from
- How to navigate trends and changes in the procure tech market, including full-suite versus single-point solutions
- How to leverage the relationship between procurement and IT to overcome constraints to digitization

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Tags: Procurement

740: ESG Risk: Hiding in Plain Sight?
Philip Ideson
October 14, 2024
“What we are seeing is companies have made the decision that they believe being more sustainable is good business. Therefore, that is the number one priority.” - Daniel Dorr, VP of Marketing at Supplier.io


Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations are core components of a strong supply chain, but these initiatives can also expose the business to unexpected areas of risk.

In this episode, based on an AOP Live session, hosts Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner talk with Daniel Dorr and Laura Noonan from Supplier.io and Alexandra Di Fabrizio from Impak Analytics to discuss the findings of over 200 in-depth ESG risk assessments that provide an unparalleled look into the current risks of supplier sustainability performance.

They break down the highest risk areas associated with ESG, share mitigation best practices, and elaborate on the opportunities procurement has to strengthen their role in the business by neutralizing ESG risk.

In this episode, Daniel, Alexandra, and Laura discuss:

- The highest ESG risks currently impacting global supply chains and how to assess your company’s threat level
- Effective ESG risk mitigation strategies and lessons learned from other companies’ innovative approaches
- How highlighting areas where your suppliers are excelling in ESG performance can minimize risk, provide inspiration for your supply chain, and benchmark your organization’s sustainability initiatives

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Tags: Procurement

738: 7 Steps to Building a Strong Capability Framework
Philip Ideson
October 07, 2024
“Procurement teams face increasing pressure to demonstrate value and drive business outcomes, but sometimes there's a disconnect between the skills that they have and the skills that they need to deliver at the highest level.” - Philip Ideson, Founder & Managing Director at Art of Procurement

A robust capability framework is the heart of procurement team development. It’s a powerful tool that teams can use to enhance their performance, better align with the business, and ultimately drive better outcomes across all initiatives, big and small.

In this solo episode, Philip Ideson explains why capability frameworks have emerged as a critical part of building stronger, more impactful teams.

Specifically, he explains:

- What a capability framework is and how to build one for your procurement team
- Key strategies for assessing your team’s skills and how to conduct a gap analysis to prioritize professional development needs
- How to account for diverse learning and working styles when building a tailored development plan, even if you’re working with limited resources

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Tags: Procurement

736: What’s Driving Procurement Orchestration?
Philip Ideson
September 30, 2024
“When you have the ability to connect data and collaborate with teams, that collective intelligence you’re able to surface at different places is what causes generational change.” - Shachi Rai Gupta, Vice President of Strategy at ORO Labs


Procurement is in the midst of a transformational shift when it comes to technology and data, and many teams are now looking to procurement orchestration to unify their processes, improve spend and risk management, and position themselves as innovative and strategic leaders in the business.

In early 2024, Art of Procurement and ORO Labs partnered to conduct a study into the factors that are making procurement orchestration a top area of focus. The study also made it possible to gain a better understanding of how teams can use strategic orchestration to increase their visibility, effectiveness, and influence.

In this episode, Shachi Rai Gupta, Vice President of Strategy at ORO Labs, and Martin Ward, Digital Procurement Transformation at Roche, discuss the results of the survey and key insights learned about procurement orchestration, including:

- The observations we can make about procurement organizations that consider strategic orchestration a top priority
- Why nearly half of procurement teams have low or very low real-time visibility into ongoing activities, and how that limits their impact
- The correlation between increased automation and how easy the rest of the business feels it is to work with procurement

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Tags: Procurement

734: Leading Through Change with Former Fortune 100 CPO Natasha Gurevich
Philip Ideson
September 23, 2024
“I’m madly passionate about procurement because I think it’s a hidden gem of the corporate world, and it’s a magical field for problem solvers.” - Natasha Gurevich, Founder and CEO of Candor Procurement

Natasha Gurevich, Founder and CEO of Candor Procurement, has a long track record of procurement leadership under her belt. Most recently, she was the first Chief Procurement Officer at Nike, and, before that, VP of Global Procurement at Salesforce. She has also enjoyed procurement leadership roles at McKesson, Paypal, Gap, and Visa.

In this episode, Philip Ideson talks with Natasha about her journey to becoming one of procurement’s most well-known change agents and how her decades of experience in leadership roles have shaped her approach to driving change at scale.

Natasha shares her perspectives on:

- How to create change without causing too much disruption, fear, or resistance
- Adopting a specific, repeatable methodology to change in order to balance wider business goals with individual needs and concerns
- The ways procurement needs to evolve and improve, starting with a recognition that category management will be the #1 driving factor for success in the future

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Tags: Procurement

732: What the Research Foretells About Procurement’s Vision, Priorities, and Opportunities
Philip Ideson
September 16, 2024
“Procurement is at the point where they’re trying to figure out next steps on digitization, and it will be an immediate priority for everyone in the next couple of years.” - Gordon Donovan, Vice President of Research - Procurement and External Workforce at SAP

It is Gordon Donovan’s job to read every single piece of research that’s published on procurement, the workforce, and the supply chain. More importantly, it is his job to figure out what it means. As he told Philip Ideson, “I’ve got the best job in the world.”

All of this information gives Gordon a deep and comprehensive view of the global procurement landscape and the challenges and opportunities that it presents.

In this episode, Philip draws on Gordon’s depth of knowledge to discuss the findings of SAP’s recently published Economist Impact report, as well as what the research tells us about procurement’s vision, priorities, and opportunities for the future.

Listen in to hear Gordon and Phil discuss the report, which included some surprising findings, as well as:


- Why digitization tops the list of procurement’s most important priorities
- How procurement can handle increased complexity and workloads, even as headcounts remain stagnant
- Procurement’s AI maturity journey and where they are on the path to acceptance and adoption compared to other business functions

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Tags: Procurement

730: Calculating the Cost of Convenience in Facilities Management
Philip Ideson
September 09, 2024
“Everyone has an opinion about facility services in your buildings, so you're always trying to accommodate multiple stakeholders and juggle multiple departments.” - Alex Carlson, VP of Facilities Management Services at Fine Tune

In the world of indirect spend management, there are few categories as complex - and high stakes - as facilities management. Delivery locations and sometimes provider networks are distributed and fragmented, making selection, implementation, and ongoing oversight especially difficult.

It is no wonder, then, that so many companies are tempted over to “the dark side” of convenience-based solutions in this category. Unfortunately, allowing third parties to manage the delivery of services may also give them more control over cost than procurement realizes.

In this episode, Kelly Barner is joined by Alex Carlson, former Vice President of Category Management within Wells Fargo’s Corporate Properties division and new VP of Facilities Management Services at Fine Tune.

His experience and advice can help your organization avoid “the dark side” and instead walk towards the many opportunities for value creation associated with this category of spend.

Listen in to learn:

- The benefits of managing costs as well as services through a cost plus model
- How to navigate the transition from service provider to client
- Unique facilities management challenges in C-store, big box retail, and office environments
- In depth category perspectives and stories of managed services survival

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Tags: Procurement

728: If we had a crystal ball… Mid-year check in with Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner
Philip Ideson
September 02, 2024
“At the end of the day, we're trying to create this organization from which we have the ability to help the profession move forward with more than ever before. We think in terms of what each trend or change is going to mean to each team and what they can make of the related opportunities and challenges.” - Philip Ideson, Founder & Managing Director, Art of Procurement

In this episode of the Art of Procurement podcast, Philip Ideson and Kelly Barner take a break from their usual roles interviewing procurement thought leaders and experts to reflect on the year so far in procurement, including emerging trends, economic pressures, election coverage, AI, and the always-evolving needs of the procurement community.

Philip and Kelly also discuss the recent results of an AOP survey that reveals procurement’s increasing demand for quality, targeted content, and they share what they’ve been hearing from other procurement leaders about the impact of AI now that the “newness” has worn off and teams are getting serious about implementation, use cases, and business outcomes.

In this episode, they reflect on:

- How economic shifts and policy changes are reshaping procurement strategies and operations
- AI’s practical applications in procurement and why experimentation and continuous re-evaluation are so important
- Upcoming events and projects from the Art of Procurement, including a new AOP website in the works, the official launch of AOP’s YouTube channel, and a special series planned for October that will provide a comprehensive analysis of potential policy impacts to procurement and the supply chain from the U.S. presidential election

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Tags: Procurement

726: Unpacking SAP’s 2024 Economist Impact Report
Philip Ideson
August 26, 2024
“One thing is very clear from our research: the skill sets for procurement are changing. Whatever the skill sets are today are not going to be the skill sets that are needed tomorrow.” -Baber Farooq, Senior Vice President, Market Strategy, Procurement Solutions at SAP


SAP recently released the 2024 results of their highly anticipated annual Economist Impact survey which reveals insights into the overall health of procurement and provides a look at c-suite perspectives on procurement’s role and reputation in the business and the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing them today.

This year, they surveyed over 2,300 c-suite executives across procurement and other functional areas and c-suite positions.

To unpack the survey results, Philip Ideson is joined in conversation by Baber Farooq, Senior Vice President, Market Strategy, Procurement Solutions at SAP.

In addition to discussing key findings and insights, they’ll talk about:

- How this year’s responses differ from previous years and what these new trends say about the future of procurement
- Major factors impacting the procurement operating model, including new reporting structures, compliance demands, and sustainability expectations
- How digitization is putting pressure on (and opening new opportunities for) traditional procurement organizations

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Tags: Procurement

724: Will Category Management Ever Become Mainstream?
Philip Ideson
August 19, 2024
Category management has been around for decades - so why hasn’t it become ubiquitous?

Many of the objectives procurement needs to satisfy - both qualitative and quantitative - can be addressed by a category management program. Taking a more comprehensive approach to spend and supplier management can deliver improved cost flexibility, more leverage in tightly held markets, and a closer alignment with the priorities of the business. Despite all of these benefits, category management struggles to secure broad adoption.

In this solo episode, Philip Ideson speaks about his personal experience with category management and the challenges and opportunities he sees.

Listen in to discover:
- The roadblocks that prevent category management from living up to expectations
- Advancements in procurement technology that will enable everyone in the company to play a larger role at the category level
- Why he still believes category management IS the future of procurement

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Tags: Procurement

722: Transforming Procurement at Roche: A Roadmap for the Future
Philip Ideson
August 12, 2024
“What ultimately drove all of us – leadership team, colleagues, and people in procurement – was the excitement about the future. The ability to contribute very differently to the success of the company, ultimately impacting the patient journey, is a great purpose that we have – curing and helping patients.” - Patrick Foelck, Head of Strategy & Transformation and Head of Insights & Enablement Procurement at Roche

How procurement prepares for the future, one that includes accelerating digital innovation, may determine whether they have a future at all.

In this episode, Philip Ideson discusses the importance, if not existential necessity, of procurement transformation with Patrick Foelck, Head of Strategy & Transformation and Head of Insights & Enablement Procurement at Roche. As Patrick said, “There must be more than running this singular, one-dimensional process and chasing the savings as a one-dimensional outcome. I think that is also our future. If we don’t get out of it, or if we don’t build on it, procurement will be dead to an extent, or replaced by technology or by an external party.”

In this episode, Patrick and Philip tackle the ‘big’ questions around the future of the procurement operating model and the role of procurement transformation in securing that future, while also discussing:

- How to build the procurement operating model of the future, pulling together insights and enablement, delivery, business partnering, capabilities, and digitization
- Roche’s own transformation journey and what success looks like post-transformation
- Defining, measuring, and achieving transformation success with KPIs beyond savings

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Tags: Procurement

720: Establishing a Single Source of Truth for Third-Party Risk in Financial Services with Ivalua
Philip Ideson
August 05, 2024
“What’s interesting in financial services is that third-party risk management is very different than supplier risk management. When a financial institution looks at risk, they look at risk at the relationship level, not just at the supplier level.” - Arnaud Malardé, Director of Product Marketing, Ivalua


In the highly-regulated financial services industry, effective third-party risk management is non-negotiable. It can make or break operational success, not to mention client trust. Even though avoiding risk altogether is not realistic, it doesn’t have to feel like an uphill battle.

In this episode, Kelly Barner speaks with Arnaud Malardé, Director of Product Marketing at Ivalua, and Vivek Jayaraj, Managing Director at Deloitte Consulting LLP, about how procurement can turn third-party risk management into a strategic advantage for the business.

As they explain, streamlining business practices and supporting them with well-integrated digital platforms can create the best environment for managing third-party risk and achieving successful outcomes for the business.

They also share their ideas about:

- What a ‘single source of truth’ for third party risk looks like in practice
- How to align risk management with supplier management
- Best practices for leveraging AI in third-party risk management platforms

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Tags: Procurement

718: A Fresh Take on the Future of Procurement with The Hershey Company’s Sherry Ulsh
Philip Ideson
July 29, 2024
“You always really need to look at people, process, and technology. If you don’t look at all three and understand where you are and where you need to be in those areas, you are just going to be chasing.” - Sherry Ulsh, Director, Indirect Procurement, The Hershey Company

At the CoreTrust Conference in April 2024, Philip Ideson had the opportunity to sit down with Sherry Ulsh, Director of Indirect Procurement at The Hershey Company, about a wide range of topics, including her own journey from finance to procurement, the evolving role of GPOs, and the changing skill sets required in modern procurement roles.

Sherry shared her views on the importance of supplier relationship management and stakeholder management, both of which are reflected in her belief that procurement’s value and influence in the business are best realized when they achieve a balance of people, process, and technology.

In this episode, Sherry also shares her views on:

- How to define procurement’s value proposition across different industries and organizational models
- The evolving role of GPOs, and how utilization of the GPO model today differs from in the past
- Shaping internal and external perceptions of procurement’s value, and how, for example, CFOs and other C-suite leaders can influence procurement’s perceived value beyond cost savings

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Tags: Procurement

716: Applying ISO Standards to Procurement
Philip Ideson
July 22, 2024
“Sustainability is at the top of the agenda for businesses, because now they have to demonstrate exactly what their carbon footprint is and demonstrate with complete credibility and transparency exactly what they’re doing.” - Melanie Blackmore, Founder & CEO Blackmores (UK) Ltd and Carbonology Ltd

When Melanie Blackmore, Founder & CEO Blackmores (UK) Ltd and Carbonology Ltd, says that she is deeply passionate and “in love with” standards, she readily admits not everyone will be able to relate to her enthusiasm. But, applying ISO (International Organization for Standardization) can give organizations, and specifically procurement teams, the direction they need to ensure quality, safety, efficiency, and even compliance across industries and for both goods and services.

The stakes can be high, but the benefits of implementing ISO standards are often even higher.

In this episode, Philip Ideson explores the ins and outs of an ISO framework and how it can help a business improve their processes by following a set of internationally recognized best practices.

They discuss:
- An overview of current ISO standards and how they have evolved
- How organizations can apply ISO standards to achieve their sustainability goals
- The differences between standards and certifications and how this impacts implementation

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Tags: Procurement

714: Category Management: How Far We’ve Come, How Far We Can Go
Philip Ideson
July 15, 2024
For many in procurement, category management is “old hat.” Some even assume that widespread adoption and integration of category management structures and processes within the business are non-issues in 2024. They see category management as a mountain that has been scaled, and now procurement just needs to sit back and enjoy the view.

When we look more closely, however, there is still significant room for improvement in category management strategy and for expanded scope of implementation throughout the business.

In this episode, Philip Ideson welcomes back Mark Webb, Managing Director at Future Purchasing, for a deep dive into the current state of category management, including where we’ve been and how far we have left to go. Mark also shares the results of the 2024 Global Category Management Report, a large, comprehensive study Future Purchasing conducts in partnership with Henley Business School.

They discuss the importance of stakeholder involvement, the need for more consistency and effective communication, the distinctions between category management and strategic sourcing, and the delicate balance between internal expertise versus external resources in implementation.

Philip and Mark also explore:

- Why 80 percent of stakeholders don’t fully understand their role in category management, and what procurement can do to fix that
- Practical advice to streamline category planning and improve stakeholder engagement
- The ideal model for category management when considering big versus small teams

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Tags: Procurement

Reflections of an AI Contrarian with Alan Veeck
Philip Ideson
July 08, 2024
There are very few voices in procurement right now – or businesses in general, for that matter – who are raising the flag that all of the fear, enthusiasm, and hand-wringing over AI’s growing influence might be one big, collective overreaction.

Alan Veeck, CEO & Founder at Summit Procurement, is one such voice. In this episode, he shares with Philip Ideson why his contrarian attitude toward AI has little to do with his belief that AI will indeed revolutionize the space.

Alan explains how decades of seeing other technology hype cycles come and go have given him a more measured outlook for innovative or emerging digital breakthroughs (including generative AI) and why he thinks other procurement leaders should dial down the frenzy around AI that likely isn’t doing their teams, or the business, any favors.

In this conversation, Alan also talks about:

- Why he thinks AI is not going to disrupt the procurement job market nearly as much or as quickly as many people think
- How to separate the overblown capabilities from real-world use cases where AI can genuinely move the needle for procurement today
- How CPOs can embrace AI and maximize its impact without leading their teams, and the business, down a rabbit hole of new solutions and platforms that cause more problems than they solve

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Tags: Procurement

All About Relationships: Changing Your Mindset for Better Procurement with Eric Dulin
Philip Ideson
July 01, 2024
The speed of business is accelerating dramatically. Procurement can change how they address challenges and support stakeholders, or they can remain slow to adapt and miss out on key opportunities.

In this week’s podcast, Eric Dulin, Director of Procurement, Digital & Technology at Yum! Brands, shares how he has shifted his mindset throughout his career to focus more on building relationships and approaching procurement with a service-first attitude. He and Philip also discuss Eric’s book, Win-Win-Win: Collaborative Approach to Procurement in the Era of Digital Metamorphosis, pulling out a few quotes that can help procurement professionals reshape the way they work within their roles.

Throughout the episode, Eric uses first-hand lessons to offer transformative truths, including:
- The difference between transactional and strategic procurement—and which is better
- How ditching the adversarial “sales versus procurement” mindset results in stronger relationships and better wins
- The importance of focusing on how procurement helps the buyer and supplier using key fundamentals

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Tags: Procurement

1 Video
Achieving Your Objectives W/ Jan Griffiths
Art of Procurement
January 04, 2021
Despite the fact that Jan Griffiths has had a successful career as a tier-1 CPO and entrepreneur, she still wasn’t prepared for the personal and professional impact of the pandemic. After indulging in a full day of Netflix, she decided to push herself out of her comfort zone and into a non-judgemental accountability project with a pop-up group of peers.

What started as a ‘therapeutic’ accountability clinic evolved over time to become the accountability lab: a group of people that connect daily for 30 minutes at 6:30 a.m. to make commitments to themselves in the supportive presence of others. The learnings from this experiment have changed the way she feels about her own situation and will no doubt impact her leadership seminars going forward. As Jan tells Host Philip Ideson, “I love, love, love leadership.”

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Tags: Procurement, Leadership, Mental Health

9 Webinars
AOP Live: Placing Procurement at the Intersection of Corporate Culture and Employee Experience
Philip Ideson
February 10, 2022
Over the last few years, procurement has moved leaps and bounds away from being tactical and cost-driven to approaching our work with a big picture, value-oriented perspective. At the same time, there is still work to be done winning the ‘hearts and minds’ of distributed buyers and colleagues from other functions.

This places procurement’s current outreach efforts squarely at the intersection of corporate culture and employee experience, objectives that can either accelerate or stall our progress towards alignment with the business as a whole.

On February 10th, we will be joined by Joe Frederick, Senior Director of Procurement at Strategic Sourcing at Snowflake, and Colin Glazier, Vice President of Solutions at Zip Intake-to-Procure.

They will answer live audience questions about:
-What defines a world class procurement experience
-The most common friction points that exist in procurement processes (and how to fix them)
-A new take on the classic ‘make v. buy’ decision when culture and experience are paramount


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Tags: Supply Chain, Procurement

AOP Live: How to utilize a data-driven mindset to supercharge your procurement organization
Philip Ideson
January 25, 2022
The common legacy of procurement software is one of overpriced technology that no one uses (if they can avoid it). Procurement technology is perceived as a tool intended for process enforcement rather than enabling insight or competitive advantage.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

And yet… for all of procurement’s talk about wanting to change, it still seems as though the desire for a new way of doing things is stronger outside of procurement than within. Before procurement can actively drive change for ourselves, through technology and analytics, we have to embrace a whole new mindset - one that creates a culture of insight by providing open access to actionable data.

In this AOP Live session, Heta Ruikka, Vice President of Product Management at Sievo, will take on the challenge of discussing ways for procurement technology to be user friendly - even in the midst of data heavy activities.

-Why collaborating with the business to leverage the power of data is where the magic happens
-The ‘people challenges’ that have to be resolved before any technical challenges can be addressed or deliver ROI
-What Sievo has learned from their clients about the power of self-service dashboards

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Tags: Procurement, Product Management

AOP Live: Making the Case for Diversity in Public Procurement
Philip Ideson
November 09, 2021
The facts are clear - diverse and inclusive procurement programs are more competitive, able to unlock innovation faster, provide access to new markets, and deliver localized socioeconomic impact. Despite all of these benefits to a government entity and its constituents, most have yet to make a persuasive and actionable case for diversity in the public sector.

There are many challenges preventing governments from fully realizing the innovation and cost savings associated with supplier diversity. A preference for known suppliers and the complexity of onboarding suppliers into the government market are just two common barriers that limit the potential of the supplier pool.

As unprecedented federal funding flows to all levels of government, it is more important than ever that these resources are used to support diverse suppliers and build communities in alignment with federal and state stipulations. However, without modernized procurement processes it is nearly impossible for governments to track where every dollar is being spent and report back with certainty.

On November 9th at 11 am ET, join Ivalua and Art of Procurement for an AOP Live session featuring Sean Correll, the Head of Ivalua’s Public Sector team. He will answer live questions about:
-Making public sector supplier diversity discovery, onboarding, and management easier through fit-for-purpose digital procurement technologies
-The need for effective contract administration in response to new and changing regulations and legislation
-The advantage associated with making specific diversity spend commitments to incentivize municipalities and agencies to work with new suppliers and therefore drive innovation

Now is the time for all governments to implement technologies that will lower supplier barriers to entry into the government market, simplify onboarding processes, drive collaboration, and - most importantly - track and report on every dollar spent. Register today and submit your questions to our guest.

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Tags: Procurement

AOP Live: Partnership as a Service: Driving Change & Delivering Unconventional Returns at UMass
Philip Ideson
November 02, 2021
Each change journey is unique - and yet - can benefit from embracing the proven best practices that have been formalized by specialists with equally unique expertise. The benefits of taking such a journey are becoming clear at the University of Massachusetts, as they bring their print, marketing, and branded merchandise spend under management, through partnership with SupplyLogic.

David Cho is the Chief Procurement Officer and Managing Director at the University of Massachusetts. His team began their change journey with an investment in their partnerships (both internal and external), technology, and data that helped them achieve a deeper understanding of their marketing and print services spend. They worked at the category level to inform strategies and decisions that would have a lasting impact and deliver multiple forms of ROI for the university.

In an AOP Live session on November 2nd at 1pm ET, David will be joined by Phil Schoonmaker, CEO of SupplyLogic, to provide insight into the University of Massachusetts’ journey and answer live audience questions about what he and his team learned along the way:

-The importance of centralizing procurement so that there can be one ‘attack plan’ for managing large numbers of suppliers and transactions and one approach to influencing stakeholders
-When and why to leverage experts outside of the organization to advance the partnerships being built internally
-Insights and intelligence that can be used to advance corporate social responsibility in the form of local, diversity-owned, and environmentally friendly supplier partnerships

Attendees will learn how to modernize the process of buying by helping the sourcing process become more proactive, ultimately leading to engagements that deliver unconventional returns and allowing procurement to reposition themselves as agents of change.

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Tags: Change Management, Procurement

Mastermind Fall 2021 Event: Reinventing the Procurement Experience
Philip Ideson
October 26, 2021
Gone are the days of gathering up low-hanging fruit, speeding up misinformed buying decisions, pushing suppliers away, and measuring our impact in terms of compliance. The future trajectory of procurement is dependent upon the experience we are able to create for stakeholders and suppliers.

If that seems like a lofty goal, you’re not alone. Join us at Mastermind LIVE Fall 2021 from 10am - 1pm ET on October 26 and 27 as we hear from a range of experts from companies like Deloitte, BT, The Hackett Group, Qualtrics, and more who can provide the insight needed to build the experience we’ve always wanted to deliver.

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Tags: Procurement

AOP Live: Learning to Succeed Despite Uncertain Market Dynamics
Philip Ideson
October 19, 2021
Companies in all industries and all over the world have accepted the reality that market conditions will remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. In fact, 62% of the companies in the S&P 1500 index did not provide an annual forecast this year - some even stating that there is just too much uncertainty to be accurate (WSJ, 9/22/21).

But while CFOs can decline the option to provide external annual guidance, procurement teams have to find a way to succeed - no matter what. In this AOP Live session, presented in cooperation with the team at ProcureAbility, we will provide insight into current and (likely) future market dynamics and then help you understand which mitigation strategies will be the most effective.

Join Sherri Barnes, ProcureAbility’s Director of Market Intelligence Services, and Kristen Rellihan, one of their Senior Advisory Managers, as they answer your live questions about:
-What is happening with inflation, which industries and categories are already being affected, and which ones are next?
-What signals should procurement watch for when deciding which market conditions they need to pay the most attention to?
-How to use mitigation strategies such as index-based pricing, deconstructed pricing, should-cost modeling, TCO, and more.

After attending this session, you will be able to pair market conditions that are beyond procurement’s control with strategies and tactics that at least re-establish effective management of the company’s supply chain - no matter what.

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Tags: Procurement

AOP Live: Roadmap to Savings: Partnering with the Business to Drive Progress w/ Dave Quillin (Alliant Credit Union) and Joe Payne (Corcentric)
Philip Ideson
October 05, 2021
There are multiple ways for procurement to achieve savings - and some are more collaborative than others. The more planful they can be about the overall process, the more opportunities they can create to work arm-in-arm with the business in pursuit of those savings.

Many companies are currently going through the budgeting process for 2022, which means that conversations about where to find savings have already started or will begin very soon. Questions like ‘Where will the savings come from?’ and ‘What will we have to give up to get them?’ abound, but there is one question that rises above all the rest: ‘What will happen to the savings - will they be clawed back from our budget or we will get to reinvest them in strategic efforts?’ The answer to that particular question can make or break savings potential.

In this AOP Live session, Joe Payne, SVP of Source-to-Pay at Corcentric will be joined by Dave Quillin, Senior Manager of Procurement at Alliant Credit Union (ACU), who will share his company’s unique and productive approach to delivering savings. ACU recently appointed a new CEO - someone who happens to have a background in sourcing. As Dave explains, ‘He gets it.’

Joe and Dave will share their lessons learned in pursuit of savings and answer your live questions about:
-How procurement can work with leadership to not only incentivize savings, but to minimize compliance problems as well
-Ways that procurement can increase their category-specific credibility with the business
-The critical step of defining - or redefining - addressable spend
-How to build and execute a sourcing roadmap to ensure annual savings targets are met
-Resources available to help meet savings goals

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Tags: Business Strategy, Procurement

AOP Live: Creating Tail Spend ROI Through an Improved Buyer Experience w/ Jean-Baptiste Anne (Amazon Business) and Vishal Patel (Ivalua)
Philip Ideson
September 28, 2021
One of the reasons that tail spend continues to plague procurement is its complexity. The high number of low-cost transactions is just the beginning of the challenge. This spend often finds its way into the tail through multiple ‘wrong turns,’ each of which requires a different approach by procurement and a correspondingly different resolution. There is no one ‘cause’ of tail spend and therefore there is no one solution.

Companies that have mature tail spend programs leverage automation wherever possible and then dedicate a formal lead or tail spend manager to the effort. This person can ensure that each type or category of tail spend is addressed or reduced - ultimately generating an ROI that includes both savings and risk mitigation.

On September 28th, we will be joined for an AOP Live session featuring Jean-Baptiste Anne, Head of Enterprise Sales and Professional Services Teams for Amazon Business, and Vishal Patel, VP of Product Marketing at Ivalua. They will answer your live questions about

-The differences between a dedicated tail spend solution and integrating that same capability into a platform
-How to know that you are making the right investment to deliver a tail spend ROI for your company
-The criticality of understanding what is in your tail spend to being able to direct it through self-guided buying options such as Amazon Business, new procurement-led sourcing projects, or incorporation into existing contracts

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Tags: Procurement

AOP Live: Supplier Diversity: Advancing Together at Ahold Delhaize w/ Nancy Nicoll (Retail Business Services) and Carl Freeman (Ahold Delhaize)
Philip Ideson
September 22, 2021
Supplier diversity is one of the most pressing topics in executive boardrooms from all industries, but ensuring that those conversations turn into meaningful action requires planning, ownership, and guiding objectives.

In this webinar, Nancy Nicoll, VP of the Indirect Sourcing Center of Excellence at Retail Business Services, and Carl Freeman, VP and Campus Leader at ADUSA Distribution, will engage in a candid conversation about their journey toward enhanced supplier diversity, the significance of supplier diversity to retailers and service providers, and its impact on the rapidly evolving world of indirect sourcing and supply chain. This live event will answer audience questions and provide guidance on how diverse-owned suppliers can partner with the brands and entities of Ahold Delhaize USA.

Nancy and Carl will use this opportunity to share their experience with the following:

-Why now is the time to place an increased emphasis on increasing supplier diversity
-How Ahold Delhaize is investing in education, operating procedures, and tools to make a measurable difference in their supplier diversity
-All of the facets that should be included when measuring and celebrating supplier diversity

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Tags: Procurement, Supply Chain, Retail

1 Webinar
Assessing Supply Chain Risk: Building a Program to Identify High Risk Sources of Supply
Institute for Supply Management
May 11, 2020
While supply chain risk is more important today than ever before, no organization can manage all risks, all the time. In this webinar, Art of Procurement Managing Director Philip Ideson will share how to programmatically identify the products and services that you buy that should be subject to proactive supply chain risk identification, monitoring mitigation activities, and which you can leave for another day.

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Tags: Procurement, Risk Management, Supply Chain

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PAT Chat: Art of Procurement’s Phil Ideson on Elevating the Role of Procurement
Thinkers360
February 09, 2020
I recently had the opportunity to participate in an episode of ‘Pat Chat’ the video interview series hosted by Patrick McCarthy, Global Senior Vice President and General Manager of SAP Ariba and SAP Fieldglass. He gave me the opportunity to talk about the Art of Procurement podcast and my own perspective on our field as a whole… What part of my job do I enjoy the most… What I enjoy most is the work that is hard. These challenges present the best opportunity for procurement to impact the enterprise really showcase our capabilities. There's more value to be had in complex categories because they allow us to solve business problems as opposed to just rolling out a one-size fits all process. How can we build sustainable procurement organizations… There’s such a ‘boom and bust’ cycle in procurement. First, we’re just going after the low hanging fruit, saving money at all costs. Then we return our focus to transformation, because the successes of the savings cycle have allowed procurement to build a good story. Of course, some of the strategies or the tactics we've used to save money in the past may not be ones that endear us to the rest of the organization – especially when it comes to business partnering. That’s a sustainability issue we need to focus on more. What does procurement’s real opportunity look like… Procurement is at a bit of a crossroads today, but I think we have a tremendous opportunity to focus on spend that is material to the organization. We get involved in all kinds of spend because we want people to engage with us. We want to have an opportunity to make an impact. When we get to the point that we are focusing on the most strategic 20% of enterprise spend, we’re not thinking about purchasing decisions anymore; we’re driving total commercial value. That work is incredibly exciting. I don't think we should aspire to have 100% of spend under management. We should focus on how to enable the business to transact as efficiently and as easily as possible. We have to focus on the stuff that matters. Click here to view the full video interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV_GwyJDvLs&list=PLPs9vNA-XppTFxVuS3lIfo6Xxq_g482fT

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Tags: Digital Transformation, Management, Procurement

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