Many highly-praised books are written every year. And yet, this week's guest quotes one that we've never had come up in an Art of Procurement podcast before: The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. Even at 635 words, there are five characters, heroes and villains, danger, hope, an escape, and a happy feel, good ending. Not a word is wasted.

And that's when you realize this is not a typical episode of AOP.

Philip Ideson is joined for this unique conversation by Simon Geale, Executive Vice President at Proxima. They recently had the opportunity to sit down - face to face - and have a wide ranging exchange about some of the bigger picture dynamics at play in our professional lives.

The discussion opened with a focus on the art of storytelling, something Simon knows a great deal about. He has been telling stories to influence executives for years, making appearances on media outlets like the BBC, CNBC, Wall Street Journal, and many more.

But their conversation went a lot deeper than that. They also discussed

• The health of the procurement profession: what is exciting and where frustration persists
• The vulnerability associated with being an introvert or speaking publicly, and potential ways to overcome those fears
• Why it is so important to try and see a story through our audience's eyes - long before we tell it