World class events go beyond people, place, and time. If they are planned for and hosted with purpose, they can take on a culture or ‘vibe’ of their own. The more unique and cohesive the event experience is, the more impactful and lasting it will be in the minds of attendees - as well as those who help to run the event.

In this episode of the #LoveProcurement podcast, Kelly Barner is joined by Aurelie Teyssier, Ivalua’s Vice President of Corporate Marketing, and Aurelie Lucas, Ivalua’s Senior Marketing Director for EMEA & APAC. They play a critical role in planning for and hosting Ivalua NOW events in Europe and the United States.

In this episode, recorded just before Ivalua NOW 2025 will begin, they share behind-the-scenes details about what makes these events truly unique:

• Getting the right venue, and making sure the surroundings for the event match and even build upon the desired ‘vibe’
• Balancing fun experiences and serious professional development in a way that delights and surprises guests
• What surprises are in store for attendees of Ivalua NOW 2025 in Paris, France and New Orleans, Louisiana 

Links: Aurelie Teyssier on LinkedIn Aurelie Lucas on LinkedIn Ivalua NOW 2025: Innovate to Elevate

How well an organization - or a procurement team - knows itself plays a huge role in how successful they are able to be in any change effort, systems implementations included. Knowing what the objectives of the project are and having a plan to stay focused on them until they are achieved is both absolutely critical and also a lot harder than it sounds.

In this episode of the #LoveProcurement podcast, Kelly Barner is joined by Sam Bowyer. Sam is a Director at Optis Consulting, where he focuses on the strategy side of implementation. Over the last decade, he has helped procurement teams prepare for, strategize about, and - in some cases - execute systems implementations.

Sam shares his experience with some of the greatest challenges and opportunities procurement faces during times of change:

• How a desire to proceed deliberately may clash with the business’s enthusiasm about new capabilities and functionality
• The connections (and correlations) between procurement’s mindset towards change and their overall maturity as a function
• Characteristics he sees among his most effective procurement points of contact

Links: Sam Bowyer on LinkedIn

Expectations drive what procurement is able to deliver. Whether that means the business’s expectations, supplier expectations, or procurement’s own expectations, what they think they can achieve, and how they think they should spend their time, drives outcomes - for better or worse. While that may sound limiting, if procurement can change their expectations of themselves, they can take on a whole new trajectory.

In this episode of the #LoveProcurement podcast, Philip Ideson is joined by Thomas Germer. Thomas is the Director of Central Procurement for ADAC, the “AAA” of Germany and Europe’s largest Automotive Association with over 22 million members and service offerings from roadside assistance, airlines, and helicopters to insurances, credit cards, call centers and many more. 

Thomas talks about some of the key things he has learned in roles both inside and outside of procurement:

• How previously being a small business owner impacts his approach to enterprise procurement
• Why procurement can deliver far more when they move from operations to strategy and vision
• The importance of matching procurement’s priorities with the company’s business model

Links: Thomas Germer on LinkedIn

Procurement is a diverse profession. Every category presents procurement with unique opportunities and challenges, ensuring that no two days are ever the same. This variety is one of the features that procurement professionals love most about the field. But, when procurement works in government contracting, a whole new set of rules, expectations, and processes apply. 

In this episode of the #LoveProcurement podcast, Kelly Barner is joined by Amanda Christian. Amanda is the Senior Vice President of Contracts and Subcontracts at CACI. Amanda heads up both the sell and buy side for a government contractor, and she has years of experience navigating the requirements of “Gov Con,” many of which just don’t exist in the private sector.

Amanda shares her insight into what it’s like to lead procurement for a government contractor, including:

• The adjustments procurement has to make when working in government contracting versus the private sector
• How to meet the needs of a large enterprise or government entity while still prioritizing small businesses, and maintaining data and system security along the way
• What the intense audit process is really like for procurement when they work in government contracting

Links: Amanda Christian on LinkedIn

The categories procurement manages are as varied as the stakeholders they work with and the suppliers they buy from. But that does not mean learnings from one category, or industry even, can’t be transferred from one to another. In fact, when the objective is value creation, this may be the very advantage that allows procurement to succeed. 

In this episode of the #LoveProcurement podcast, Kelly Barner is joined by Adele Bleakley. Adele is a Procurement Manager for Sainsburys and was recently recognized as the ‘Highly Commended – Young Talent’ winner at the 2024 CIPS Excellence in Procurement & Supply awards.

Adele answers questions about:

• Her procurement experience that varies from work in automotive direct materials sourcing to retail marketing spend
• How she collaborates with the business to manage suppliers in a category that is more value than savings focused
• Her passion for finding new ways of working in procurement

Links: Adele Bleakley on LinkedIn

Procurement’s value comes from many different sources, but supplier relationships are a nearly inexhaustible source of potential. Over the last few years, procurement has made significant investments - and substantial progress - in their ability to build relationships with key suppliers as well as to improve the supplier experience overall.

In this episode of the #LoveProcurement podcast, Kelly Barner is joined by Florent Connac. Florent is a Project Director for Cyrias, and he has decades of experience in procurement.

Florent takes this opportunity to share his perspective on procurement’s supplier management maturity:

• The skill sets that have contributed to procurement’s supplier relationship improvements
• How divides such as direct/indirect spend and local v. global play into the maturity journey
• Success stories from his experience working with companies and observing their supplier relationship habits

Links: Florent Connac on LinkedIn

Generative AI, and the models that underpin it, are maturing at a rapid pace. Even procurement, a function that has always been a proving ground for emerging digital capabilities, is scrambling to keep up. In this time of growth, procurement has the chance to stretch their use of technology and also to uncover current mindsets about innovation and experimentation.

In this episode of the #LoveProcurement podcast, Pascal Bensoussan, Chief Product Officer at Ivalua, returns to speak with Kelly Barner about the progress that has been made with generative AI and what it has revealed about procurement’s approach to adopting new technologies.

Pascal brings the generative AI conversation up to date and looks forward to what may be next:

• The role that large language models (LLMs) play in the advancement of generative AI
• Current perspectives from the C-suite and their expectations about digital advancement
• The mindset shifts that seamlessly integrated technology should drive - especially between corporate functions

Links: Pascal Bensoussan on LinkedIn

Many procurement conversations are focused on tech, but the work of procurement is innately human - even the digital parts. As procurement systems become bridges to the business, procurement professionals have the opportunity to cross them and forge strategic, more meaningful relationships with entirely new parts of the business.

In this episode of the #LoveProcurement podcast, Kelly Barner is joined by Mathew Schulz. Mathew is the Founder of matchat, an accelerator for career-minded procurement professionals.

Mathew shares his view on the role of humanity and real connections in driving procurement excellence:

• The opportunity associated with the data created by and collected in procurement systems
• How blending art with science is the best way to drive desired business outcomes
• The value of having an engaged professional network, in person and online

Links: Mathew Schulz on LinkedIn

Each year contains unexpected developments and surprises. Some of them are mere flashes of circumstance while others change the trajectory of industries, communities, and individuals for the long term.

The challenge for procurement is knowing what to watch for and then deciding how to prepare.

In this episode of the #LoveProcurement podcast, Kelly Barner is joined by Ari Stone. Ari is the Global SVP for Value Engineering, Solution Consulting, and Services at Ivalua, a role that requires him to understand all the factors that impact procurement’s work.

Ari shares the key trends he is watching as 2024 draws to a close and offers predictions about what we might expect in the new year:

• The storylines procurement can expect to see around generative AI in 2025 and how procurement can seize the associated opportunity
• The critical role that data will play in corporate decision making and how it may change the role of the Chief Procurement Officer
• How workforce trends are affecting procurement’s ability to influence their peers and how a new generation of professionals is remaking the procurement brand in their own image
• The ongoing drama of geopolitics and how it is putting pressure on global supply chains while increasing the need for risk management and transparency

Links: Ari Stone on LinkedIn

Category management is as fundamental part of procurement as strategic sourcing, supplier management, and negotiation. At the same time, there is a chasm between optimism about the potential of category management and examples of where it has been carried out successfully. 

In this episode of the #LoveProcurement podcast, Kelly Barner is joined by Sabrina Hueren. Sabrina is a manager and strategy consultant for Sourcing Champions, a boutique procurement consulting firm based in Amsterdam. Not only does Sabrina love procurement, but she also has a passion for category management!

In this episode, Sabrina speaks about why category management is more relevant for procurement today than ever before:

• The ‘soft’ skills that are required to successfully build and execute against a category strategy, whether procurement is made up of generalists or category experts
• How to make sure your category strategy delivers results rather than gathering dust on a shelf or in a drawer
• Why category management is one of the best ways for procurement to demonstrate their potential for overall business impact far beyond savings

Links: Sabrina Hueren on LinkedIn