Amey Fairbrother is clear: the best procurement decisions don’t happen behind a desk or shut away in the office. Instead, they come when leaders focus on understanding people, operations and customers on the shop floor.

In this episode of the Procurement Podcast, host Aaron McMillan discusses this philosophy with Amey, Head of Procurement at Parkdean Resorts.

Having built her career across hospitality and procurement, Amey explains why procurement professionals should experience the businesses they support first-hand, why supplier relationships should be built around customer outcomes and why curiosity remains one of the profession's most valuable skills.

Expect an honest discussion on operational understanding, stakeholder collaboration, supplier partnerships and the leadership qualities that are essential for procurement teams wanting to create value beyond cost savings.

From the Peugeot assembly line in Coventry to leading nearly US$1bn in global spend across six continents, Damien Huppert has built a career on operational understanding, trust and saying yes.

This week, he joins host Aaron McMillan to discuss supplier relationships, procurement transformation, the misconception that it's all about price and why AI is only as good as the strategy behind it.

Drawing on a hugely successful career, Damian shares the principles that have defined his leadership – and what he teaches the next generation at Toulouse Business School.

No host. No script. Just two of procurement technology's biggest leaders with a lot to say about the future of the function.

This week, Greg Harbor of Coupa and Chinmay Joshi of AWS take over the Procurement Podcast live from Coupa Inspire to discuss AI agents, Coupa's $10tn spend dataset and why interoperability will define the next era of enterprise technology.

From 163 agents built in a single day to real traction across banking, manufacturing and higher education, this is one of the more grounded AI conversations you'll hear this year.

AI will automate the admin. What it can't replace is curiosity. Ben Terry, Chief Procurement Officer at evoke, joins host Aaron McMillan to discuss how procurement can become a genuine commercial partner, why chameleon-like adaptability matters more than ever, and what gets lost if the entry-level steps disappear.

After nearly two decades across music, gaming retail and betting Ben has seen procurement from every angle.

Super agents can think, plan and execute complex procurement tasks without human intervention. So what does that mean for procurement teams?

Felix Meng, Co-Founder of Zip, joins host Matt High live from DPW New York to discuss the next stage of AI in procurement, why governance is the foundation that makes it work, and what the function looks like on the other side of this transformation.

Join us for half an hour of high-energy, fast-paced procurement chat with straight from New York.

Is your procurement function ready for AI, or just ready to look like it is? DPW Founder Matthias Gutzmann joins host Matt High live from New York to discuss Recode, DPW's boldest theme yet, and why real AI transformation means rebuilding procurement from the ground up, not layering technology onto outdated processes.

From the thinking behind the theme to the investment reshaping the industry, Matthias makes a compelling case for why optimisation isn't enough anymore.

In fast-scaling tech organisations, how does procurement maintain control without becoming the bottleneck? Nils Windahl, Director of Group Procurement at Sinch, joins Aaron McMillan to answer this question.

In this episode they discuss how the CPO role has evolved well beyond cost-cutting and what procurement leaders need to do next.

Nils covers why AI won't fix broken processes, how to shift procurement's reputation from blocker to business partner and why critical thinking is now the most important skill in the function.

Key takeaways: communicate early and often, challenge what AI tells you and never mistake a supporting function for a passive one.

In this episode of the Procurement Magazine Podcast, host Aaron McMillan sits down with Hiten Parmar, Chief Procurement Officer at Beazley, to explore his remarkable 25-year career spanning Reuters, UBS, HSBC, and GSK.

Hiten shares his vision for procurement as a true strategic enabler, discussing the importance of breaking free from legacy thinking, speaking the language of the boardroom and harnessing AI and data to drive real business growth.

It’s a must-listen for anyone looking to elevate their procurement game and add measurable strategic value.

In this episode of the Procurement Magazine Podcast, host Aaron McMillan sits down with seasoned procurement executive Mahbub Chowdhury to unpack his incredible three-decade journey through the industry. From his accidental start as a finance graduate dealing with inventory control variances to leading strategic procurement at Citibank, Mahbub shares invaluable lessons on how the profession has evolved from simple "buying" to a core business driver.

In this episode of Procurement Podcast, Peter Sharoff Strategic Sourcing Lead at Radian breaks down his philosophy of managing procurement as a "dual-mode" function. He argues that procurement leaders must balance two distinct speeds: a fast, customer-service-oriented track for low-risk, low-value requests, and a more deliberate, relationship-driven track for high-value strategic sourcing. The key to avoiding organisational friction is alignment; horror stories of businesses complaining about procurement usually stem from a fundamental disconnect between what the function is trying to enforce and what the business actually needs to move forward. Cost optimisation strategies without compromising service quality or innovation.