Talent Talks Podcast

“Procurement has been really effective in seeing growth opportunities and saying ‘Let us manage this, we can look after this’.”

While Will Bowley’s route into procurement may not be conventional, his pedigree in the industry matches the impact delivered as Director of Staverton Consulting.

With a unique perspective on the industry, Will joins us on Talent Talks to discuss the biggest challenges facing startup procurement consultancies, procurement’s evolution as a commercial facilitator, and much more.

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

• Positioning procurement for executive visibility
• The ‘seat at the table’ happening organically, not being forced
• Breaking the stigma surrounding consultancies
• Will’s journey into business ownership & taking the plunge
• Procurement’s evolution as a commercial facilitator
• Leaders & CPOs seizing opportunities and leading agendas

The Talent Talks Podcast is proudly sponsored by Staverton Consulting.

Staverton Consulting delivers tangible and sustainable cost reduction as well as reducing business risks throughout the supply chain for private equity backed businesses, SME’S and growth companies. For more information please head to https://www.stavertonconsulting.com/.

“It’s not hard to find bodies if you want bodies, but the best people have options. You’ve got to be approaching them.”

When good procurement people have the power to choose their path, it takes proactivity to create a quality team - as Sermet Baykaner has done proficiently through his career to date. 

With names like Carnival and Unilever under his belt, Sermet - Bourne Leisure’s Group Procurement Director - is this week’s fantastic guest on the Talent Talks podcast.

Join us as we touch on attracting talent in a competitive market, convincing the C-suite to support the procurement agenda, and integrating sustainability business-wide.

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

• Building sustainability into the overall strategy
• How to attract talent when good people have options
• Solving the C-suite’s needs, rather than focusing on what you can deliver
• What’s evolved in procurement and how Sermet has adapted to that

The Talent Talks Podcast is proudly sponsored by Staverton Consulting.

Staverton Consulting delivers tangible and sustainable cost reduction as well as reducing business risks throughout the supply chain for private equity backed businesses, SME’S and growth companies. For more information please head to https://www.stavertonconsulting.com/.

“We have all these other things that we can do, but the end game that the Chief Executive wants is the value that you're giving them.”

The procurement industry is ever-evolving with shifting skillsets, constrained talent pool and a new age of technology & automation - it’s on us to evolve with it. 

We hosted an incredible Talent Talks Live event at Landsec in September, where we delighted in a panel with Visa’s S-J Aldridge, Specsavers’ Carl Ferrand and AWE’s Jonathan Patrick.

Join us for this live podcast episode where they touch on reframing our value, strategy vs tactical operating, and ChatGPT’s role in procurement’s future.

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

• Our value in procurement, and whether we need to reframe/market that value better
• Crafting procurement as a more strategic function, shedding transactional activities
• How the talent pool has shifted, particularly post-pandemic
• The balance of technical skill vs commercial skill
• AI’s uses in the future of procurement

The Talent Talks Podcast is proudly sponsored by Staverton Consulting.

Staverton Consulting delivers tangible and sustainable cost reduction as well as reducing business risks throughout the supply chain for private equity backed businesses, SME’S and growth companies. For more information please head to https://www.stavertonconsulting.com/.

“The challenge is finding somebody with a really good set of soft skills, and that transcends both public and private sectors.”

When it comes to recruiting exciting new procurement talent, good apprenticeships can be the perfect combination of experience and learning.

Emma Law’s sustained efforts to create such apprenticeship opportunities are becoming fruitful, alongside her already stellar decade at Orbis Partnership.

We’re joined by Emma on Talent Talks to discuss the major challenges facing public sector procurement hiring, why we need to push harder on ESG, and AI’s role in procurement’s future.

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

• The main challenges with recruiting new talent into the public sector
• How public scrutiny affects decision making
• Which skills transcend the divide between public and private sectors
• How early we should bring procurement language into education
• AI’s role in the future of procurement, and the time it’ll free up for strategic thinking

The Talent Talks Podcast is proudly sponsored by Staverton Consulting. 

Staverton Consulting delivers tangible and sustainable cost reduction as well as reducing business risks throughout the supply chain for private equity backed businesses, SME’S and growth companies. For more information please head to stavertonconsulting.com.

“Procurement was once the gatekeeper to the marketplace. Technology speeds up how we do things, and brings the external market to internal stakeholders.”

The one defence we have against extinction of any kind is adaptation. It might be drastic to suggest procurement is on the brink of extinction, but it certainly needs to adapt…

Whether it’s in the attraction of new talent or moving away from gatekeeping suppliers, Thames Water’s David Wylie has seen first hand the power of shifting focus and making changes.

David joins us for Talent Talks this week to share key learnings from roles in TfL & Centrica, how to deliver meaningful social value, and the three most important words in procurement.

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

• How the procurement industry needs to shift to stay relevant
• Evolving observations in procurement talent
• The power of bringing ‘relentless insight’ into your business
• Operating in environments with very different regulatory challenges
• Delivery of social value at Thames Water

“Marketing, arguably more so than other categories, needs to be seen as an investment for growth, not a cost to be cut.”

There’s a boldness that roles in Nike, Danone and Reckitt would give anyone, and Stuart Dunk has funnelled that boldness into a business that’s now over 3 years strong.

Stuart’s specialism is in marketing procurement, an area which he believes to lean further towards value over cost than almost any other category.

Having experienced landmark roles in huge brands, and now growing his business, Don't Forget to Look, his experience makes for a fascinating perspective on the marketing procurement landscape in this week’s Talent Talks.

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

• Stuart’s work on London 2012 and subsequent career with Nike, Reckitt & Danone
• How to increase engagement with procurement through intuitive buying processes
• Stakeholder management being a near-universal skill
• Marketing’s status as an investment in growth
• Attracting and retaining marketing procurement talent
• How Stuart used the confidence of prior roles to start his own business as a ‘poacher turned gamekeeper’

“Build yourself a great team, and build a team that challenges you. You can't do it all yourself, you're only as good as the people around you.”

With huge, long-spanning roles at Diageo and Compass Group, Oliver Cock has developed the blueprints for successful procurement change, fulfilling leadership, and introducing category management from scratch.

Oliver is an incredibly experienced procurement leader, and now CEO of Zircon Consulting, which makes him wonderfully placed to weigh in on the virtues of great leadership, empathy, talent management, and so much more.

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

• Oliver’s long and illustrious career through CPO, MD and other leadership roles
• Introducing category management from scratch by focusing on quick wins in core areas
• Working with key stakeholders for greater buy-in from the wider business
• Recruiting new talent with attitude over aptitude
• Empathy and clarity of direction being essential in procurement leadership

“There’s a hidden cost - the cost of bad deals because you don’t choose to use interim resources.”

Since 2021’s reforms, IR35 has been a major factor in the channels through which procurement resource is found, and Mark Coulson has become a guiding light through the confusion.

Having spent many years specialising in IR35, he’s perfectly placed to share with us on Talent Talks how to navigate the main sticking points around contractors and interim staff.

We also break down how the specialist knowledge of interim procurement professionals can save thousands through the simple power of subject expertise.

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

• An overview of IR35 and the precedents set by case law
• Simplifying how to spot what should lie within IR35
• Avoiding scope creep
• The powerful use cases where interim procurement is invaluable
• How interim resource can prevent the potential added cost of bad deals

“I love seeing people grow and flourish. It’s fulfilling and quite humbling that you've been part of someone else's success and growth..”

Bringing together the best of both worlds is a powerful procurement strategy for those with private and public sector experience - Divyesh Lad combines those in a challenging utility sector.

The Head of Commercial Services for United Utilities joins us on episode 76 of Talent Talks as we consider the skills gap in today’s market, how to manage teams & help them flourish, flexing your communication style, and much more.

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

• Challenges and opportunities unique to the utilities sector
• Filling the skills gap in the market
• Transferable skills throughout the profession & combining experiences
• Learning how to manage people effectively, and help them to evolve and flourish

“We should always remember opportunity cost - sometimes time itself is much more valuable and important than a potential monetary saving.”

Across a career that’s spanned THG, Sky and now Epos Now, Isabella Moise has thrived in her roles with an ability to marry the needs of stakeholders with wildly conflicting ideas of success.

Now in a Head of Procurement role early in her career, Isabella’s insight into the importance of understanding culture and delivering confidence in negotiation comes from a fascinating, unique perspective.

Isabella joins Martin this week on Talent talks to discuss her stellar path in the profession, and offers her shrewd advice for young, female procurement leaders in the making.

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

• Juggling the needs of conflicting stakeholders
• Bringing confidence into a negotiation scenario
• Why the negotiating process relies on more than simple messaging
• Opportunity cost and the value of time vs money in procurement
• Overcoming challenges to become a role model in D&I
• The need to return to goals around CSR and sustainability