On this episode, we’re joined by Vera Rozanova - a Procurement thought leader, award-winning speaker, CIPS lecturer, and former CPO at Royal Canin, British American Tobacco, Rusagro, and Procter & Gamble.

Vera joins Sam for a great discussion about the future of Procurement, how to build new plans and frameworks, building strong Supplier Development Programs, the necessary skills for Procurement teams, new technology adoption, and more!

(00:39) - Introducing Vera

(01:32) - How did Vera get started in Procurement?

(02:58) - What does Vera think Procurement is today and where is it going?

(03:58) - How will Procurement teams look different under Procurement 4.0?

(05:29) - What are Vera’s concrete tips to impact culture and building processes and frameworks quickly?

(06:39) - What are Vera’s guidelines for building a plan and executing on it in a new organization?

(08:17) - How does Vera source the best talent for Procurement when she’s hiring?

(11:02) - What skills does Vera look for in a new hire besides soft skills & hard skills?

(12:31) - Are there specialist Procurement roles that have emerged today which will stick around for the future?

(15:01) - What is Vera’s approach to supplier development within a global multi-national?

(17:25) - Does Vera use a specific segmentation model for suppliers or develop one based on the business?

(19:04) - What type of team and skills are needed for a strong supplier development plan?

(21:50) - When is it the right time to work with supplier learning and development?

(22:24) - When is the wrong time to work with supplier development? What are the signs that it’s too early or late?

(24:11) - Are supplier development programs only necessary for strategic suppliers or a certain level of maturity?

(25:22) - Which Procurement tactics are not going anywhere and here to stay?

(27:36) - Where are Procurement teams wasting time on manual tasks?

(28:25) - Is there a reluctancy to adopt new technologies in Procurement?

(29:18) - Vera answers our Kodiak Moment round of quick-fire questions