James Meads is a seasoned Procurement practitioner-turned-consultant and the Founder of ProcurementSoftware.site, a free to access website for anyone seeking a simple way to filter, compare and shortlist digital procurement solutions. Built by practitioners and completely unbiased, Procurement Software and James offer an easy-to-use, free resource for practitioners and solution providers alike. James also advises procurement technology start-ups / scale-ups, helping them understand their market, develop their product and reach their target audience – along with hosting, MCing, and moderating webinars for ProcureTech SaaS providers and hosting the Procurement Software podcast.

James returns to The Way We Source podcast for a fantastic discussion with Sam Jenks about the current state of Procurement, technology adoption, Procurement advocating and investing in itself, and more!
Get in touch with James Meads on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-meads/

And visit ProcurementSoftware.site

To learn more about Kodiak Hub and our world class Supplier Relationship Management solutions, check out: https://www.kodiakhub.com

(00:37) - Introducing James Meads

(01:34) - What does Sourcing & Procurement mean to James now?

(02:23) - Does James see anything that will help Procurement be more strategic?

(03:33) - James talks about his journey with ProcurementSoftware.site

(06:30) - What sets ProcurementSoftware.site apart from other Procurement agencies?

(07:25) - What does James think about build vs. buy with procure tech?

(12:38) - What are the biggest barriers for Procurement to get new technology?

(16:26) - How can more of an entrepreneurial spirt empower Procurement?

(21:10) - How can Procurement sell in the idea of pragmatism to their business?

(24:20) - Why does Procurement prioritize technocracy over entrepreneurialism?

(29:23) - Does Procurement have a problem with improving soft skills?

(30:39) - What have been the major eras of James’ 23 year career in Procurement?

(33:31) - Does James think Procurement has become the function of “No”?

(34:51) - James answers our round of quick-fire questions

Richard, Procurement Interim Practitioner and Chartered MCIPS professional, brings nearly two decades of hands-on experience delivering strategic procurement solutions across interim, consultancy, and in-house roles. Based in Surrey UK and working across the South East, Richard has led high-impact projects in HR, Professional Services, Consultancy, Fleet, and Contingent Labour across FTSE 100s, global corporates, the public sector, utilities, and startups—both in the UK and internationally.

In this episode, Richard joins Sam to explore the realities of interim procurement—how to deliver measurable value fast, build trust within teams, and navigate complex transformation projects. He shares insights on how businesses can get the most out of procurement interims and how he connects clients with top-tier professionals from his trusted network through his consultancy.

As a mentor to aspiring procurement interims, Richard also dives into the freelance market, offering practical advice for those getting started. Whether you're looking to strengthen your procurement delivery or develop your interim career, this episode is packed with real-world guidance and inspiration.

Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/richardstruthers

(00:38) - Introducing Richard Struthers

(01:21) - What does Procurement & Sourcing mean to Richard?

(02:38) - What does Richard see as the variety of the role of Procurement?

(04:22) - What advice would Richard give to someone thinking about starting with Procurement?

(06:20) - What services does Richard provide at Rosemae Procurement?

(08:44) - What attracts Richard and others to an interim Procurement role?

(11:18) - What does an interim Procurement role teach you that a permanent role doesn’t?

(13:01) - What are some of the primary challenges that Richard meets in his interim work?

(14:57) - What sort of common challenges does Richard face when he starts an interim role?

(16:50) - Why would a Procurement organization bring in an interim instead of a consultant?

(18:16) - How do organizations scope for and bring in interims and how do they succeed or fail?

(21:08) - What is the importance of CIPS for Purchasing professionals in the UK?

(23:35) - Are there any particular skills that Richard has developed in his interim Procurement work? And how has CIPS contributed?

(25:45) - How has Richard seen Procurement evolve during his 20+ year career?

(28:18) - What areas of Procurement will be changed most by technology over the coming years?

(31:48) - How can Procurement improve supplier relationships?

(35:42) - What makes a good interim Procurement leader?

(38:48) - Richard answers our round of quick-fire questions

Susan Walsh, Founder & Mistress of Data at The Classification Guru, is a globally recognised expert in data classification, cleaning, and transformation who has spent over a decade helping organisations across many industries resolve their "dirty data" issues.

In 2017, she founded The Classification Guru Ltd to provide innovative solutions to data problems, particularly in procurement, where clean and accurate data is critical. Since then, Susan has successfully worked with over 90 clients worldwide, unlocking the true potential of their data. Beyond being an entrepreneur, Susan is an influential thought leader, global speaker, and advocate for clean data and the author of the acclaimed book, “Between the Spreadsheets: Classifying and Fixing Dirty Data,” a practical guide for professionals tackling data issues.

In this fantastic episode, she joins Sam to discuss the importance of data quality in Procurement for insights, efficiency, & AI excellence, the challenges that Procurement teams face with their data, how teams can best clean & harness the power of their data, and more!
Connect with Susan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanewalsh/

Learn more about Kodiak Hub’s SRM platform: https://www.kodiakhub.com

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:39) - Introducing Susan Walsh

(01:40) - What does Sourcing & Procurement mean to Susan today vs. 3-5 years ago?

(03:08) - What does Susan think that Procurement is getting wrong?

(04:26) - What is Susan’s mission and offerings with The Classification Guru?

(05:13) - What is the end state of Procurement data that Susan helps teams to achieve?

(06:40) - Where does data play a role in Procurement driving value for their business?

(08:18) - What are the barriers that teams have to fix their data?

(09:40) - What are the eras of data management in Procurement that Susan has seen in her career?

(11:47) - Are centers of excellence and data ops essential for successful Procurement teams of today and tomorrow?

(13:49) - Where does Susan see teams struggling most to get the most value out of their data?

(14:27) - Can Data Analysts make the transition to being a solid hire in a Procurement team?

(15:00) - Why would Data Analysts struggle to work in Procurement?

(18:00) - Can AI drive value for Procurement without clean, complete data?

(19:00) - Will teams with clean procurement data be able to harness the value of AI?

(19:38) - Where does Susan see AI making the biggest impact in Procurement?

(21:05) - Does Susan think that technology can do more complex actions like strategic work?

(22:23) - Susan talks about her book “Between the Spreadsheets” and her upcoming follow-up

(25:00) - Susan explains her COAT Methodology

(27:43) - How does Susan get businesses to focus on fit-for-purpose accuracy in their data?

(30:25) - What is a data horror story that Susan has seen?

(32:38) - How did Susan solve her data horror story?

(36:01) - Where does Susan see that Procurement teams can get started with their data cleaning and classification?

(39:17) - Susan answers our quick-fire round of questions

This episode, we’re joined by Nicolas Passaquin, Chief Procurement Officer & Supply Chain Officer for Telia, the multinational telecommunications company and mobile network operator, and Ambassador at The Sustainable Procurement Pledge.

As a seasoned Procurement practitioner and leader with previous experience at Thomas Reuters, Efficio, Refinitiv, Air France, and more, Nicolas shares his knowledge with Sam Jenks about setting up Procurement orgs for success, staying energized to drive continual transformation, and future-proofing Procurement to stay ahead of the curb.

He and Sam also explore the changes that Nicolas has seen his career and the lessons he’s learned, what to look for with new talent, digital inclusion within Procurement, how to make Procurement be seen as a strategic function, the importance of your network, and more!

Connect with Nicolas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/passaquin/

Learn more about Kodiak Hub's SRM platform:

https://www.kodiakhub.com

Timestamps:

(00:38) - Introducing Nicolas Passaquin

(01:15) - What does Sourcing & Procurement mean to Nicolas?

(02:07) - What does a Procurement leader need to do to make the function to be understood as strategic?

(03:30) - How would Nicolas say that the businesses in his career have differed?

(05:26) - How has Nicolas seen Procurement evolve in the 20 years of his career?

(08:14) - What is the business case that should be made for sustainable sourcing?

(09:43) - What is digital inclusion in Procurement?

(10:37) - As a Procurement leader, what does Nicolas look for when he hires new talent into his team?

(11:46) - What are the tactical skills that need to be focused on in 2025?

(12:46) - What are some examples of data savviness and technical literacy in Procurement?

(14:27) - How does Nicolas stay close to the operational practices of the business as a Procurement leader?

(16:14) - As a CPO, what does Nicolas’ executive team look like?

(17:33) - Was Nicolas’ center of excellence in place when he joined Telia or did he build it?

(19:02) - What advice would Nicolas give to himself just starting out his career?

(20:33) - What are some of the practical ways that Nicolas builds up his network?

(23:04) - How does Nicolas go about gauging the maturity of a business when he joins?

(23:58) - What checklist does Nicolas go through?

(25:46) - Nicolas shares his experience from working in different roles and companies throughout his career

(28:24) - How do you keep the sense of execution and focus in a business to continually reenergize?

(29:52) - What are some of the challenges and successes that Nicolas has experience in his current role at Telia?

(33:17) - How does Nicolas keep his team motivated during times of consolidation?

(35:35) - How does Nicolas see the phases of his career and the learnings he got from each?
(37:59) - Nicolas answers our quick fire round of questions

Keith McCabe is the Founder & Managing Director of AVAM Solutions, a specialist procurement and supply chain consultancy focused on cost reduction, supplier performance, project delivery, and strategy. Before taking his knowledge into consultancy, Keith was an experienced Procurement practitioner and leader at organizations such as NHS, United Biscuits, Carillion, and Aramark. Keith is also a Procurement and Supply Chain thought leader as the Co-Founder and Host at Proctopus.

(00:40) - Introducing Keith

(01:29) - How did Keith start with Procurement? Did he choose it or did it choose him?

(04:18) - Does creativity play a role in Procurement?

(06:19) - Why does Keith say that Procurement is one of the last entrepreneurial roles?

(09:08) - Is there an experience where Keith felt truly entrepreneurial in Procurement?

(13:46) - What does Keith think it takes to make the transition from a Procurement practitioner into a leader?

(16:55) - What are the key ways that Keith has seen Procurement’s role evolve in the last 25 years?

(21:24) - Does Keith think that savings will ever be less important for Procurement than sustainability?

(22:57) - What’s the most interesting learning that Keith has had in his journey?

(28:55) - What has kept Keith still working in Procurement?

(30:41) - Is it okay to get creative in negotiating with suppliers?

(37:23) - What helped Keith make the transition into Procurement consulting?

(43:45) - Does humor have a place in Procurement?

(48:04) - Keith answers our round of quick-fire questions

(50:23) - Get in touch with Keith!

Mathew Schulz is the Founder of Matchat - modern procurement’s trusted voice that is changing the perception of procurement and movement followed by practitioners, business leaders, and founders at Google, Nike, Coca-Cola, Ramp, Stripe, Zip, American Express, Mastercard, All, Coupe, Amazon, and more. His work is read, viewed, and listened to by millions and featured on industry podcasts and major publications.

Prior to founding Matchat, Mathew has a seasoned career as a procurement practitioner at GE Aerospace, SS&C Eze, Forrester, and Airbase.

Connect with Mat on his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mathewschulz/

(00:39) - Introducing Mathew

(01:50) - How did Mathew go from the military to Procurement?

(03:22) - Does Mathew think that Procurement is linear or more dynamic?

(04:28) - What does Mathew do for Procurement organizations with Matchat?

(06:45) - What does Procurement need to do to truly attract the next generation of talent?

(08:45) - What are some of the biggest opportunities for the Procurement community in the next few years?

(10:51) - What were Mathew’s takeaways from this year’s DPW event?

(15:08) - Where does Mathew see the most powerful applications of AI in Procurement?

(18:53) - What’s most important for Procurement - People, Process, or Technology?

(21:11) - What does Mathew recommend to teams to drive transformations without the luxury of a green field?

(24:53) - What are some of the big topics that people are talking about now with Matchat?

(29:36) - What role do suppliers play in Matchat’s community and the Procurement community?

(31:57) - What is the general perception of Procurement today?

(34:22) - Where does a Procurement team start in Mathew’s experience?

(42:00) - What’s one thing that Mathew wishes he knew at the beginning of his career?

(44:28) - Mathew answers our round of quick-fire questions

This episode, we’re joined by Daniel G. Wilson, Head of Indirect Procurement at Philips and a seasoned Procurement practitioner with 25+ years experience at businesses such as Adidas, Unilever, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Air Canada, KPMG, and more. Daniel joins Sam for an inspiring discussion about leadership and change within Procurement, the differences between direct and indirect procurement, staying relevant and contributing as a Procurement leader, succeeding with procuretech adoption, and much more!

Get in touch with Daniel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-g-wilson-4784086/

And learn more about Kodiak Hub’s SRM platform at: https://www.kodiakhub.com

(00:40) - Introducing Daniel

(01:49) - How did Daniel get into the space of Procurement?

(02:50) - What makes Daniel excited about Procurement?

(04:43) - Why is indirect procurement less mature than direct procurement?

(07:00) - Does Daniel think that Procurement teams separate direct and indirect too much?

(09:42) - What does a best-in-class Procurement team look like today?

(12:25) - What does it take to make the transition from an IC role to a leadership role in Procurement?

(15:05) - How does Daniel background play into his career?

(18:17) - How do you stay relevant and contribute to the day-to-day in a leadership role?

(22:30) - What are Daniel’s tips for staying close to the pulse?

(25:16) - Does Daniel have any tips for managing one-to-one meetings with Procurement team members?

(28:00) - What are some of the pillars of a successful transformation project in Procurement?

(29:35) - What are the barriers within organizations to adopting new technology?

(31:54) - When it comes to adopting ProcureTech, should Procurement teams go to market with their problem and co-create solutions with providers?

(37:15) - What’s something that Daniel wishes he knew at the beginning of his career?

(39:30) - Daniel answers our quick-fire round of questions

This episode, we’re joined by Jonathan O’Brien, CEO @ Positive Purchasing, who empowers practioners and teams to transform their procurement and negotiation capability through world-leading digital platforms, high-impact training, and coaching. In his career of Procurement coaching and though leadership, he has trained over 15k people in more than 350 organizations in 48 countries across the globe.

Jonathan joins Sam for a fantastic discussion about succeeding with strategic goals, AI adoption and success, sustainable Procurement & ESG regulations, how to facilitate strong training, the state of Category Management, and more!

Get in touch with Jonathan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathanobrien-at-positive-purchasing/

And learn more about Positive Purchasing: https://positivepurchasing.com/

Discover what Kodiak Hub’s end-to-end SRM system can do for your team: https://www.kodiakhub.com

(00:40) - Introducing Jonathan O’Brien

(01:29) - What does Sourcing & Procurement mean to Jonathan?

(02:59) - How can Procurement make the shift to succeeding with long-term strategic goals?

(04:17) - What did Jonathan name his business Positive Purchasing?

(06:32) - What changes has Jonathan seen in Procurement regarding Sustainability?

(08:23) - Will we see the same type of ESG regulations in the US?

(10:37) - What still gets Jonathan excited about Procurement?

(12:13) - How does Positive Purchasing help Procurement teams and how do they cut through the noise of the market?

(14:49) - How does one ensure that AI can be adopted and make a real impact in a Procurement team?

(18:00) - What role does training play in ProcureTech adoption and how does Jonathan facilitate strong training?

(23:51) - Where does Jonathan see Procurement teams lacking knowledge?

(25:44) - Is Category Management dead?

(29:10) - What are the secrets to good Category Management and what is the 5 I method?

(33:10) - Is good Category Management attainable for organizations who are bogged down with operational work?

(36:35) - How is Category Management going to evolve in the coming years?

(38:08) - How does Procurement go from data and information to knowledge?

(40:00) - Jonathan answers our round of quick-fire questions