The Future of Procurement

SAP Delivery VP Sumeet Kulshrestha shares valuable lessons on what derails procurement implementations and how to course-correct before, during, and after go-live.

Guest: Sumeet Kulshrestha – Delivery Vice President, SAP Customer Services & Delivery

Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Jon Williams – Director, Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Why do so many procurement implementations fail to deliver on their promised value? Is change management just a matter of issuing a policy and expecting compliance? What happens when procurement moves forward without considering the impact on finance, AP, and HR? And if your go-live is behind you but results still haven't followed, is it too late to course-correct?

Our guest today, Sumeet Kulshrestha, found his way into the procurement world through Ariba's acquisition of Softface and has spent over twenty years sitting across the table from customers in crisis, building the frameworks that get organizations back on track. As Delivery VP for SAP Customer Services and Delivery, he leads the teams called in precisely when something feels off.

Sumeet is direct that the most expensive thing a customer can do is buy a solution and not use it. Before a single workshop is scheduled, he urges organizations to recognize that procurement touches far more of the business than most expect, including finance, AP, and HR. Customers who overlook those connections often find something broken the moment they go live. His prescription is to bring all affected stakeholders in early and establish a governance structure with a committee that has real authority and the mandate to make decisions and keep things moving.

Sumeet advocates for fit-to-standard processes as the default, noting that most procurement activity does not represent true competitive differentiation. Even where configuration makes sense, customization done for the right reasons can drive broader innovation: one of Ariba's most widely adopted features, invoicing against a contract, started as a customer customization that product engineers later standardized. The key is distinguishing configurations that solve a real strategic problem from those that simply digitize an old process. For organizations nervous about adoption, a phased rollout can help. Start with receptive users, build proof points, then bring along the holdouts.

Perhaps Sumeet's most counterintuitive insight is that ninety-five percent or more of the problems he sees occur after go-live, not before. Go-live is not the destination; it is where the real work begins. For organizations not getting expected value, his advice is simple: contact your account executive or CSM, request a health check, and work through SAP's three-step process of assess, stabilize, and optimize. Sumeet acknowledges that AI inevitable, but it’s not a replacement for people. The three-legged stool of people, process, and technology will not lose a leg; it will gain a fourth, preserving the human judgment that makes procurement matter.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast.

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Global VP of Research at SAP, Gordon Donovan sits down with procurement leaders from Nestlé, Kraft Heinz, and Heineken at the recent World Procurement Congress.

Guest: Jacob Busk Nielsen – Chief Procurement Officer, Nestlé

Guest: Janelle Aydin – Chief Procurement and Sustainability Officer, Kraft Heinz

Guest: Hervé Le Faou – Chief Procurement Officer, Heineken

Special Host: Gordon Donovan – Global VP of Research, SAP – Procurement

Are you curious what making chocolate, ketchup and ice-cold beer have in common?

Well from an ingredient and production standpoint, probably not a whole lot…

However, when it comes to building a resilient and strategic procurement function, there is actually quite a bit of similarity.

In this special episode, Gordon Donovan sat down one-one with procurement leaders Jacob Busk Nielsen at Nestlé, Janelle Aydin from Kraft Heinz, and Hervé Le Faou of Heineken to learn how each of these companies approach the procurement office as a strategic function and how they are preparing for the next major transformative disruptor, Agentic AI.

Despite the diverse product portfolios, geographies and corporate cultures among these major companies in the Consumer Products industry, one common thread all three leaders share is curiosity as a core procurement skill. This curiosity mindset helps these companies adapt to supply volatility and embrace emerging trends faster than their competition and keeps their businesses at the forefront of procurement innovation. These leaders have figured out how to turn disruption into a competitive advantage as opposed to a handicap.

With AI offering the promise of immense potential but also the threat of extreme disruption, Jacob, Janelle and Hervé are tapping into their curiosity to make the right investments. They are leaning into their procurement teams to ask the hard questions, build resilient processes that capitalize on the strength of AI, and define their procurement strategy of the future that will keep them at the top of their industries for years to come.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast.

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SAP Value and Solutions Advisor, Mitch Myers guides us through his process for matching business value with process improvement to defend the case for procurement transformation.

Guest: Mitch Myers – Director, Solution and Value Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend

What does a successful procurement transformation really look like? Is it just a matter of implementing the right technology and waiting for the savings to roll in? Is the loudest voice in the room always pointing you in the right direction? And when the implementation wraps up, are you really done?

Our guest today, Mitch Myers, brings a rare combination of perspectives to the table. With over 25 years working with SAP and SAP Ariba solutions — spanning roles as a technology consultant, a management consultant at McKinsey, and Global Process Owner at Takeda Pharmaceuticals where he oversaw approximately $16 billion in annual transactions across SAP solutions — Mitch has seen procurement transformation from every angle. Now at SAP as a Director of Solution and Value Advisory, he shares the hard-won lessons he's carried from industry into advisory.

Mitch challenges the common assumption that process improvement alone is enough to deliver transformation results. Instead, he advocates for evaluating every process change through the lens of business value and applying the 80/20 principle to focus on the improvements that actually move the needle. He cautions against the perfectionism trap where chasing every complaint or polishing every process to 100% means neglecting the next high-value opportunity. Better to time-box your priorities, lay out a clear roadmap, and accept that transformation is a continuous journey of iteration, not a project with a finish line.

On building the business case, Mitch describes an outside-in to inside-out approach — walking customers through how the numbers are derived so they can refine the model until they own it. He also reinforces that successful transformation requires all three P's to be aligned: People, Process, and Platforms. Miss any one of them and the effort will stall, regardless of how capable the technology is. Sustained value comes from ongoing maturation, adoption, and what he simply calls keeping the plant watered.

Finally, Mitch offers a compelling framework for where procurement is headed. Procurement has historically played the role of gatekeeper — the function that controls, constrains, and approves. The best organizations have elevated it to business partner, collaborating proactively with finance, R&D, and other functions. But the ultimate destination — made possible as AI absorbs more transactional and lower-level activities — is procurement as a true advisory function. One where stakeholders seek out procurement by choice, not obligation, because they know it will bring strategic value they can't get anywhere else.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast.

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Global VP of Research at SAP, Gordon Donovan sits down with procurement leaders from NHS Supply Chain, Pfizer, and Moderna at the recent World Procurement Congress.

Guest: Richard Evans – Executive Commercial Director of Supply Chain, NHS Supply Chain

Guest: Sirsij Peshin – CPO & Global Source-to-Pay Lean, Pfizer

Guest: Alan Rankin – Chief Procurement Officer, Moderna

Special Host: Gordon Donovan – Global VP of Research, SAP – Procurement

Ever wonder what the procurement leaders at some of the largest, most complex and influential companies in the health and life sciences industry are thinking about?

What keeps them up at night? How do they respond to disruption? What are their top priorities and challenges today and where do they see procurement headed tomorrow?

In this special episode, Gordon Donovan sat down one-one with procurement leaders Richard Evans at NHS Supply Chain in the United Kingdom, Sirsij Peshin of Pfizer, and Alan Rankin from Moderna to get valuable insights into how each of these companies currently approach procurement and supply chain and how they are preparing for the future.

Despite drastic differences in the size and make-up of these companies, all three leaders shared similar viewpoints in putting the patient above cost savings. They also all shared the unique and innovative ways they each have overcome disruption and adversity to come out more resilient and how they’ve leaned into new technologies and processes to build resilience into the fabric of their procurement and supply chain operations.

As AI becomes more prevalent, these leaders are actively asking the tough questions to reimagine the procurement function of the future. They understand the importance of Data, the enduring relevance of the human connection, and the hidden value of the risks that can be avoided with improved visibility and process resilience. Ultimately, it comes down to trust.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast.

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Solution Manager for SAP NS2, Jeff Korol demystifies the processes and protocols of regulated industries and explains how security and compliance is critical to the future of procurement.

Guest: Jeff Korol – Solution Manager, SAP NS2 (National Security Services)

Host: Ryan Sammel – Director, Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend – Regulated Industries

Host: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the term “Regulated Industry”?

Do you first think about government? The military? Classified information? Top-level security clearance and background checks? Bureaucratic processes, rigorous data collection, and overly redundant compliance protocols?

Our guest today, Jeff Korol, is part of a specialized and independent U.S. subsidiary of SAP called SAP NationalSecurity Services (aka SAP NS2). In this role, Jeff works across all customers and industries that require an extra layer of regulatory security and compliance standards to ensure all classified and confidential data is handled properly, and all Users that may had direct or indirect access are properly vetted, screened and validated to mitigate security risks in an environment where the stakes are high and the data is sensitive.

Besides educating us on avariety of acronyms unique to the industry and explaining their importance in adhering to a set of compliance standards by which data, people and processes are categorized by, Jeff also enlightened us to the reality that many private sector companies that support regulated industries as a vendor must also adhere to these same regulatory standards to secure business in these industries.

Further, as AI and other emerging technologies become more prevalent, Jeff predicts that more companies in the private sector will start to explore and adopt the rigorous securitystandards already in place in the regulatory environment. Similar to how NASA has pioneered many innovations that now exist in the market as commonplace, he sees the securityprotocols developed and delivered by SAP NS2 as becoming the standard by which companies stay ahead of the emerging cybersecurity threats and risks that can plague corporate security and their reputation.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast.

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VP of Information Security, Sebastian Haupt explains the role IT and Information Security plays in the future of enterprise AI and how trust matters more than speed in driving meaningful value.

Guest: Seb Haupt – Vice President, Information Security & IT Operations, Pager Health

Host: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend

What is your company’s current approach to AI? Is it move fast and break things? Is it slow and steady wins the race? Or is it to avoid at all costs?

My guess is that depending on your role, you might have very different perspectives on what the best approach should be.

Our guest today, Seb Haupt, helps us navigate the challenges companies are facing in the fast-paced and ever-changing landscape of AI tools, models and capabilities. As the VP of Information Security, he has a unique perspective on the role of trust and governance in the AI race. He explains the importance of regulated data access and security, well-defined business processes, and maintaining deep understanding of how the AI tools and models work as a foundation to realizing success.

Surprisingly, Seb isn’t suggesting InfoSec or IT act as the gatekeeper or be a barrier to AI adoption but instead advocating for an open conversation with the business around goals, outcomes and a path to adoption. He believes that the role of IT and Information Security teams should be in figuring out how to get to “Yes” when it comes to implementing and adopting AI solutions, while also maintaining data integrity, access controls and system security.

In this way, Seb sees himself and others in the IT/InfoSec space as enablers of AI technologies in the organization, ensuring that that the proper guardrails are in place to protect the company, while allowing the end Users enough control and flexibility to drive valuable outcomes. He also notes that the AI race is a marathon, not a sprint, and this level of trust will be crucial in determining which companies find success in their AI journey.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast.

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Professor of Business Analytics, Anil Kumar provides insights on how AI is being used in the classroom to shift how students are shaping the future of how work is done in the AI era.

Guest: Anil Kumar – Professor of Business Analytics, Texas A&M University College of Business

Host: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend

What is your comfort level with AI? How deep have you gone down the AI rabbit hole of using the models, tools, and applications to create things to optimize your life?

Are you an AI Native or are you an AI Immigrant?

Our guest today, Anil Kumar, helps us understand the impact that AI is having on one of the most important areas of society…the classroom. A professor of Business Analytics at Texas A&M University, Anil explains that today’s students are among the first generations that have grown up with AI as part of their everyday lives and are well-positioned to use that to reshape how people and AI co-exist in the workplace of the future.

One of the biggest surprises is that Anil does not shy away from students using AI in the classroom. In fact, he encourages it. His belief is that these are the tools and skills that will drive businesses going forward and that the ability to build things though “vibe coding” or other methodologies will be critical to helping solve some of the biggest challenges organizations face today.

As an added bonus, students and young people are often curious about the world and offer a fresh perspective on how to solve problems. As the future of work evolves to adapt to this new AI-first mindset, fresh perspectives are exactly what will drive success and deliver AI with purpose. Anil suggests a collaboration between active students and business leaders could revolutionize how students prepare for the workforce while also providing these businesses with these fresh ideas for how to utilize AI in new ways.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast.

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Fellow SAP Solution Advisor, Jay Brand shares his unfiltered thoughts on the driving factors of procurement transformations and how AI should factor into the procurement strategy.

Guest: Jay Brand – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend

Is the technology the ultimate driver of change in a procurement transformation? Can software magically fix poor processes, bad data, or unclear goals and KPIs? Does the transformation end when the new software goes live? Will AI be the solution for all these challenges?

Our guest today, Jay Brand, has been on both sides of the aisle having gone through procurement transformation during his time at 3M in addition to helping customers navigate transformations today at SAP. Drawing on his experiences, Jay answers these questions and more, with his signature style and directness that his customers and colleagues love.

Jay stresses the importance of a solid plan, strong leadership vision, and measurable KPIs in guiding the direction and success of any transformation program. He cautions against some of the typical roadblocks like analysis paralysis and designing to perfection and instead offers the mantra of “move fast and break things” as a way to fail fast and move on – figure out what works and adjust what doesn’t.

Additionally, Jay uses a vivid analogy to explain that true transformation doesn’t end when the go-live party happens. Implementing the new software is just one step in a constant cycle of analysis, reflection, adjustment and adoption that continuously evolves as circumstances change in the organization.

Finally, Jay discusses the role AI will play in all this and offers up a somewhat bold prediction that although AI will make things faster and more efficient, the role of the procurement professional and the processes of procurement will remain largely the same.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast.

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Guest: Stuart Van Houten – Chief Commercial Officer, Blackline

Guest: Riyaz Samnani – SVP of Presales & Value Engineering, Blackline

Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend

Have you ever noticed that the functions of procurement and finance are often siloed and disjointed at companies?  That often their goals and initiatives are not always in sync with each other, and that time-consuming, manual processes are required to reconcile spend and finance data at the end of the month, quarter, or year?  As procurement and finance are evolving to become more strategic, how can technology help break down these silos?

Our guests today are Stuart Van Houten, Chief Commercial Officer of Blackline, and Riyaz Samnani, SVP of Presales & Value Engineering at Blackline. 

Stuart is passionate about driving sustainable growth and long-term success and brings over 30 years of experience leading high-growth technology organizations, most recently having led North American sales and business development initiatives at SAP.  Riyaz, brings his enthusiasm for building best run solution demonstrations and value-based business cases to his customers with over a decade leading procurement and finance teams at SAP, Coupa and Basware prior to joining Blackline.

An SAP Partner and a leading AI-enabled financial operations engine, Blackline helps customers accelerate their record-to-report and invoice-to-cash activities which eliminates delays, strengthens controls, and delivers trusted data throughout the organization.  Stuart and Riyaz bring their procurement acumen to their new roles at Blackline to uncover how smart businesses are joining their financial operations and data with procurement data and initiatives to drive the next generation of technological transformation…with AI and data and the center.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Justin Morse, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast.

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Guest: Baptiste Collot – CEO and co-Founder, Trustpair

Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend

Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Center of Excellence, SAP North America, Finance & Spend

If you’ve ever fallen victim to payment fraud in your personal life life, you know that it can be expensive, time-consuming and leaves you feeling very vulnerable. Unfortunately, fraud is not simply limited to the consumer. It also impacts thousands of companies each year to the tune of millions of dollars in losses. So, what can be done to protect your business and prevent fraudulent activity?

Our guest today is Baptiste Collot, CEO and co-Founder of Trustpair, a best-in-class fraud prevention platform. Baptiste began his career working in the treasury department of a multinational company, when he had an epiphany about why they were losing money on vendor payments. All signs pointed to the data journey from vendor onboarding across the entire procure-to-pay chain and through various systems in finance, AP and procurement.

Enter Trustpair, a platform that uses technology to help companies better trust their data by securing the entire procure-to-pay process. Baptiste explains the evolution of fraud in the vendor payment space, why it is such a growing concern, and how solutions from companies like Trustpair and SAP can help prevent fraud at the ultimate source…the data.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast.

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Guest: Gordon Donovan – Global VP of Research, SAP – Procurement & External Workforce

Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Center of Excellence, SAP North America, Finance & Spend

Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Center of Excellence, SAP North America, Finance & Spend

Once thought of as simply a cost management function, procurement today is tasked with juggling a plethora of competing priorities…quality, sustainability, diversity, security, compliance, and AI just to name a few.  So how does a CPO determine which of the latest procurement trends deserve the most attention?

Or guest today is Gordon Donovan, the Global VP of Research for Procurement and External Workforce at SAP. In this role, Gordon tracks the latest trends happening in procurement and carries out extensive research on these trends to form insights that allows SAP to plan their strategy accordingly.

A 30-year veteran to the procurement function, Gordon has let procurement teams in health, rail, finance and the public sector in the UK as well as in Asia.  A recognized thought leader, speaker and writer in procurement, Gordon brings extensive experience leading transformations and establishing functions to deliver enterprise-wide value and ensure world class procurement outcomes.  

Gordon digs into the latest research from Art of Procurement and Economist Impact studies to give us his insights on the top 4 procurement priorities and explains why technology plays such a crucial role in helping procurement professionals cope with the increasing complexities companies are required to manage.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast. 

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Guest: Japen Hollist – Head of Sustainability go-to-market, SAP North America

Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Center of Excellence, SAP North America, Finance & Spend

***This is the second part of a two-part conversation***

ESG and Sustainability are topics at the forefront of business these days with C-suite executives setting guidance and maneuvering organizations to comply with ever-changing global regulations while also meeting the expectations of their customers and shareholders.

Or guest today is Japen Hollist, the Head of Sustainability go-to-market for North America at SAP, where he and his team is tasked with supporting and enabling the field to help customers understand and utilize SAP’s portfolio of sustainability solutions. A graduate from the Harvard University Extension School, Japen received his master’s degree in Sustainability.

Prior to SAP, Japen served as a Procurement Officer at a Fortune 500 insurance company where he also served on their CSR Committee and helped guide the company to a ranking on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and an ISO 14001 certification.  

Japen shares a number of compelling anecdotes of his experiences in procurement and sustainability and offers his perspective on the trends he’s seeing in corporate procurement today and how an adherence to ESG and sustainability principles can lead to significant competitive advantages.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast. 

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Guest: Japen Hollist – Head of Sustainability go-to-market, SAP North America

Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Center of Excellence, SAP North America, Finance & Spend

***This is the first part of a two-part conversation***

ESG and Sustainability are topics at the forefront of business these days with C-suite executives setting guidance and maneuvering organizations to comply with ever-changing global regulations while also meeting the expectations of their customers and shareholders.

Or guest today is Japen Hollist, the Head of Sustainability go-to-market for North America at SAP, where he and his team is tasked with supporting and enabling the field to help customers understand and utilize SAP’s portfolio of sustainability solutions. A graduate from the Harvard University Extension School, Japen received his master’s degree in Sustainability.

Prior to SAP, Japen served as a Procurement Officer at a Fortune 500 insurance company where he also served on their CSR Committee and helped guide the company to a ranking on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and an ISO 14001 certification.  

Japen shares a number of compelling anecdotes of his experiences in procurement and sustainability and offers his perspective on the trends he’s seeing in corporate procurement today and how an adherence to ESG and sustainability principles can lead to significant competitive advantages.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast. 

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Co-Host: Amanda Slevar – Director, Center of Excellence, SAP North America, Finance & Spend Management

Co-Host: Lindsey Freedman – Director, Center of Excellence, SAP North America, Finance & Spend Management

Special Guest: Maritza Morris – VP, Business Development – Monument Consulting

In this episode of Flex and The City, hosts Amanda and Lindsey welcome Maritza Morris, VP of Business Development at Monument Consulting. Maritza shares her journey into the flexible workforce industry, from landing her first job with Insight Global to finding her dream role at Monument. She dives into what makes Monument Consulting a leader in contingent workforce solutions, MSP services, and advisory support, helping companies navigate the complexities of external talent management and services procurement.

The conversation covers key industry insights, including what an MSP is, when to engage advisory services, and how Monument supports total talent management through SAP Fieldglass and SuccessFactors. 

Tune in for an insightful discussion on the evolving workforce landscape and how companies can better manage contingent labor programs!

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. We are your co-hosts Amanda Slevar and Lindsey Freedman you’re listening to The Flex and the City segment on The Future of Procurement Podcast. 

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandarottphr/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maritza-morris-mc/

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Guest: EJ Kosec – General Manager, Convergent Labs

Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Center of Excellence, SAP North America, Finance & Spend

In a world where disparate technology landscapes and high employee turnover is commonplace, how are people supposed to know where to go and which processes to follow to request goods and services required for them to do their jobs?  Further, how can these same users get crucial visibility into the status of these requests so they can plan accordingly?

Our guest today is EJ Kosec, General Manager at Convergent Labs.  EJ has a passion for procurement and innovation, having spent over a decade at SAP with a focus on procurement and business network solutions.  While at SAP, EJ co-founded a remanufacturing platform called Encore to increase the exposure of the circular economy market.  Encore was funded and incubated within SAP.io before graduating to the SAP Business Network in only 7 months!

Today, EJ applies his procurement innovations to helping companies overcome the hurdles of intake and orchestration in those disparate technology landscapes.  Using emerging new technologies and AI capabilities, EJ explains how companies are better able to guide users to request the goods and services they need while providing feedback and visibility into the status of their requests while simultaneously orchestrating complex procurement processes in the background that may touch many different systems.  

Add in a touch of AI agents to drive automation and you’ve got a recipe for what the future of procurement can look like.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast. 

Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-kosec/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/

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Co-Host: Amanda Slevar – Director, Center of Excellence, SAP North America, Intelligent Spend & Business Network

Co-Host: Lindsey Freedman – Director, Center of Excellence, SAP North America, Intelligent Spend & Business Network

Special Guest: Penny Queller – CEO, The Mom Project

In Episode 5 of Flex and the City, Lindsey and Amanda spotlight the critical role moms play in the workforce with special guest Penny Queller, CEO from The Mom Project. They dive into the organization’s mission to empower working parents, its innovative approach to connecting talent with opportunities, and the evolving vision behind its success. Penny shares insights on addressing challenges faced by working parents, promoting diversity in hiring, and leveraging technology to create impactful career paths. Tune in to learn how The Mom Project is reshaping the future of work for moms and organizations alike.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. We are your co-hosts Amanda Slevar and Lindsey Freedman you’re listening to The Flex and the City segment on The Future of Procurement Podcast. 

Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandarottphr/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseykfreedman/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pennyqueller/

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Guest: Justin Morse – Vice President, Center of Excellence, SAP North America, Intelligent Spend & Business Network

Guest: Andy Eagle – Director, Center of Excellence, SAP North America, Intelligent Spend & Business Network

Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Center of Excellence, SAP North America, Intelligent Spend & Business Network

Spend Connect Live is SAPs flagship annual conference dedicated to all things Intelligent Spend Management and Business Network and this year’s event in Las Vegas, Nevada included 3 full days of innovation announcements, demonstrations, exhibitions, roundtables, customer stories and of course…lots of networking.

If you couldn’t make it this year and are wondering what all the excitement was about from this year’s event…or if you were there but just couldn’t find the time to catch all the sessions you hoped for, you’re in luck.  I sat down with two of my esteemed colleagues, Justin Morse and Andy Eagle from the North America Center of Excellence, to discuss the highlights from this year’s Spend Connect Live event and dig into the most important themes and announcements.

What is Intake Management and why is it generating buzz throughout the procurement community?  What was announced about the all-new Spend Control Tower and how does it fit into SAP’s “Triple Crown” of strategic procurement?  And did AI, Generative AI and SAP’s new Joule co-pilot steal the show?  We hit on all these questions and more!!

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast.

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Follow SAP Ariba: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/  

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Co-Host: Amanda Slevar – Director, Center of Excellence, SAP North America, Intelligent Spend & Business Network

Co-Host: Lindsey Freedman – Director, Center of Excellence, SAP North America, Intelligent Spend & Business Network

Special Guest: Sarah Karstens, HR Business Partner – Talent Acquisition, Hallmark Cards

In this special live episode of Flex and the City, Amanda and Lindsey connect with Hallmark’s Sarah Karstens at the CWS Summit in Dallas to dive into the latest in contingent workforce strategies. Sarah shares her journey into the flexible workforce space, explaining how Hallmark’s external workforce program has evolved, including the value of direct sourcing and their recent transition from a Managed Service Provider (MSP) model to an in-house program. They discuss top trends from the conference, including insights from events like the SAP Fieldglass Speakeasy. The episode also dives into Sarah’s career background and discusses Hallmark’s iconic brand and company culture.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. We are your co-hosts Amanda Slevar and Lindsey Freedman you’re listening to The Flex and the City segment on The Future of Procurement Podcast. 

Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/

Follow SAP Ariba: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/

Follow SAP Fieldglass: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sapfieldglass/

Follow Amanda: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandarottphr/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseykfreedman/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-karstens-griffith/

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Guest: Sammy Lakshmanan – Principal, ESG, PwC

Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Center of Excellence, SAP North America, Intelligent Spend & Business Network

New ESG regulations seem to be popping up every day – locally, nationally and even globally.  How are businesses supposed to keep up while still delivering value to their customers?  How does this impact the procurement and supply chain processes within an organization as well as collaborations with their suppliers, customers, logistics carriers, and others?

Our guest today is Sammy Lakshmanan, Principal for ESG at PwC.  Sammy has spent over 20 years helping companies shape and implement their Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) and sustainability strategy.  He’s also co-chair of the Open Footprint Forum to support companies to share their Greenhouse Gas and sustainability data.

Sammy shares many valuable insights on what some of the latest ESG regulations mean for procurement and supply chain as well as strategies for how technology can help provide the necessary traceability required to be compliant and transparent about where goods are sourced, produced, manufactured, and shipped to and from.  Sammy also explains how companies that embrace this change can also drive significant value through optimizing their supply chain, providing product genealogy transparency to their customers, and enhancing their overall brand reputation in the market.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast. 

Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/

Follow SAP Ariba: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/

Follow Sammy: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammy-lakshmanan-2308b322/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/

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