Episode 204 – Sean Park, Splunk

In a period of persistent global uncertainty and volatile supply markets, supplier management has become a cornerstone of procurement success and a top priority for CPOs. In Episode 402 of the Procurement Rising Podcast, Andrew Bartolini, Founder and Chief Research Officer at Ardent Partners, shares findings from his latest survey of CPOs and procurement executives, revealing how the strategies, priorities, and technologies that shape supplier management programs can directly influence bottom-line savings and overall procurement performance. Joining Andrew are Sami Mrad, Regional Procurement Manager at Sonae Arauco, and Ken Miklos, Senior Director of Product Marketing at SAP. Together, they explore practical strategies for closing supplier risk visibility gaps, standardizing global operations, and leveraging AI to build more intelligent, effective supplier management programs that support broader enterprise goals.

Artificial intelligence has moved rapidly onto the procurement agenda, but the market remains in the early stages of turning AI investment and experimentation into sustained business impact. In Episode 401 of the Procurement Rising Podcast, Andrew Bartolini, Founder and Chief Research Officer at Ardent Partners, discusses key findings from Ardent's annual State of Procurement research and examines where procurement AI stands in 2026. Drawing on new research from 300+ procurement leaders, Andrew explores how organizations are adopting AI, where teams are seeing the greatest impact, and the priorities and challenges shaping the next phase of the market. Joining Andrew is Jim Johnson of Zycus for a discussion of what these findings mean for CPOs and their teams, the expanding role of AI across Source-to-Pay, and what procurement organizations should be doing now to prepare for what comes next.

Today on Procurement Rising, part of the Ardent Partners podcast network, I interviewed Michael Hillman, renowned CPO, and someone with a lifetime of experience. We're going to dive into his legendary career and focus on the highlights and key learnings that have brought him to where he is today.

On today's episode, we highlight an engaging CPO panel discussion that I lead from our "CPO Spectacular" event from last November. The panel includes three Best-in-Class CPOs who discussed their experiences and insights from a hectic 2021, and then shared their plans for 2022. We hope you enjoy!

We begin Season 3 of the Procurement Rising podcast with Jean-Michel Dos Remedios, the Sourcing & Supplier Development Senior Director at Bel Brands USA. Jean-Michel was also the winner of "The Innovation Award" at Ardent's CPO Honors 2021 awards. We talk about that, plus some of the new and innovative strategies and approaches he and his team are using to overcome significant hurdles.

Today, on Procurement Rising, part of the Ardent Partners Podcast Network, we interview Brian Roche, the Chief Procurement Officer at Westfield Insurance. Brian is a leading CPO and has a great and long track record in the financial services industry. 

Today, on Procurement Rising, part of the Ardent Partners Podcast Network, I interviewed Sean Park, CPO at Splunk, a popular B2B company that everybody seems to be using. Sean was also recently a panelist at Ardent's November CPO Rising Virtual Event, and he's graciously returned to cover some new ground with me today.

Today, on Procurement Rising, part of the Ardent Partners Podcast Network, I interviewed Tom Cassidy. He's the CPO at Bayada, a company that is front and center in the battle against COVID. Tom is also a regular at our annual CPR Rising Summit held each Fall, which of course will not be held in person this year. 

Today on Procurement Rising Podcast Series we welcome Thomas Udesen, the Chief Procurement Officer at Bayer. In our discussion, we talk about Thomas' career, how he ended up working at Bayer.

We kick off Season 2 of the Procurement Rising Podcast Series with globally renowned CPO, Bill Cooper. Bill retired earlier this summer after an illustrious career in procurement where he was most recently the Associate Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer for the entire University of California system. In our discussion Bill reflects back on his decades long career in procurement. We also talk about how the role of CPO has changed over the years and what it takes to succeed in the job today.