67: Procurement is a Joke! – Lessons from a Comedy Writer About Why and How We Need to Be More Innovative

Innovation is the key to survival, but why are so many in the Procurement World so bad at it?  Seeing as Jonathan and Paul are so funny, they decided to speak to someone that isn’t in the Procurement World … but is a comedy writer who also helps businesses rethink what they do in order to turn themselves around.  He’s also the CEO and founder of Brilliant-Thinking.com and he’s Felix Riley!Brought to you by Positive Purchasing, Transformational Training for ProcurementProduced by Fresh Air Studios, Business Podcast Production around the UK

If a lot of companies are getting procurement tech wrong, why is that? What should they be doing? Where do they get this tech from? Who can help them implement it? Jonathan and Paul explore all these questions and more. To do this they need an expert! Who better than the former Global Director and Procurement Platform Tech Lead at AP Moller-Maersk, Adam Brown…!Brought to you by Positive Purchasing, Explore our range of training programs for procurement professionals.Produced by Fresh Air Studios, Business Media Production.

If you’re working in a growth sector, that comes with its own challenges, but what if you’re working in procurement in a growth sector? Does it mean you work differently? Does it mean that AI will have a greater effect on you? To answer all this and more, we have a guest making a rare second appearance on the Procurement Show! This time he’s Director of Procurement for At North. Although he is still Andreas Takacs.Brought to you by Positive Purchasing, Procurement Training Experts Produced by Fresh Air Studios, Video Podcast Production Nationwide

Western influence, Arctic security and the global implications of Donald Trump’s renewed interest in Greenland - and what it means for procurement, trade and supply chains.In this breaking-news special of The Procurement Show, Jonathan O’Brien and Paul explore why Donald Trump wants Greenland, the geopolitical and strategic importance of the Arctic, and what renewed US interest means for global power, NATO, international business and procurement teams.We unpack the history behind Trump’s Greenland proposal, the response from Denmark and Greenland, and why this issue extends far beyond politics into trade, supply chains, security and economic influence, areas that procurement leaders cannot afford to ignore.Brought to you by Positive PurchasingProduced by Fresh Air Studios - business podcast production.

With so many crises going on in the world and having a huge effect on businesses, the C Suite will be expecting great things from procurement.  But what, exactly…?  Gordon Donovan, VP Research for SAP in Melbourne works with Economist Impact, so he seems to be the perfect person to ask!Brought to you by Positive PurchasingTransform how your teams work with an integrated suite of digital procurement platforms and tools from Positive PurchasingProduced by Fresh Air Studios, Podcasting & ADR Studios in Plymouth

With businesses getting back on the trains, ‘planes and automobiles post-Covid, it’s important for everyone to get the best deal when it comes to sending employees to conferences and meetings.  To give us the best advice, we’ve got three experts on hand: Tim Fitzgerald in Spain, Scott Tempero in Manchester and Karen Thornton in the studio.  All of them are Travel Counsellors.  We find out what they can do for us, even whilst at home in their pyjamas.Brought to you by Positive PurchasingDiscover how Positive Purchasing can help you embed sustainability across your supply base with our Sustainable Procurement programProduced by Fresh Air Studios, Podcast Studios in Devon

If AI is on course to replace many functions in organisations, Jonathan and Paul ask the vital question of whether procurement can survive.  The perfect man to tackle this subject is a man who sits on many boards, founded OneSupplyPlanet and describes himself as a man who challenges companies and their people to be better versions of themselves: Guy Strafford.Brought to you by Positive PurchasingUnlock greater value and innovation from your suppliers with the proven Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) approach by Positive PurchasingProduced by Fresh Air Studios, Business Podcast Producers

In this episode Jonathan and Paul are being asked to change their mindsets. Not easy. But the man who is bravely trying his best is Jeff Bever, VP Sourcing and Procurement for Russel Stover. His big idea is to think of procurement and supply chain as part of one big, connected ecosystem, rather than a function. Let’s see if we can all unlock new, big benefits!Brought to you by Positive PurchasingDiscover Jonathan O’Brien’s award-winning books on procurement and negotiationProduced by Fresh Air Studios, ADR and Podcast Studios in the South West

Cast your minds back a couple of years and you’ll no doubt remember the podcast with Chris Holmes on the circular economy. We’ve been gathering up all the feedback and we can now answer all your questions and more as we speak with Joe Murphy, Executive Lead for Business Network with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. This was set up by Dame Ellen to accelerate transition to the circular economy. So, let’s find out what Chris and his team is doing and who they’re working with in order to drive its implementation.Brought to you by Positive Purchasing.See how Positive Purchasing can help you unlock breakthrough results with Category ManagementProduced by Fresh Air Studios, ADR and Video Studios for Devon & Cornwall.

It’s time to do a bit of talent spotting on the Procurement Show. Or to be more precise: talent management spotting. Is it time to have a rethink about procurement talent? And in particular, planning for the future talent we need? If so, how do we get there? Well, to answer all these questions and more, we have the talent. Not Jonathan or Paul, we mean Manager at Kearney, Priya Kumari. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this episode are personal to Priya and do not represent the views of Kearney. Brought to you by Positive Purchasing Transform how your teams plan and lead negotiations with the proven Red Sheet® negotiation planning approach from Positive Purchasing Produced by Fresh Air Studios, Podcast and ADR Studios for the South West