From Aerospace to Financial Services: The Career Journey of Adrian Dragomir

In this podcast episode, host Dawn Tiura interviews Future of Sourcing winner, Adrian Dragomir.  Adrian is a seasoned procurement professional with a diverse career spanning aerospace, retail, and financial services. Adrian shares his journey into procurement, the importance of leadership and team building, and his experiences transitioning between industries. He discusses the challenges and excitement of adapting to new environments, navigating regulations, and the role of AI in procurement. The conversation also highlights insights from the recent SIG Summit in India as well as his Future of Sourcing win at the past Global Executive Summit.  

Every procurement organization wants to add more strategic value to the enterprise—but not every organization needs a full-scale transformation to do so. Listen in as Jake Taylor, Managing Director for ProcureAbility, discusses how leaders can take a choose-your-own-adventure approach to strategic procurement, starting with an unbiased assessment of what's actually broken. From stakeholder misalignment and fragmented processes to outdated systems and unclear success metrics, progress starts with big-picture clarity. Jake explores how to assess whether your organization is ready for a bold transformation—or whether targeted tuning will deliver faster, more sustainable impact while building the business case and executive momentum for a broader future scope. His discussion with Dawn Tiura, CEO & President of SIG will include insights on: Diagnosing the Real Problem: How to move beyond generic improvement goals and clearly identify root causes—across stakeholders, processes, data, capabilities, and technology. Transform vs. Tune Decisions: When a holistic procurement transformation makes sense—and when focused, high-impact tuning is the smarter path. What Makes Transformation Possible: Why a clear business case and executive mandate are non-negotiable for large-scale change, and what to do when they don't exist.

In this podcast episode, Dawn Tiura interviews Stan Garber, co-founder and president of Levelpath, discussing the transformative impact of AI on procurement processes. They explore the differences between AI-native solutions and traditional tools, the barriers to AI adoption, and the potential for AI to enhance team collaboration and efficiency. Stan shares insights from his entrepreneurial journey and emphasizes the importance of integrating AI into workflows to achieve significant improvements in productivity.

In this podcast episode, Nari Viswanathan, Senior Director of Supply Chain Strategy at Coupa Software, discusses the evolving landscape of supply chain management, particularly in the context of direct materials and procurement. He emphasizes the need for collaboration between CFOs and CPOs to address the challenges posed by global volatility, risks, and costs. The conversation explores the importance of understanding financial metrics, the role of AI in transforming procurement workflows, and the necessity of creating unified dashboards for better visibility into financial outcomes. Nari also highlights the importance of regularly reviewing supply chain costs and the limitations of traditional ERP systems in managing supply chain complexities.

In this conversation, Dawn Tiura speaks with David Wild and Mike Simms, founders of Sivuno - winning company of the SIG Startup Pitch session. They explore how Sivuno is tackling one of procurement's biggest challenges: bad data. David and Mike share how their AI-powered platform rapidly cleanses, structures, and normalizes procurement data, enabling teams to access clearer insights with far less manual effort. The discussion covers the real impact of poor data quality, showcases success stories from early adopters, and highlights how accurate, actionable data can transform procurement decision-making.

In this podcast episode, Lauren Sabat, a senior manager of procurement at REI and winner of the Future of Sourcing Rising Star award, shares her journey into the procurement field, her experiences balancing work and family, and the importance of authenticity and emotional intelligence in her career. She discusses her passion for process improvement and the supportive work environment at REI, highlighting the significance of community and diversity in the workplace.

In this conversation, Dawn Tiura and Anders Lillevik, CEO of Focal Point, discuss the evolution of procurement technology, focusing on the transition to AI-powered procurement management. They explore the significance of an AI procurement operating system, its impact on efficiency, and how it can enhance supplier relationships and quarterly business reviews. The discussion highlights the importance of strategic thinking in procurement and the potential ROI from adopting advanced technologies. Here more from Anders Lillevik at the Global Executive Summit in Scottsdale AZ, where he will be presenting, "Chaos to Clarity: Orchestrating Procurement for Strategic Impact."

In this conversation, Dawn Tiura interviews John Winsett, the CEO of NPI, about his upcoming panel discussion at the SIG Summit. They discuss the importance of IT procurement, the challenges faced by CPOs in managing technology stacks, and the diverse expertise of the panelists joining him. The conversation highlights key topics that will be addressed during the session, including vendor management and cost optimization strategies.

In any IT negotiation, what you say (and what you don't) can dramatically shape the outcome. In this episode, NPI CEO Jon Winsett shares how to plan and execute vendor communications that strengthen your negotiation strategy. He covers what information vendors are trying to uncover and how to protect it, how to create productive uncertainty without damaging relationships, and best practices for message ownership, timing, and internal alignment. You'll learn how to balance transparency with control while positioning your organization as a unified, prepared buying team.

In this podcast episode, Dawn Tiura interviews Candiss Kumar, an associate director of strategic sourcing for Wolters Kluwer. Candiss gives a sneak peek into her upcoming Summit session, Building Trust Through Data: The Strategic Sourcing Leader's Guide to Credibility and Compelling Narratives. Candiss shares her insights on the importance of understanding one's business, the role of storytelling in data presentation, and the necessity of curiosity and problem-solving in procurement. The conversation emphasizes the need for sourcing professionals to engage with stakeholders effectively and to present data in a compelling way that drives innovation and decision-making.