The Future of Procurement

SAP Solution Advisor, Andy Moe reflects on his past experiences in Category Management to share the secrets of great category managers and why having a category strategy is crucial in today’s turbulent economy.Guest: Andy Moe – Director, Solution Advisory, SAP Spend ManagementHost: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Spend ManagementHost: Erik Derenne – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Spend ManagementHost: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Spend Management=====Procurement at large corporations with massive amounts of spend across a variety of categories is not easy.  Especially in these highly unpredictable socio-economic times where disruption seems to be the rule rather than the exception. What was once simply a function of finding the best prices, procurement is now tasked with balancing price, quality, availability, and delivery times while mitigating risk, maintaining good supplier relationships, favorable payment terms, sustainability regulations, and much more. So how does procurement take on this herculean task? Enter the category manager… Our guest today is Midwest Director of Solution Advisory at SAP Ariba, Andy Moe.  Andy draws on his background in Category Management at a large manufacturing company to explain why having a strategy for category spend is vital to handing market uncertainty and maintaining stability in the supply chain.  Andy uses the concept of a physical binder, a relic from his past life, as a prop to explain all the critical facets of a good category manager – how to use data to create an action plan to maximize the effectiveness of each category of spend and ultimately defend these decisions to key stakeholders in the organization. As technology evolves and the job of a category manager becomes increasingly more complex, these activities have moved away from the analog, physical binder and toward digital solutions that combine data and insights with strategic procurement tools.  This allows the best category managers to respond to disruption in real-time and in the best possible way for their company. 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. =====SAP Procurement Webinar Series: ⁠https://events.sap.com/noam-discovery-your-grow-journey-procurement/en_us/home.html⁠ Follow SAP: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/⁠Follow SAP Ariba: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/⁠ Follow Andy: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-moe-2bb4191/   Follow Erik: LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/⁠ Follow Justin: LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/⁠   Follow Sarah: LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/swnelson12/⁠Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to ⁠TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

SAP Solution Advisor, Matt Donegan draws from his past experiences in Supply Chain Operations to spotlight the conflicting priorities of Procurement and Supply Chain and how to balance them successfully.Guest: Matt Donegan – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Spend ManagementHost: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Spend ManagementHost: Erik Derenne – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Spend ManagementHost: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Spend Management=====For companies that manufacture things, the supply chain is the lifeblood of the organization.  Production lines must run with maximum efficiency to deliver high-quality products to their customers on-time and at a competitive cost.  This means that the materials necessary for the final product must be procured from suppliers that can be trusted to consistently deliver with quality and speed to keep the production lines running. Procurement departments are often working off a different priority list, where low costs, low risks, better payment terms and more favorable contractual obligations are the main focus areas. So, how do we align the priorities of procurement with the needs of supply chain operations? Our guest today is fellow SAP Ariba Solution Advisor, Matt Donegan.  Matt combines his background and education in Supply Chain Operations with his current role in advising customers in Procurement solutions to uncover the conflicting priorities that can create friction and risk in many manufacturing organizations. Having worked on both sides of the aisle, Matt brings a unique perspective on the tricky balancing act of managing cost, quality and timeliness across the supply chain that combines technology, collaboration and a human element that fosters good relationships and trust with your customers, your stakeholders and your suppliers. As technological, economic, political and environmental disruptions continue to strain global supply chains, having the right tools, processes and culture to weather the storm will be crucial for survival and will separate tomorrow’s successful companies from yesterday’s afterthoughts.  What story will you write for the future of your company? 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. =====SAP Procurement Webinar Series: https://events.sap.com/noam-discovery-your-grow-journey-procurement/en_us/home.html Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/Follow SAP Ariba: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/ Follow Matt: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-donegan-cpim-003b1252/ Follow Erik: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/ Follow Justin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/   Follow Sarah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swnelson12/Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

Stacy Yoeckel, Founder of Modern Data Compass, joins us to talk about the complexity of data in a modern procurement organization and the importance of a good data strategy for our new AI-focused world.Guest: Stacy Yoeckel – Founder and Chief Data & AI Strategist, Modern Data CompassHost: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & SpendHost: Erik Derenne – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & SpendHost: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend=====Data has always been the lifeblood of an organization, and the stakes have never been as high as they are now with generative AI technologies rapidly storming onto the scene to consume massive amounts of your data with the goal of producing intelligent insights to propel your company to new heights.  Unfortunately, without clean data and proper context, AI will only take you so far… So, what’s the secret to getting the most out of your data to fuel this AI renaissance? Our guest today is Stacy Yoeckel, founder and chief data and AI strategist at Modern Data Compass.  Stacy helped us understand the differences between Data Analysts, Data Engineers, and Data Scientists and how all three play a vital role in gathering, modeling, and transforming data to be useable and useful to the rest of the organization. Stacy has spent decades obsessed with data, focused primarily on procurement analytics for several companies across a variety of industries.  This experience combined with her passion for looking at data and finding patterns, led to the launch of Modern Data Compass, where Stacy advises companies on their strategies and readiness roadmap for getting the most out of data, analytics and AI. With the rise of generative AI and an exponentially growing volume of structured and unstructured data, having a strategy for clean, semantically contextual data in no longer a “nice to have” …it is non-negotiable.  The question is, will you take control of your data before it (or the AI using it) takes control of your organization? 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/⁠ Check out Modern Data Compass: https://www.moderndatacompass.com  Follow Stacy: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacy-y-98a212102/ Follow Erik: LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/⁠Follow Justin: LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/⁠Follow Sarah: LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/swnelson12/⁠Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to ⁠TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

Sean Sollitto, Co-Founder of Relish, joins us to talk about the importance of trusting Supplier data from bank account validity to sanctions screenings and how technology can reduce risks in the process.Guest: Sean Sollitto – Co-Founder and VP of Business Development, RelishHost: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & SpendHost: Erik Derenne – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & SpendHost: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend=====Risks are lurking around every corner in the enterprise procurement space and nowhere is that more prevalent than when it comes to managing and trusting supplier data. Paying fraudulent bank accounts… Working with sanctioned suppliers… Paying incorrect tariffs… Not knowing these things can result in big fines and major problems for an organization.So, what’s a procurement department supposed to do?Our guest today might just have the solution. Sean Sollitto, co-founder and VP of Business Development at Relish, sat down with us to discuss how they’ve developed an AI-driven solution to address this very issue. Relish Data Assure automates the Supplier information process at every step of the Supplier Lifecycle journey. This means not just once during supplier onboarding, but repeatedly, to ensure you can feel confident in who you’re doing business with.Prior to co-founding the enterprise application firm, Relish, Sean spent years focused on eCommerce and Procurement across operations, architecture and consulting, which has given him a unique ability to understand technological and operational context to identify solutions and drive valuable outcomes.As the technological landscape gets increasingly more complex and procurement gets tasked with managing an ever-growing amount of data, assurance of data integrity will not just be a nice-to-have, but a priority. Ensure your company has a strategy to gain trust in their supplier data and know exactly who they’re doing business with and who they’re paying. 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 Relish: https://www.linkedin.com/company/relishiq/  Follow Sean: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-sollitto-a51aa1/Follow Erik: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/Follow Justin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/Follow Sarah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swnelson12/Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

Guest: Aaron Horn – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & SpendHost: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & SpendHost: Erik Derenne – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & SpendHost: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & SpendWhat happens with the priorities of maintenance engineers in asset intensive industries don’t align with the polices and compliance goals of procurement?  Friction…barriers…transformation roadblocks to name a few.  Our guest today would even go so far as to say he “hated” the procurement processes he was asked to follow.   But what if there was a better way for these teams to collaborate?Although he’s a Solution Advisor at SAP today, helping customers drive procurement excellence, in a prior life our guest Aaron Horn worked as a Maintenance Reliability Engineer in the Oil Refining industry.  Aaron draws on this background to give a unique perspective on the challenges of managing the conflicting priorities of maintenance managers and procurement teams and the importance of collaboration and feedback in bridging the gap.As more companies look to technology to enable business and procurement transformation initiatives, Aaron emphasizes the importance of maintenance professionals being involved in procurement decisions and conversations to better align priorities and embrace continuous improvement to adapt to changing business needs.  The surprising conclusion – fostering empathy might be just as important as the underlying technology and AI.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 Aaron: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arhorn/  Follow Erik: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/Follow Justin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/  Follow Sarah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swnelson12/Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to: TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

Guest: Mike Jasper – Director of Transformation Product & Client Success, Extropy Advisors 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 One of the most common misconceptions of major procurement transformation projects where new technologies are implemented to drive automation and efficiency across the source-to-pay cycle is that a headcount reduction is inevitable.  If a company can process more transactions faster and with fewer Users, then some people will lose their jobs.  But what if that isn’t the best way to maximize value from these investments? Our guest today is Mike Jasper, Director of Transformation Product & Client Success for Extropy Advisors.  Having spent over two decades leading organizations through complex change, Mike brings a forward-thinking approach and commitment to align businesses at every level in embracing digital transformation and driving a strategic vision for the future. Mike reflects on these experiences to showcase how best run companies look at digital transformations as an opportunity to drive value by shifting resources from manual, tactical activities towards more strategic initiatives.  He specifically focuses on the area of Accounts Payable and describes how automating the invoice process (ingestion, coding, matching, exception routing, etc.) can free up AP resources to focus on more complex and value-add priorities such as tax optimization, tariff impacts, DPO terms extension and early payment discount opportunities. 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 Extropy Advisors: https://www.linkedin.com/company/getextropy/ Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljasper/ Follow Erik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/ Follow Justin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/   Follow Sarah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swnelson12/ Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to: TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

Guest: Klaus Fischer – Board Advisor, Nitor Partners and ConvergentIS Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend Host: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend Is your organization still operating in silos?  In the lack of transparency and collaboration between the offices of the CFO and CPO preventing the business from achieving the types of value outcomes that executives and shareholders expect?  What roles can technology, data and AI play in driving impactful business transformations? Our guest today is Klaus Fischer, a former long-time leader at SAP and current board advisor for two valued SAP partners – ConvergentIS and Nitor Partners.  Klaus has been an avid and passionate champion for helping customers transform and achieve positive business results in procurement, supply chain and finance.  Having joined SAP 35 years ago in Waldorf, Germany near his hometown, Klaus has filled many roles from Engineering to Consulting, Solution Advisory to Strategic Sales and most recently as the Head of North American Center of Excellence helping customers drive real value outcomes across all SAP solutions.  Klaus even played a significant role in SAP’s decision to acquire Ariba in 2012 and combine SAP ERP with the Ariba Network and Ariba’s strong cloud-based source-to-pay capabilities. Today, Klaus continues to be an advocate for helping companies drive impactful business outcomes as a growth and board advisor to two excellent SAP partners that specialize in the finance and procurement solutions at SAP. 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 Nitor Partners: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nitor-partners/ Follow ConvergentIS: https://www.linkedin.com/company/convergentis/ Follow Klaus: https://www.linkedin.com/in/klaus-fischer-a970a26/ Follow Erik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/ Follow Justin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/   Follow Sarah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swnelson12/ Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to: TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend Host: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend Justin and Erik celebrate the one-year milestone of The Future of Procurement by reflecting on the first 20 episodes.  Looking back on the growth and learning, some of their favorite and most memorable guests, and recalling some of the interesting things they learned along the way.  Not to be forgotten, they also show special love to the Flex and the City segment that ran several times throughout the year with a unique focus on services procurement and the flexible workforce. Next, Erik and Justin welcome a new voice to the podcast, Sarah Nelson, a fellow Finance & Spend Solution consultant.  Sarah joins the podcast for year two as a third co-host who brings a fresh voice, great new ideas and a desire to keep the podcast fun and accessible to all listeners. Sarah shares her procurement origin story with us, gives us a sneak peek at some of the fresh ideas she’s bringing to the podcast, and dives in headfirst with her perspective on what the future of procurement will look like…and it’s not the obvious answer. 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.  Show notes: Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/ Follow SAP Ariba: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/ Follow Blackline: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blackline/ Follow Erik:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/ Follow Justin:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/   Follow Sarah:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swnelson12/ Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

Guest: Stuart Van Houten – Chief Commercial Officer, BlacklineGuest: Riyaz Samnani – SVP of Presales & Value Engineering, BlacklineHost: 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. Show notes: Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/ Follow SAP Ariba: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/ Follow Blackline: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blackline/ Follow Stuart: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuartvanhouten/ Follow Riyaz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samnani/ Follow Justin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/   Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

Guest: Baptiste Collot – CEO and co-Founder, TrustpairHost: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & SpendHost: 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. Show notes: Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/ Follow SAP Ariba: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/ Follow Baptiste: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bcollot/ Follow Justin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/   Follow Erik: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/ Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

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.  Show notes: Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/ Follow SAP Ariba: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/ Follow Gordon:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordon-donovan-6305b13/ Follow Erik:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/ Follow Justin:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/   Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

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.  Show notes: Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/ Follow SAP Ariba: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/ Follow Japen:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/japenhollist/ Follow Erik:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/ Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

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.  Show notes: Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/ Follow SAP Ariba: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/ Follow Japen:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/japenhollist/ Follow Erik:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/ Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

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.  Show notes: 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 Monument Consulting: https://www.linkedin.com/company/monument-consulting/ Follow Amanda:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandarottphr/ Follow Lindsey:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseykfreedman/ Follow Maritza: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maritza-morris-mc/ Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

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.  Show notes: Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/ Follow SAP Ariba: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/ Follow EJ:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-kosec/ Follow Justin:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/   Follow Erik:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/ Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

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.  Show notes: 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 The Mom Project: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-mom-project/posts/?feedView=all Follow Amanda:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandarottphr/ Follow Lindsey:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseykfreedman/ Follow Penny: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pennyqueller/ Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

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. Show notes: Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/ Follow SAP Ariba: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/ Follow Justin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/   Follow Andy: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyeagle/    Follow Erik: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/ Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

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.  Show notes: 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/ Follow Lindsey:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindseykfreedman/ Follow Sarah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-karstens-griffith/ Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

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.  Show notes: 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/ Follow Erik:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/ Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

Guest: Joern Keller – Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer, SAP Business Network Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Center of Excellence, SAP North America, Intelligent Spend & Business Network In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving world of innovation and disruption, how are organizations able to ensure process collaboration both within and beyond their four walls?  How can they ensure visibility and transparency of information across their customers, suppliers, logistics carriers, asset managers, and financial institutions?  What about keeping up with the local rules and regulations for ESG and e-Invoicing across the globe? Our guest today, Joern Keller, is Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer for SAP Business Network.  Joern explains how SAP is solving for these very complex requirements through a convergence of many business processes using a collaborative business network in the cloud.  He describes how it is possible to coordinate activities from procurement, supply chain orchestration, logistics coordination, asset maintenance, and finance to provide resiliency as well as compliance to your organization. Joern also shares many recent and future upcoming capabilities that SAP is bringing to the Business Network to drive even better value and more opportunities to all stakeholders in these business processes, such as helping Suppliers better promote themselves, their products and their certifications to existing and potential customers. 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.  Show notes: Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/ Follow SAP Ariba: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/ Follow Joern:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joernkeller/ Follow Justin:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/   Follow Erik:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/ Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com