Summary

What happens when you bring sport, leadership, and purpose into procurement?

In this episode of Talent Talks, host Martin Smith sits down with Stuart Farrell, Group Procurement Director across the FFTL portfolio (including All Points, Cuckoo Broadband and FFTL itself). 

With more than 25 years of global procurement experience at companies like Vodafone, Fujitsu and HPE, Stuart shares his journey from “falling into procurement” to leading transformation across multiple industries.

They explore the power of authentic relationships, why remembering people’s names and passions builds better business outcomes and how lessons from sport, especially cricket, shape high-performing teams. 

Stuart also opens up about why safety must always come before savings, how procurement’s role is evolving in an AI-driven world and the traits he looks for when hiring top talent.

Whether you’re a procurement professional, people leader or simply curious about the human side of business, this episode offers candid stories, practical wisdom and inspiration in equal measure.

This episode is proudly sponsored by Omnea.

If you enjoyed this conversation, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share the episode with someone who loves good leadership stories.

Some of the key moments during this podcast include:

How a charity cricket match strengthened supplier relationships.

Stuart’s unconventional entry into procurement and the deal that changed his career.

Why relationships, not transactions, drive business success.

Lessons learned from legendary leaders at Vodafone.

The importance of empathy, curiosity and memory in leadership.

How elite sport data inspired Stuart’s recruitment strategy.

Why “Safety First” is the #1 KPI in his procurement organisation.

The evolving role of procurement in cybersecurity and ESG.

How AI can empower, not replace, procurement professionals.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction to Stuart Farrell

02:51 - Sports & Business Relationships

05:51 - Stuart's Entry into Procurement

11:51- Building Relationships in Procurement

18:44 - Authenticity in Business

25:49 - Defining Talent and Hiring Strategies

33:42 - The Evolution of Procurement

38:48 - Creating a Mandate for Procurement

45:48 - The Future of AI in Procurement

This episode is proudly sponsored by Omnea.