Answering Your Burning Procurement Questions

We put some of procurement’s top thought leaders on the spot to find out the answers to your burning procurement questions.

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What’s the one word you’d like to ban in procurement?

What’s the most important soft skill?

If you had to choose between experienced hire and upskilling talent, which would you choose?

What’s the least important skill for procurement pros?

How do you successfully negotiate a payrise?

We put some of procurement’s top thought leaders on the spot to find out the answers to these questions. Check out the video interviews below.

Justin Sadler Smith Head of UK and Ireland, Procurement and Supply Chain – SAP Ariba Speaking at Big Ideas London 2019

Quick-fire questions with Justin Sadler Smith

What’s the one word you’d like to ban in procurement? : Procurement!

What’s the most important soft skill? : Stakeholder management and being able to communicate effectively.

Julie Brignac,Corporate Senior Vice President Client Services and Delivery, WNS Denali
Speaking at Big Ideas London 2019 

Quick-fire questions with Julie Brignac

What’s the one word you’d like to ban in procurement? : Transformation

If you had to choose between experienced hire and upskilling talent, which would you choose? : It’s dependant on the talent market. we are currently in a market when the talent is extraordinary, lots of access to procurement and supply chain professionals. Because of that it’s important to hire for experience as opposed to raw talent.

Vishal Patel, Vice President of Product Marketing – Ivalua
Speaking at Big Ideas London 2019

Quick-fire questions with Vishal Patel

What’s the best way to negotiate a payrise? : Going beyond talking about cost savings and show the value of all the things that have been done with suppliers, with innovation and with risk.

What’s the least important skill for procurement professionals? : Tactical operational skills – basic things like approving purchase requisitions. Procurement should focus on other things

Carl Tomaszek, Sales Director – Icertis
Speaking at Big Ideas London 2019

Quick-fire questions with Carl Tomaszek

What’s the one word you’d like to ban in procurement? : Transformation

What’s the best way to negotiate a payrise? : Demonstrate success in terms of what you’ve done to benefit the organisation’s bottom line

Check out more content from Big Ideas London 2019 here.