The Future of Procurement

SAP Podcasts
SAP Podcasts

Cutting-edge thought leadership, trends, and insights in Procurement, served up in casual, coffee-chat style conversations

  1. Aug 13

    Episode 035: Procuring Securely in a Regulated Environment with Jeff Korol

    Solution Manager for SAP NS2, Jeff Korol demystifies the processes and protocols of regulated industries and explains how security and compliance is critical to the future of procurement. Guest: Jeff Korol – Solution Manager, SAP NS2 (National Security Services) Host: Ryan Sammel – Director, Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend – Regulated Industries Host: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the term “Regulated Industry”?    Do you first think about government?  The military?  Classified information?  Top-level security clearance and background checks?  Bureaucratic processes, rigorous data collection, and overly redundant compliance protocols? Our guest today, Jeff Korol, is part of a specialized and independent U.S. subsidiary of SAP called SAP NationalSecurity Services (aka SAP NS2).  In this role, Jeff works across all customers and industries that require an extra layer of regulatory security and compliance standards to ensure all classified and confidential data is handled properly, and all Users that may had direct or indirect access are properly vetted, screened and validated to mitigate security risks in an environment where the stakes are high and the data is sensitive.   Besides educating us on avariety of acronyms unique to the industry and explaining their importance in adhering to a set of compliance standards by which data, people and processes are categorized by, Jeff also enlightened us to the reality that many private sector companies that support regulated industries as a vendor must also adhere to these same regulatory standards to secure business in these industries.    Further, as AI and other emerging technologies become more prevalent, Jeff predicts that more companies in the private sector will start to explore and adopt the rigorous securitystandards already in place in the regulatory environment.  Similar to how NASA has pioneered many innovations that now exist in the market as commonplace, he sees the securityprotocols developed and delivered by SAP NS2 as becoming the standard by which companies stay ahead of the emerging cybersecurity threats and risks that can plague corporate security and their reputation.   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 SAP NS2: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sapns2/   Follow Jeff: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-korol/  Follow Ryan: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-sammel/  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

  2. Jul 29

    Episode 034: Winning the AI Race with Trust Over Speed with Seb Haupt

    VP of Information Security, Sebastian Haupt explains the role IT and Information Security plays in the future of enterprise AI and how trust matters more than speed in driving meaningful value. Guest: Seb Haupt – Vice President, Information Security & IT Operations, Pager Health 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   What is your company’s current approach to AI?  Is it move fast and break things?  Is it slow and steady wins the race?  Or is it to avoid at all costs?     My guess is that depending on your role, you might have very different perspectives on what the best approach should be. Our guest today, Seb Haupt, helps us navigate the challenges companies are facing in the fast-paced and ever-changing landscape of AI tools, models and capabilities.  As the VP of Information Security, he has a unique perspective on the role of trust and governance in the AI race.  He explains the importance of regulated data access and security, well-defined business processes, and maintaining deep understanding of how the AI tools and models work as a foundation to realizing success.   Surprisingly, Seb isn’t suggesting InfoSec or IT act as the gatekeeper or be a barrier to AI adoption but instead advocating for an open conversation with the business around goals, outcomes and a path to adoption.  He believes that the role of IT and Information Security teams should be in figuring out how to get to “Yes” when it comes to implementing and adopting AI solutions, while also maintaining data integrity, access controls and system security.    In this way, Seb sees himself and others in the IT/InfoSec space as enablers of AI technologies in the organization, ensuring that that the proper guardrails are in place to protect the company, while allowing the end Users enough control and flexibility to drive valuable outcomes.  He also notes that the AI race is a marathon, not a sprint, and this level of trust will be crucial in determining which companies find success in their AI journey.   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 Pager Health: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pager-health/   Follow Seb:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastianhaupt/   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

  3. Jun 30

    Episode 033: How AI in the Classroom is Shaping the Future of Work with Anil Kumar

    Professor of Business Analytics, Anil Kumar provides insights on how AI is being used in the classroom to shift how students are shaping the future of how work is done in the AI era. Guest: Anil Kumar – Professor of Business Analytics, Texas A&M University College of Business 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   What is your comfort level with AI?  How deep have you gone down the AI rabbit hole of using the models, tools, and applications to create things to optimize your life?     Are you an AI Native or are you an AI Immigrant? Our guest today, Anil Kumar, helps us understand the impact that AI is having on one of the most important areas of society…the classroom.  A professor of Business Analytics at Texas A&M University, Anil explains that today’s students are among the first generations that have grown up with AI as part of their everyday lives and are well-positioned to use that to reshape how people and AI co-exist in the workplace of the future.   One of the biggest surprises is that Anil does not shy away from students using AI in the classroom.  In fact, he encourages it.  His belief is that these are the tools and skills that will drive businesses going forward and that the ability to build things though “vibe coding” or other methodologies will be critical to helping solve some of the biggest challenges organizations face today.   As an added bonus, students and young people are often curious about the world and offer a fresh perspective on how to solve problems.  As the future of work evolves to adapt to this new AI-first mindset, fresh perspectives are exactly what will drive success and deliver AI with purpose.  Anil suggests a collaboration between active students and business leaders could revolutionize how students prepare for the workforce while also providing these businesses with these fresh ideas for how to utilize AI in new ways.   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 Anil:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kumaranil2025/   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

  4. Jun 5

    Episode 032: Factoring AI into Your Procurement Strategy with Jay Brand

    Fellow SAP Solution Advisor, Jay Brand shares his unfiltered thoughts on the driving factors of procurement transformations and how AI should factor into the procurement strategy. Guest: Jay Brand – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend 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   Is the technology the ultimate driver of change in a procurement transformation?  Can software magically fix poor processes, bad data, or unclear goals and KPIs?  Does the transformation end when the new software goes live?  Will AI be the solution for all these challenges? Our guest today, Jay Brand, has been on both sides of the aisle having gone through procurement transformation during his time at 3M in addition to helping customers navigate transformations today at SAP.  Drawing on his experiences, Jay answers these questions and more, with his signature style and directness that his customers and colleagues love.   Jay stresses the importance of a solid plan, strong leadership vision, and measurable KPIs in guiding the direction and success of any transformation program.  He cautions against some of the typical roadblocks like analysis paralysis and designing to perfection and instead offers the mantra of “move fast and break things” as a way to fail fast and move on – figure out what works and adjust what doesn’t.   Additionally, Jay uses a vivid analogy to explain that true transformation doesn’t end when the go-live party happens.  Implementing the new software is just one step in a constant cycle of analysis, reflection, adjustment and adoption that continuously evolves as circumstances change in the organization.   Finally, Jay discusses the role AI will play in all this and offers up a somewhat bold prediction that although AI will make things faster and more efficient, the role of the procurement professional and the processes of procurement will remain largely the same.     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 Jay:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-brand-436901b/   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

  5. May 19

    Episode 031: Being Intentional using a Bluefield Transformation Strategy with Curt Reppart

    Associate Partner at IBM, Curt Reppart talks about a new, selective transformation approach that helps his customers find balance in new and existing technology, processes and data. Guest: Curt Reppart – Associate Partner, IBM 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   When taking on any major business transformation or technology upgrade in your organization, two major decisions always take center stage.   1)    Where do we begin? 2)    Will we go Brownfield (lift-and-shift our existing system) or Greenfield (start fresh with new standards)? Our guest today, Curt Reppart, has been helping companies navigate these questions for years and offers great perspective as an Associate Partner at IBM.  Though it sometimes may make sense to do a Brownfield, lift-and-shift transformation or start completely fresh with a Greenfield implementation, often these options carry significant trade-offs such as carrying forward technical debt and poor processes or create massive disruptions to the business.   At IBM, Curt often suggests a third path to his customers and that is the Bluefield Implementation strategy, where customers use a selective approach that drives deliberate decisions about which configurations, processes and data to keep, redesign, or retire and where to adopt a more fit-to-standard approach.   Further, Curt makes a compelling case for Procurement being the ideal entry point for this transformation journey as it is often a highly disconnected, fragmented and over-customized area of the business in a space where collaboration extending beyond the four walls of the organization requires a certain level of standardization and conformity to succeed.  This makes procurement the perfect catalyst for being intentional about what to keep and what to simplify.     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 IBM: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ibm/   Follow Curt:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtreppart/     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

  6. Apr 28

    Episode 030: Next-level Business Transformation with Tony Gainsford

    Business Transformation Leader Tony Gainsford joins us to explain how he used Supplier Collaboration, Process Mining and Automation Tolerances to drive successful procurement transformation at Molex. Guest: Tony Gainsford – Business Transformation Leader, Molex 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 Oftentimes people think of a business transformation or a procurement transformation as simply a technology project. That the best way to transform and improve the way the business runs is to just find newer software, with fancier bells and whistles, and that alone will solve all the issues, improve all the KPIs, and drive value for the organization. And if that still doesn’t deliver the expected ROI, the expected results? What next? Our guest today is Tony Gainsford, Business Transformation Leader at Molex. Tony has spent decades running successful transformation programs at Molex and knows first-hand what it takes to avoid common transformation pitfalls and achieve desired outcomes. In fact, Tony led an effort to digitize collaboration with all their Suppliers across the entire order-to-pay process through the SAP Business Network and strengthened the relationship with his Suppliers in the process. Tony highlighted just how important it is to have a solid vision before beginning a transformation project and the need to be flexible along the way as new information is uncovered. He reflected on the benefits of using process mining and data mining tools to identify the gaps, bottlenecks and workarounds and how changes to the configurations, tolerances, rules and processes can turn issues into competitive advantages. The biggest revelation is that even in this age of AI, automation and digitization, the human relationship is still a vital component of the transformation process. 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/ FollowSAP Ariba: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/ FollowMolex: https://www.linkedin.com/company/molex/   Follow Tony: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-gainsford-03764b10/   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

  7. Apr 10

    Episode 029: Diving Deep into AI in Procurement with Ryan Skorupski

    SAP AI expert Ryan Skorupski takes us deep into the world of all things AI in procurement shining a light on what it is, what it can do, and what the potential implications are for the future. Guest: Ryan Skorupski – Senior Director of AI/ML, SAP Spend Management 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   Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve undoubtedly heard that AI is here and it’s the next big thing for businesses.  It will automate tasks, provide incredible insights into our data, streamline operations, cut costs, and improve revenue.  Companies are pouring billions of dollars to create AI models, build data centers and infuse AI into every part of their processes.   But what exactly is AI?  Where are we today on the AI maturity curve?  What’s possible right now and what could be possible tomorrow?   Our guest today is Ryan Skorupski, a Senior Director of AI and ML for Spend Management solutions at SAP.  With a background in finance, mathematics, data science and machine learning, Ryan brings a unique and knowledgeable perspective to the table.  Today, he’s on the front lines for building the AI foundational model at SAP and applying it to the full suite of procurement applications and processes.   Ryan takes us back through the history of AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) and how they are being used and applied in the business world.  He emphasizes the importance of data in training the models and grounding the models to provide not just procurement-specific AI, but ultimately AI that’s fine-tuned to your specific company needs.  Ryan also cautions that there is still much we don’t understand about how AI works and how to best utilize AI within the business, so it is imperative that everyone from IT to the business becomes trained on the capabilities of AI, the limitations of AI, and how best to infuse AI into our operations.   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 Ryan:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-skorupski/   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

  8. Mar 13

    Episode 028: Discovering the Secrets of Category Management with Andy Moe

    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 Management Host: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Spend Management Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Spend Management Host: 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

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Cutting-edge thought leadership, trends, and insights in Procurement, served up in casual, coffee-chat style conversations

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