Danny Wang, former SVP at Canada Goose on Consulting, Sourcing, and Supply Chain Trust

Danny Wang shows why great procurement is not about chasing the lowest price or hiding behind process. It is about knowing what really matters, asking better questions, and making decisions that actually work in the real world.

Danny has built his career across contract manufacturing, consulting, retail, apparel, and hospitality, with experience at Accenture, Walmart, Canada Goose, Aqor, and Efficio. That mix gives him a sharp view of procurement from both sides, structured sourcing discipline and hands-on execution.

In this episode, Danny breaks down why procurement is a field many people fall into but few truly master, why consulting can sharpen your thinking but industry teaches you what actually works, and why the best teams focus on outcomes instead of overcomplicating the process. They also talk about supplier discovery, factory visits, traceability, trade compliance, buyer power, and why hospitality procurement is only partly about strategy. The harder part is getting every property and stakeholder to actually adopt the deal.


Key Topics

-Why procurement is more than cost savings
-Why industry experience gives procurement real depth
-How to spot strong suppliers before problems happen
-Why factory visits still matter more than paper claims
-How traceability and compliance changed sourcing
-Why hospitality procurement is mostly deployment, not just strategy



Timestamps

02:05 The MBA Shift That Made His Experience Finally Click
02:35 The Consulting Move That Leveled Up His Sourcing Game
03:49 Is Consulting the Fastest Way Into Procurement
05:19 When Too Much Process Starts Killing Results
07:12 How AI Is Quietly Changing Procurement Faster Than Most Think
09:42 Why Consultants Keep Overbuilding Slides No One Needs
11:32 The Simple Supplier Test He Used at Canada Goose
13:52 Why a Factory Visit Tells You What a Spreadsheet Never Will
17:33 The Truth About ISO Certifications Most Buyers Miss
19:31 Why Generic Audits Miss What Actually Matters
23:04 Why Traceability Is No Longer Optional in Global Sourcing
25:52 The Transparency Shift Tariffs Forced on Suppliers
28:53 Why Buyers Keep Asking Suppliers for the Wrong Things
33:41 Why Brand Power Can Shape Supplier Negotiations
34:06 Why the Best Procurement Teams Build Relationships, Not Just Deals
36:21 What Bigger Hospitality Brands Often Get Wrong
39:06 Why Sourcing Is Only 40 Percent of Hospitality Procurement
39:18 The Hardest Part of Procurement No One Talks About


Connect with Danny Wang:
LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/danny-wang-38b800


Connect to Lightsource.ai
LinkedIn - ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightsource-ai
Website: https://lightsource.ai/