794: What Matters Most in Modern Procurement Hiring W/ Derek Lutz
Release Date: 04/14/2025
816: Managing Procurement Risk Amid Tariff Volatility W/ Alan Arcand
Art of Procurement
“During COVID, we went from just in time to just in case. Unfortunately, now supply chains have to factor in risk mitigation. Finding alternative sources of supply might be a little more pricey, but it reduces the risk.” - Alan Arcand, Chief Economist at Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters Economic uncertainty and tariff volatility continue to shape procurement strategies and supply chain decisions across North America. As businesses grapple with unpredictable policy shifts, the need to interpret nuanced economic signals accurately has become critical to maintaining stable operations...
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815: Procurement 6 | June 27th, 2025
Art of Procurement
Procurement 6 is a short podcast from Art of Procurement that publishes in the Art of Procurement feed every Friday morning at 6am US Eastern Time. Presented by a member of the Art of Procurement team, each episode has 6 short segments that summarize the week in procurement. Segments range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that capture our attention.
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BTW EP 12: The Phil-ins: A Pivotal Pivot
Art of Procurement
Halfway through their 24-episode journey, the co-hosts of “Buy: The Way...To Purposeful Procurement” pause to assess what they've learned so far about how procurement has and is evolving, and, more importantly, what’s ahead for the future. In this reflective episode, Philip Ideson, Rich Ham, and Kelly Barner bring together insights from their recent conversations that confirm a troubling trend in procurement: not only are the P&L-related harms of procurement's flawed incentive structures real, they're also worsening over time. It is time for procurement to course correct. ...
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814: How Agentic AI Can Transform Procurement Outcomes W/ Nick Heinzmann
Art of Procurement
"The way we start looking at every unit of work in a workflow flips from being something that's truly human-led to something that can be increasingly human-reviewed and driven, but not necessarily initiated as a human." Nick Heinzmann, Head of Research at Zip The pressure for procurement to do more with less means innovation is no longer optional… It's necessary for survival and growth. The game changer? Agentic AI: artificial intelligence capable of perceiving, analyzing, and taking action, all with minimal supervision. In this Art of Procurement podcast episode, Philip Ideson...
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813: Procurement 6 | June 20th, 2025
Art of Procurement
Procurement 6 is a short podcast from Art of Procurement that publishes in the Art of Procurement feed every Friday morning at 6am US Eastern Time. Presented by a member of the Art of Procurement team, each episode has 6 short segments that summarize the week in procurement. Segments range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that capture our attention.
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812: Procurement's Path Through an Era of Polycrisis W/ Baber Farooq
Art of Procurement
“The greatest challenge facing the world today isn't tariffs or monetary uncertainty – it's stagnating productivity.” - Baber Farooq, Senior Vice President, Product Marketing SAP Ariba & SAP Fieldglass Navigating today's interconnected global business landscape has thrust procurement directly into the heart of strategic risk management. Supply chain disruptions, new AI-driven realities, looming ESG regulations, and shifting diversity initiatives pressure leaders to redefine procurement’s strategic impact. In this episode, Baber Farooq, Senior Vice President, Product Marketing SAP...
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811: Procurement 6 | June 13th, 2025
Art of Procurement
Procurement 6 is a short podcast from Art of Procurement that publishes in the Art of Procurement feed every Friday morning at 6am US Eastern Time. Presented by a member of the Art of Procurement team, each episode has 6 short segments that summarize the week in procurement. Segments range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that capture our attention.
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BTW EP 11: "Poachers Turned Game Wardens:" The "Tuners" on Indirect Supplier Tactics (Part 2)
Art of Procurement
Sometimes the most damning evidence about an industry or an organization comes from the inside. In this second installment of “Buy: The Way…To Purposeful Procurement’s” deep dive into supplier tactics, two former supply executives continue exposing the ins and outs of the supplier playbook they used on procurement when they were on the other side of the fence. Bob Schreiner, former CIA section chief and G4s operations executive, explains how security guard service providers can obscure margin increases within seemingly reasonable wage adjustments for officers. He also exposes the...
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810: Making Startup Partnerships Work for Enterprise Procurement W/ Matt Ziskie
Art of Procurement
“Procurement officers are going to have to go hunt for the solutions they need and the workflows that can help their business. I do feel like to do this job properly moving forward, it's an offensive job, and you don't have the luxury of sitting back.” - Matt Ziskie, Co-Founder, Bungalow Capital How procurement approaches working with smaller, innovative startups can look quite different than other supplier relationships. From lengthy sales cycles, complex negotiations, and mismatched expectations… these and other roadblocks can crop up in different ways depending on the size, scale,...
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809: Procurement 6 | June 6th, 2025
Art of Procurement
Procurement 6 is a short podcast from Art of Procurement that publishes in the Art of Procurement feed every Friday morning at 6am US Eastern Time. Presented by a member of the Art of Procurement team, each episode has 6 short segments that summarize the week in procurement. Segments range from procurement tips to podcast summaries, from details of events to news or overviews of blog posts that capture our attention.
info_outline“Procurement isn’t just a cost center; it’s a true value driver. So when they’re recruiting, CPOs and heads of procurement are looking for someone who's current and who is bringing ideas to the table. They’re not just hiring buyers anymore.” - Derek Lutz, Founder and CEO, Lean Six Search
As economic and geopolitical instability sends ripples of doubt across global supply chains, the question of which procurement skills will remain valuable, as well as which ones are becoming obsolete, has never been more relevant.
In this episode, host Philip Ideson talks about the evolving challenges of procurement talent acquisition and retention with Deerek Lutz, Founder and CEO of Lean Six Search. Derek has filled roles in over 50 countries (and has himself travelled to 173), and he offers a truly global perspective on procurement talent trends.
Derek shares his perspective on the shifting nature of procurement leadership, as well as what makes candidates stand out in today’s job market.
His insights include commentary on:
- The most resilient (and recession-proof) procurement jobs that remain in high demand, even in uncertain markets
- The ways CPOs are looking beyond traditional backgrounds to level-up their teams, including recruiting from adjacent functions like finance, sales, or operations
- The evolution of procurement’s most valuable skills, and storytelling and commercial innovation have eclipsed technical experience
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