Libsyn Directory

863: The Agentic Shift in Procurement: The Rise of Autonomous Processes

Release Date: 04/27/2026

875: How to Transform Every Procurement Partnership W/ Kate Vitasek

Art of Procurement

“When you have a great partnership, the value that you can create is unbelievable if you know how to do it.” - Kate Vitasek Despite the best intentions, nearly 70% of business partnerships unravel within three years. Why is it so difficult to build relationships that deliver value, and what are the practical steps procurement leaders can take to break the cycle? Kate Vitasek, pioneering researcher and author of the Vested series of books, joins host Philip Ideson to share hard-won lessons from decades in the field. Her new book, The Vested Way: Five Rules for Achieving the...

EP 11: Provider of the Week: Valdera

Art of Procurement

Chemical procurement’s complexity isn’t news, but the pace of change – and risk – is climbing fast. With AI sweeping through every corner of the business, leaders charged with sourcing chemicals and raw materials have reached a fork in the road: modernize, or fall behind. Dheev Arulmani, COO and co-founder of Valdera, brings deep chemical and consulting experience to this Provider of the Week episode of the ProcureTech Insider podcast. He shares how Valdera’s AI-powered sourcing platform is transforming the end-to-end procurement workflow, empowering both seasoned category managers...

874: Building Resilience Beyond Tier One: Hard Truths About Risk and Visibility W/ Harald Nitschinger

Art of Procurement

“Resilience doesn't mean a supply chain that doesn't see risk. That's impossible. It means setting yourself up to withstand shocks and disruptions.” - Harald Nitschinger, Co-founder and CEO, Prewave Today’s supply chains operate in a world of constant shocks, but the risks that matter most rarely show up on procurement’s tier one dashboard. Often, the real trouble is buried further downstream, so procurement leaders have to redefine how and where resilience is built and risk is monitored. In this episode, host Philip Ideson speaks with Harald Nitschinger, CEO and Co-founder of Prewave....

873: Creating Capacity for Complex Problem Solving W/ Israel Santiesteban

Art of Procurement

“We need to evolve from procurement professionals into business leaders with procurement expertise.” - Israel Santiesteban, Former Chief Procurement Officer and Head of Supply Chain The next evolution of procurement is about so much more than cost savings. With new digital tools and relentless business change, leaders are being asked to deliver value in new ways and, as a result, develop talent for roles that didn’t exist a few years ago. In this episode, Philip Ideson speaks with Israel Santiesteban, a former CPO and supply chain leader with experience across Danone, Kraft Heinz,...

EP 10: Supplier Management as a Connected Discipline W/ Jesse Lee

Art of Procurement

“If your business is getting bigger, then supplier management is going to be ever more important to you.” - Jesse Lee, Co-founder, CEO of Brooklyn Solutions Procurement’s role in managing suppliers is transforming fast: scope is growing, expectations are higher, and the risks are real. Getting supplier management right is essential to business resilience, especially when the entire organization depends on partners and external providers. In this episode, Brooklyn Solutions CEO Jesse Lee joins ProcureTech Insider host Jyothi Hartley to zero in on today’s big challenges and the practical...

872: Beyond Automation: Accelerating Agentic AI Transformation in Procurement W/ Vishal Patel

Art of Procurement

"The future of procurement isn't actually AI. It's people using AI to improve business outcomes and improve their own value add." - Vishal Patel, SVP Product & Customer Marketing at Ivalua Many procurement teams have adopted AI in some aspect, but only a few have figured out how to turn those early experiments into sustainable, scalable business value. With market expectations rising and teams overstretched, leaders are being challenged to translate AI's potential into measurable outcomes. In this episode, Philip Ideson speaks with Vishal Patel, SVP of Product and Customer Marketing at...

871: The New Rules of Procurement Leadership W/ Gary Mizhir

Art of Procurement

“I measure success by the number of executives that come to us before they make decisions.” - Gary Mizhir, Senior Director Head of Innovation & Excellence, FIS The pressure to move from tactical cost savings to strategic business impact is growing, especially as AI, data, and new business needs emerge faster than ever. But what does it mean to drive innovation with AI and still keep procurement a credible and sought-after partner at the executive table? In this episode, Philip Ideson speaks with Gary Mizhir, Senior Director, Head of Innovation and Excellence at FIS. Gary brings a...

EP 09: Provider of the Week: ProcureAbility

Art of Procurement

In this Provider of the Week episode of the ProcureTech Insider podcast, host Jyothi Hartley speaks with Darshan Deshmukh, President of ProcureAbility. ProcureAbility is a leading procurement and supply chain services provider, offering advisory, managed services, digital solutions, and talent support to help organizations drive measurable value and build sustainable procurement capabilities. In this episode, Darshan shares how ProcureAbility has evolved from a traditional consulting model into a full-service partner, one that not only identifies opportunities but also helps clients execute...

870: Managing the New Spend Frontier: AI Tokens in Procurement W/ Jon Winsett

Art of Procurement

“You need to get visibility into the AI tokens, what workloads they are being used for, which users are using them, and what department they’re coming out of. Most organizations don't have that visibility yet. They just get the bill.” - Jon Winsett, CEO, NPI AI tokens have gone from a niche curiosity to a major line item practically overnight. The cost models are new, spending is climbing at breakneck speed, and most enterprises can’t actually see what’s driving their biggest AI bills. For anyone tasked with managing technology spend, this is mission-critical territory for the...

869: The Modern Operating Model: Building a Lean, High-Value Procurement Team W/ Stephen Rauf

Art of Procurement

“Don’t overvalue the top procurement spot, and don’t undervalue the tools and the budget required. It’s an ecosystem.” - Stephen Rauf, Global Head of Indirect Procurement, Zoetis Delivering more value with fewer resources is an easy thing to want, but tough to execute consistently over time… unless procurement rethinks their entire approach, from operating model and team structure to technology and stakeholder influence. In this episode, Philip Ideson speaks with Stephen Rauf, Global Head of Indirect Procurement at Zoetis, the world’s leading animal health company. Stephen...

More Episodes

“Procurement now gets to decide where to play, who does the work, and how much of that work is done by humans versus agents.” - Viji Doraiswamy, VP Product Marketing, Coupa

Senior procurement leaders are under pressure to deliver much more than just savings. The next advantage lies in the intelligent orchestration of processes, where agentic AI not only automates intake, but enables teams to truly focus on value and strategy.

In this episode, Philip Ideson speaks with Viji Doraiswamy, VP of Product Marketing at Coupa. Drawing on hands-on experience with large-scale clients, Viji explains what’s actually working with agentic AI, how companies are overcoming trust barriers, and why orchestration (not just digitization) holds the key to operating model transformation. She also shares specific use cases where teams are already realizing ROI and freeing up time for strategic work.

In addition to sharing proven tactics for building adoption, assessing risk, and unlocking the next level of procurement impact, Viji discusses:

How to separate intake from orchestration and why orchestration drives impact
How to shift your procurement operating model for greater control and delegation
Building confidence in agent-driven outcomes with explainability and phased rollouts
Where most companies start on the agentic AI journey and where they get the greatest ROI

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