We are thrilled to announce that The Procurement Ledger is now an official media partner of LogiPharma 2025, the world’s leading event for life sciences supply chain professionals. This collaboration marks an exciting milestone for both organisations as we unite to bring valuable insights and exclusive coverage to the procurement and supply chain community in the life sciences sector.
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Dawn Foods, a global leader in bakery manufacturing and ingredient distribution, has announced a strategic enhancement to its leadership structure with the promotion of Ahmet Hepdogan to Senior Vice President of Supply Chain & Procurement for North America. This move is part of a broader initiative to streamline Dawn’s organisational performance and adapt to the evolving demands of the global food and bakery market.
Ahmet Hepdogan, who previously excelled in various procurement and supply chain roles within the company, will now oversee all of Dawn Foods’ distribution services and supply chain operations in North America. His expanded role is designed to integrate more closely with the company’s global strategy, focusing on enhancing operational efficiencies and aligning procurement practices with market dynamics.
This promotion reflects Dawn Foods’ commitment to reinforcing its leadership team in response to global challenges in the food industry, including supply chain disruptions and shifting consumer preferences. By positioning experienced leaders like Hepdogan in key operational roles, Dawn Foods aims to enhance its responsiveness to market changes and drive innovation in its product offerings.
Ahmet Hepdogan brings a wealth of experience to his new role, with a proven track record in leading world-class procurement organisations. Before joining Dawn Foods, he held significant positions in other major companies in the food and beverage sector, where he was renowned for his strategic insights and ability to deliver substantial improvements in procurement and supply chain operations.
Under Hepdogan’s leadership, Dawn Foods is poised to strengthen its operational capabilities and better prepare for future challenges in the food industry. His expertise will be crucial in developing strategies that enhance supply chain resilience, improve sustainability practices, and drive technological innovations in procurement and distribution.
The leadership change is expected to have a significant impact on Dawn Foods’ operations, particularly in enhancing the integration of its North American activities with its global strategy. Hepdogan’s role will involve working cross-functionally to implement global procurement solutions and oversee strategic material and service agreements that support Dawn Foods’ growth and customer service objectives.
With Ahmet Hepdogan at the helm of its North American supply chain and procurement operations, Dawn Foods anticipates a strengthened ability to navigate the complexities of the global bakery landscape. This strategic leadership alignment is expected to invigorate the company’s market presence and ensure its continued success in delivering high-quality bakery products and ingredients worldwide.
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The City of Portland has officially welcomed Sylvester Donelson Jr. as its new Chief Procurement Officer, a significant move aimed at enhancing the city’s procurement strategies and advancing its commitment to equity and inclusion within public contracting. With an impressive career spanning various leadership roles in procurement, Donelson is poised to bring a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to Portland’s procurement operations.
Donelson’s professional journey is marked by extensive experience in strategic procurement and operational management. Prior to joining the City of Portland, he held significant roles where he was responsible for overseeing large-scale procurement operations, developing strategic partnerships, and implementing procurement systems that promote transparency and efficiency. His expertise in navigating complex procurement landscapes has been pivotal in transforming procurement processes to be more inclusive and equitable.
At his previous positions, Donelson was instrumental in introducing innovative procurement practices that significantly enhanced operational efficiencies and fostered collaborative supplier relationships. His strategic approach helped streamline processes, reduce costs, and ensure the delivery of quality services and products.
In his new role with the City of Portland, Donelson will oversee the city’s extensive procurement activities which encompass a broad range of services and supplies essential for city operations. His leadership comes at a critical time when the city is focusing on enhancing its procurement processes to better support local businesses and promote equitable economic growth.
Donelson’s strategic vision for the procurement department is centered on enhancing system efficiency and fostering an environment of inclusion and fairness. He aims to leverage technology to improve procurement operations and make the system more accessible to minority and women-owned businesses, ensuring they have equitable opportunities to participate in city contracts.
Donelson’s approach to procurement is expected to have a profound impact on how the city manages its resources and engages with the community. By prioritizing equity and inclusion, he is set to enhance how the city collaborates with various stakeholders, ensuring that the economic benefits of city contracts are widely distributed among all community members.
His initiatives to improve procurement processes will not only optimize cost-efficiency but also bolster transparency and accountability in how contracts are awarded and managed. This is anticipated to strengthen community trust and encourage more businesses to engage in city projects.
As Portland continues to grow and face new challenges, Donelson’s role will be crucial in ensuring that the procurement department can effectively support the city’s needs while advancing its values of diversity and inclusion. His leadership is expected to drive significant changes within the department, promoting practices that are economically beneficial and socially responsible.
In conclusion, Sylvester Donelson Jr.’s appointment as Chief Procurement Officer marks a new chapter for the City of Portland. His extensive experience and commitment to equity in procurement are likely to bring about significant improvements in how the city manages its procurement activities, setting a standard for other cities to follow in promoting inclusive economic practices.
Portland is known for its vibrant community and progressive policies. The city is committed to providing exceptional services to its residents and maintaining transparency and accountability in its operations.
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In the fast-paced world of procurement, adaptability and foresight are essential for success. Michael van Keulen, Chief Procurement Officer at Coupa Software, exemplifies this leadership ethos as he navigates the complexities of modern procurement. With a rich background in finance and extensive experience in driving operational efficiencies, Michael shares his journey, the innovative strategies Coupa employs, and his philosophy on leadership that cultivates a culture of collaboration and diversity. As Coupa continues to redefine the procurement landscape, Michael’s insights offer a valuable perspective on the future of the industry.
My background is in finance. I started at Arthur Andersen back in the mid-90s. I always say I’m a recovering accountant forever. As a result, I did a lot of finance work in accounting. For example, I set up a finance shared service centre and did tax accounting, and then, at Foot Locker, I was first asked in early 2000’s, “Hey, Michael, are you interested in running e-sourcing for Europe?” I was the European controller at the time, and I thought, “I don’t really know what that means, but sure.” Naturally, my curiosity led me to accept the challenge.
I became responsible for e-sourcing, deploying it in Europe. We ran several sourcing events and saved a significant amount of money. That’s when I first started to think about integrating my finance expertise with my strong desire to drive value and have a measurable impact across the enterprise. It really got me excited about procurement, which at the time we referred to as sourcing or purchasing.
It was a very immature process, if you will, but it was an exciting time, and we had a lot of impact. Then I moved to VF Corporation, where I started in finance but challenged the organisation by saying, “Hey, we have no procurement.” VF is the parent company for brands like North Face, Vans, Timberland, Lee, and Wrangler, and all these brands operated independently. I suggested, “Why don’t we start leveraging our collective purchasing power to drive more competitive outcomes?”
That’s what we did; We set up the procurement function for VF International and consequently was given the opportunity to lead a global transformation at VF, which went extremely well. I moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, for that. We drove significant value and ultimately selected Coupa as the platform for source-to-pay processes.
I was then given an opportunity to do something similar at Lululemon, which was a $1B retailer at the time with little governance or control. We moved to Vancouver and established the procurement function there during a period of high growth and ultimately became a Coupa customer there as well, so I’m a two-time customer. I’ve known this company for over a decade, and when the opportunity arose to join what I sometimes refer to as the “mothership,” it was a no-brainer.
In my current role, I focus on three main things. Of course, I support a greater procurement team, which has different complexity coming out of retail since we don’t deal with physical supply chains. We buy no hard goods and have very different risks for business continuity. The other two aspects of my role are that I am a consumer of our Total Spend Management platform, which I spend time on, and I have taken this as an opportunity to evangelise the procurement profession that I have now loved for almost 20 years…. By sharing my experience and connecting with the community I try to contribute to the continued evolution of procurement, share best practices and establish connections across the community.
We used to be known as a business spend management company, but we now call ourselves total spend management because there was still a misconception that we could only handle indirect spend, which is not true. We are the leader in total spend management.
What we emphasise is that we have an end-to-end source-to-pay solution that helps companies multiply their margins by simply having an end-to-end connected platform. This platform is organically grown, natively integrated, and offers capabilities that we believe are unique in the marketplace.
When you think about AI, we have been building community intelligence for over a decade, which we now refer to as community AI or artificial intelligence. We have permission-based data access from over 3,000 customers. We anonymise the spend data and use it to train our AI models. Currently, we have over six trillion dollars’ worth of spend data which is growing rapidly with 10+ million suppliers and over 3,000 customers.
This allows us to train our AI across the platform, from sourcing to contracting, requisitioning, invoicing, and risk management, as well as sustainability expenses and everything in between. We believe we are uniquely positioned to help our clients maximise their potential and ultimately reach their true potential by using an unmatched data set.
The advantage we have architecturally is that we operate on one code base, and we prioritise configuration over customisation. What that means is that all of our customers are on the same platform. We don’t do customised anything; we’ve always believed that configuration is the way to go based on best practices.
This doesn’t mean we limit customers in designing their business processes. It means that we have one code base, and we invest about 17% of our revenue, which equates to around $170 million and growing annually, into this single code base. This investment allows us to drive innovation at speed and scale, which puts us in a very unique position.
We are multi-tenant, which also means we can integrate with any ERP. We have 400 different applications that are natively integrated into our platform because it’s a very open system. I don’t want to turn this into a sales pitch, but that’s what makes us unique and one of the reasons why we are a leader in over 30 analyst reports.
This success is not about pay-to-play tactics; it reflects our core DNA. We started when the cloud was emerging, so we didn’t have to deal with any legacy systems. Our supplier network is free of charge and does not force suppliers down a certain path, which leads to very high levels of spend adoption across all our customers. That’s why we have extremely high renewal rates and why we’re growing at the rate we are.
So, how do we stay ahead of the game? We’re staying ahead of the game because of our architecture. What I’m mostly excited about is AI and how we can remove more repetitive tasks. How do we simplify basic things like requisition to purchase order? How do we orchestrate contract reviews? How can we use data to drive better business outcomes?
Everyone talks about AI—generative AI and large language models. But I always say you need to ask your software partner how their AI is trained. Is it trained based on relevant, meaningful data, or is it trained on data that’s out in the public domain? If it’s the latter, you need to be very careful because how do I know that the underlying data is relevant, trusted, structured, meaningful, and reliable?
The AI will prescribe outcomes based on that data. For example, if you ask ChatGPT whether the Earth is flat or round, it will likely respond that the Earth is round because most of the information in the public domain says that. But we also know there’s information out there claiming the Earth is flat. Sometimes you’ll get an outcome suggesting that.
Without getting into the debate of whether the Earth is round or flat, let’s assume for the sake of the argument that it’s round. This doesn’t really matter when it comes to procurement. But if I asked about supplier risks, supplier discovery, or prescriptions around commodity pricing, it becomes quite serious. If the outcomes aren’t reliable, how can I make informed decisions without impacting business continuity?
Also, I would ask your head of global risk and compliance if they’re comfortable using ungoverned information. If they’re okay with putting reliable or trusted confidential information from your company into the public domain, I think the answer is probably no. So, you need to be super careful.
AI is exciting; it’s another tool that’s available right now. It’s not just blockchain; there are real use cases across various business functions including procurement. However, you need to be cautious and understand what the AI is trained on. We fundamentally believe—and you can quote me on this—that the best data makes for the best AI.
In our platform, we have over 100 different configurations and settings driven by ESG considerations. We partner with organisations like EcoVadis that are integrated into our platform. Based on your strategy, you can start driving outcomes that allow your organisation to purchase from suppliers that meet the right sustainability profiles and objectives.
Now, that could be environmental, such as scope 3 emissions or carbon, but it could also be social—such as driving more diversity in spending. It’s essential to ensure compliance with the latest regulations, such as those regarding modern slavery in places like Germany or the UK. These factors are embedded in the platform.
Every customer has unique use cases, and we can certainly delve deeper into that. However, at a high level, you can configure your platform based on your strategic objectives, which will differ significantly from one customer to another. For example, Microsoft does this with their carbon footprint in their supply chain. It just depends on your use cases.
We run customer advisory boards across various industries and geographies. Through these advisory boards, we hear from our customers about what the platform is doing well and what they would like us to focus on.
This feedback informs our R&D investments. For example, with $170 million worth of R&D, we prioritise where we want to invest our time and energy based on customer input. This comes through our community platform, where users share suggestions and ask, “Why doesn’t the platform do XYZ?”
That feedback is very democratic, and what drives prioritisation for our future releases. We do two to three new releases a year, with each release incorporating 100 to 200 new features and functions. About 95% of that comes from our customers telling us what they want.
As said before, this is not a sales pitch; it’s how our platform came together. That’s why I chose Coupa previously—because I have the ability, not just as Lululemon, but as a community member, to influence the product roadmap of the company. A lot of other companies are starting to do this, but customisation is gone.
It’s configuration based on best practices that need to come from our customers. We’ve moved beyond the days when software companies operate from an ivory tower, configuring some random features and throwing them into the marketplace. If you don’t like it, you can customise it, and no one really remembers what it was supposed to do in the first place, especially when upgrading to a newer version.
We’ve kind of talked about this earlier. The way we’ve always thought about this platform is that it needs to be open and easy to integrate—not just with ERPs but also with point solutions that augment and extract more value from spend management.
That has been one of the founding principles of Coupa. Our platform is very easy to integrate with any ERP, and we have over 400 applications in our marketplace—similar to what Salesforce has—that are natively integrated based on the use cases of our customers.
Because it’s so easy to integrate, our customers can constantly drive more value. If you want to focus on risk, ESG, diversity, or any other area, you can integrate those point solutions into the Coupa platform. The fundamental belief is that you need a comprehensive source-to-pay platform.
I have never, as a practitioner, believed in using different systems for sourcing, contracts, expenses, and contingent labour but always wanted a unified platform that can be augmented with point solutions, and that’s what Coupa has built. In the end we want to have customers and not prisoners….
To scale effectively, our partners are just as important as our customers. We have large partners like KPMG, Deloitte, and Accenture for system integration but also have boutique firms that are specifically focussed on driving digital procurement transformation.
We also have 400+ partners in our community who are integrated software partners on our platform. They range from intake solutions to analytics and everything in between. Our partners are fundamental in allowing us to scale and grow rapidly. Deploying Coupa does require system integration, and we have numerous certified system integrators that contribute to our success.
The biggest challenges stem from macroeconomic factors. There are over 100 elections happening this year, inflation remains unpredictable, and the geopolitical landscape is complex. We’ve seen disruption, climate challenges, and political unrest. There are some very tense situations in various parts of the world, and we cannot influence these factors.
However, we can control several aspects within our own four walls. We need to ensure we have the right people, processes, and technology in place. It’s important to have the right blend to support strategic objectives and to ensure we have the necessary infrastructure.
That’s where Coupa helps from a technological standpoint. It’s not just about technology; it’s also about people and operationalisation. Where we help is on the tech side, but we recognise that it’s also about having the right balance.
We need to help organisations with end-to-end processes, visibility, and adoption. We enable them to prepare for “what if” scenarios. For example, if something were to happen in my supply chain, how quickly can I react? How quickly can I change suppliers, adjust lead times and/or quality?
What I’m trying to say is that there are a lot of macro factors we can’t control, but we can control our own destiny and prepare for various scenarios, having the right level of visibility. If you don’t do that and simply let circumstances unfold, you end up in trouble as history has shown us. Companies that thought everything was fine were the first ones to struggle during past crises.
Procurement has a fiduciary responsibility. We’re here to plan, anticipate, and project, always keeping “what if” scenarios in our back pockets. I think that’s fundamental to procurement.
We will continue to invest in the platform. We have very ambitious plans. Currently, we are a billion-dollar company, and the plan is to reach two billion in revenue over the next three to four years. We believe that’s achievable. We have the right ownership structure with Thoma Bravo, which is committed to investing in this space.
We’re excited about our organisational structure. We will continue to invest in the platform, that’s for sure. We are particularly excited about AI and the opportunities to collaborate with suppliers on aspects like inventory management and forecasting.
There’s a lot of potential for advanced supplier collaboration that ERP systems are not equipped to support. Solidifying our leading position in the market while ensuring our customers drive more value is crucial for our ongoing success.
Well, that’s a whole different article! My leadership philosophy is straightforward, guided by my core values of authenticity, honesty, integrity and humility.
First, I believe in hiring smart people and letting them tell us what to do. Too often, companies hire very intelligent individuals and then we try to fit them into moulds. I think that’s wrong. We should give people the freedom to express their expertise and maximise their full potential.
Another key principle is to create an environment where people feel comfortable making mistakes. Driving innovation requires a certain level of risk-taking, and the only way to achieve that is through failure. I often use the phrase “fail fast, move on.”
We obviously need to learn from our mistakes, but it’s vital to foster an environment where people are comfortable making them in the first place. I know that sounds pretty basic, but many organisations struggle to implement this principle effectively.
The third aspect is diversity. I focus on assembling a diverse group of people with different thoughts and backgrounds—not just in terms of gender, ethnicity, and religion, but also in terms of their experiences and ideas. Diverse teams drive better business outcomes; this is a proven fact…..At Coupa, we embrace three core values: focusing on our customers, striving for excellence, and driving results. We are very outcome-based. Instead of spinning our wheels, we prefer to get things done. If we fail, we fail fast, learn, and move on. Those are my core principles as a leader and a professional.
In the evolving landscape of procurement, adaptability and innovation are crucial. Philip Ideson, Managing Director of Art of Procurement, reflects on the platform’s journey since 2015. With experience at Ford, Pfizer, and Accenture, he has witnessed the industry’s challenges and opportunities. In this interview, he shares how Art of Procurement has transformed from a podcast into a comprehensive media and consultancy business, driven by customer feedback and the demand for high-quality insights. Philip discusses the core values guiding their operations and explores future trends, offering a compelling vision for how Art of Procurement empowers professionals worldwide.
Before starting AOP, I worked for about 15 years as a procurement practitioner for companies like Ford Motor Company, Pfizer, Chiquita, Ally Financial, and Accenture. I was lucky enough to become a Head of Procurement relatively early in my career, and I also spent time living and working in India, managing a captive shared services organisation.
Having spent a lot of time in the outsourcing and offshoring world, I decided to leave my last role as a practitioner at Accenture to start an advisory business that helped companies optimise their procurement operating models. I was inspired to start that company because of the many transformations I had been involved in, and especially during the time I spent in India, I noticed how so many procurement professionals were resistant to, or even afraid of, driving change, and that worried me. I believed that the profession was about to go through a significant transformation with all the new delivery models and technology coming into the mix. I was concerned that if we didn’t embrace that change, then the future of procurement would instead be determined by those executives in the organisation who didn’t have a good perception of the value that procurement could bring – and this could be an existential issue for all of us.
I started the AOP podcast shortly after that to help tell the stories of companies that were successful in driving change and to provide a resource where procurement practitioners could learn about best practices and emerging trends. At the time, this information was only really available to people who could afford to go to procurement conferences. And I figured that if no one listened, it would still be great for my own personal learning to have the opportunity to speak to, and build connections with, leaders in our industry.
The single biggest influence on our growth as a business has been my collaboration with Kelly Barner. Kelly is a fellow former procurement practitioner, so we share that in common, and she’s the leading content creator in procurement. It’s no surprise to any of us familiar with her work that she’s regularly ranked as #1 on the Thinkers360 list of procurement influencers. But Kelly is also a wonderful business operator, and our strengths are very complementary to each other (as are our mutual overuse of Mr Bean GIFs as a method of communication).
I first interviewed Kelly as Episode 6 of the podcast. At that time she was leading her own company, Buyers Meeting Point. Over the years, our collaboration grew stronger, and Kelly is now my co-partner in the business, and Art of Procurement acquired her Buyers Meeting Point and MyPurchasingCenter brands in 2023.
AOP’s growth trajectory really took off in 2021, and we’ve grown 5X since then. We’ve gotten here by focusing on growing both the content and consulting sides of our business. From the content side, we work with a number of procurement SaaS and software companies to help them tell stories about their businesses in ways that are engaging for procurement practitioners. On the consulting side, we launched a new brand called SpendPros in early 2024 that builds on our 9 years of experience providing advisory and consulting support directly to procurement teams. – With SpendPros, we can support procurement with things like sourcing and category management, transformation and digitisation support, or learning and development.
In some regard, I think that is for others to speak to in terms of how we have influenced the procurement industry. That said, we receive positive feedback every day from our community members. For example, just looking at our Net Promoter Score, our rating of 69 is 3 times higher than the media industry benchmark. Being a trusted source of information is at the forefront of everything we do, and I think it shows in a lot of the metrics we track, like the NPS.
Early in my journey with AOP, I had so many CPOs telling me that there was no place for them to go to get access to executive-level content and insights like we were producing. At the time, that was by accident—I was just creating content that I, as a former Head of Procurement, found interesting. However, from that moment onwards, we have deliberately focused on content aimed at procurement leaders, change agents, and those who aspire to be.
Part of why both Kelly and I left the corporate world is because we wanted the ability to choose who we worked with. We wanted to enjoy our work every day and surround ourselves with positive, inspiring colleagues and clients. This drove our “no jerks” core value, and it was the first value we wrote down when trying to articulate what we stand for.
When you build this into business practices and interactions, a couple of things come to mind. The first is empathy. For example, being former practitioners, we can truly empathise with the day-to-day challenges that our community of readers, viewers, and listeners face. We are careful to take that into consideration in the way we create content and in how we encourage our community to drive change in their organisations. We also know how busy they are, so the last thing we want to do is waste their time with throwaway content or hyperbole.
We also use this value to determine who we partner with—or do not partner with. It is critical to us that everyone we work with also embodies this core value.
We are very deliberate in not trying to create content that appeals to all of our community all of the time. We want to dig down into the weeds and explore the nuances that may only be relevant to a small subset of our audience—but for those whom it is relevant to, it is highly impactful. By doing this consistently, we build a library of content where there is something for everyone.
We select topics in a few different ways. First, we think about what is interesting to us as former procurement leaders. We also consider what are the big trends that procurement professionals need to be aware of and best practices that will help them elevate their impact. And we also never forget to ask ourselves, “what is our audience seeking? What do they want or need to know?” We try to make those decisions by doing things like surveying our community, speaking directly to them one-on-one, through insights gained from the consulting side of our business, and by observing what content they are already engaging with.
We are currently building a roadmap that will help us integrate digital tools into our solution set for procurement leaders on the consulting and services side of our business. In the meantime, we are primarily focused on using technology to help our audience more quickly find the content that can help them in real-time from our library of over 1,000 webinars and podcasts. We have a new website that will be launched shortly—possibly before this article is published—that will be the first step toward achieving that goal.
Before embarking on this journey, I would often read that entrepreneurship was a rollercoaster. I thought this was just another tired cliché. How wrong I was! We have faced LOTS of challenges over the years. Here are a couple of examples:
For the first five years of the business, I invested all of my family’s personal wealth (plus a lot more) into the business. By outside metrics, we were successful—I was always told what a strong brand we were building. But by the only metric I really cared about—putting food on the table—I was failing. I could have quit many times over. In the end, we sold our home and moved cross-country because I was convinced that I was just missing how to connect the dots. I kept “fighting to see another day” long enough to figure things out, and eventually, we started to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and the business has grown from there. During the lean times, I’d convinced myself that I was just not a good salesperson. What I learned is that it wasn’t that I couldn’t sell, but that I wasn’t confident in what I was selling. When I became much clearer about our value proposition, that drove changes to our positioning and focus, which finally led to the positive momentum we see today.
For another example, earlier in our journey, another company in our space took legal action against us out of the blue. We were down to my last $5K in the bank, and I felt that was it—I’d have to close the business down. We survived—just—but this experience gave us a newfound energy, which ended up being the turning point in our business, and we never looked back.
Since I entered the procurement profession in 2000, there has always been speculation about how different things would be in 10 years. But when I look back, not much has fundamentally changed over these years.
That said, the next 10 years have the potential to be the most transformative decade in the history of procurement, one that could determine if we even exist as a centralised or centre-led function by 2035.
I personally foresee a much smaller, leaner procurement organisation in the future. Around 80% of purchases made by an organisation will be directly managed by the business, but within guardrails governed by procurement and enabled by technology. The procurement team of the future will consist of generalists—digitally literate relationship builders with commercial acumen—who can translate business needs into procurement-driven solutions. These teams will be a hybrid of internal and external talent, with external category experts supplementing an internal team.
At Art of Procurement, we are addressing these trends in two ways:
First, from a content perspective, we collaborate with a wide range of leaders both inside and outside of procurement to understand the latest trends and the pace of adoption. We use these insights to steer our content program.
Secondly, on SpendPros, the consulting side of our business, we have built a service offering that gives procurement teams access to category-specific subject matter expertise on an on-demand basis, helping them gain the expertise they need, when they need it.
(note here is my annual letter from the start of 2024: https://artofprocurement.com/podcast/episode660/)
Approximately 60% of our community is based in North America, 20% in Europe, and 20% is spread across the rest of the world. We try to reflect this diversity in the content we create—ranging from the location of our guests to the relevance of our content for practitioners in different regions.
To make sure that our content resonates globally, we feature perspectives and insights from a variety of markets. Also, we regularly seek feedback from our own audience to understand their unique challenges and interests, which helps us to tailor our content to meet the needs of a diverse, global community.
We are currently revamping the entire Art of Procurement website, making our library of over 1,000 podcasts, webinars, blog posts, and short-form videos far more accessible and organised by best practice topics or technology segments. We’ll use AI chatbots to help our community access the content they need when they need it. We are also developing a new section that will help procurement leaders to ‘demystify’ the procurement technology stack by enabling them to conduct all of their initial research in one place.
In the dynamic world of procurement, Sharmeen Lalani-Fade, Global Category Lead for Online Media and Data at Bayer Consumer Care AG, stands out as a transformative leader. With a rich background in procurement spanning over 15 years, Sharmeen has leveraged her experiences across various industries to drive innovation and efficiency at Bayer. In this interview, she shares her journey into procurement, the challenges and opportunities she has encountered, and how she is reshaping the online media landscape. From discussing the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace to exploring the future trends in procurement and technology, Sharmeen provides valuable insights into how she and her team are navigating the evolving procurement landscape while empowering fellow professionals to thrive in their careers.
My journey in procurement began many years ago when I heard an industry leader speak passionately about the field. This ignited my curiosity and prompted me to pursue membership in the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (MCIPS) qualification.
My fascination with marketing procurement was sparked while working in the non-ticket revenue department of London Underground. There, I marketed and sold spare space on cable brackets to the telecom industry in the mid-90s to lay fibre optic cable. If you ever ride the Tube, look out the window to see the black and orange cables—black for power and orange for fibre optic.
For me, procurement is a unique space where one can truly embrace an entrepreneurial mindset. It requires mastering the end-to-end process while maintaining a strategic overview. You must think critically, mitigate risks, and dive into the weeds when needed.
One of my most exhilarating experiences was transforming my family’s business. I negotiated with creditors to arrange a five-year Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA), drawing on every ounce of my training in finance, negotiation, contracting, and process mastery. Today, it is a flourishing family business known as Park Villa Boutique Hostel in Mile End, London.
Aspiring to global category management, I gained valuable experience in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and healthcare industries. Nearly six years ago, I took on the role of leading the Global Media category at Bayer. As traditional media gradually became obsolete, online media rapidly grew and evolved. With my growing expertise, I often found myself training colleagues in legal, finance, business, and procurement. To explain online media and data, one needs to be a good storyteller, as revealing the complexities and lack of transparency in the programmatic supply chain within the online media ecosystem can be quite involved.
I am a big-picture thinker and thrive on understanding the end-to-end process and the impact each piece has overall. If I need to dive into the details, I do. Bayer is a well-established and trusted brand that has successfully reached 160 years, and it continues to thrive under our new CEO, Bill Anderson. In contrast, technology platforms like Google are only 25 years old, and TikTok is just 7 years old.
My point is that the established systems and structures that have evolved over 160 years are not the same as those that are just a few years old. My role requires me to bridge these two worlds, whether discussing Joint Business Plans or orchestrating a cross-functional team tasked with ensuring campaigns are back online and bills are paid, or redesigning dedicated tech platform resources in legal or accounts payable.
One must understand the key elements of their operations to find the best solutions to any challenge, whether it involves Google or Amazon. Tech platform providers are composed of talented individuals, and if they believe you are there to facilitate their efforts, they will reciprocate. New media demands a new procurement mindset; otherwise, the doors will remain closed.
Staying ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving online media landscape can indeed be challenging, but I embrace it as an exciting opportunity. I consider myself somewhat of a tech enthusiast and immerse myself in industry news and trends daily, even while walking the dog.
In addition to consuming news, I actively participate in webinars, technology conferences, and networking events where I can engage with thought leaders and peers. These interactions provide valuable insights into emerging technologies, best practices, and potential pitfalls. I also thrive on figuring out solutions when faced with uncertainty. At Bayer, we are fortunate to have a labyrinth of online training resources available at everyone’s fingertips.
Moreover, I collaborate closely with our internal teams and external partners to understand their perspectives and experiences. This collaborative approach allows me to leverage diverse viewpoints and adapt to changes swiftly. By combining my passion for technology with proactive engagement in the industry, I strive to not only stay informed but also anticipate trends that can drive our procurement strategies forward. For example, the emergence of a sub-industry of Google Certified Partners offering specific Google Platform technical consultancy services is a noteworthy development as companies continue their digital upskilling journey.
Before embarking on any negotiation, every procurement professional must understand the key business goals, meaningful and actionable KPIs, and the ROI measurements that will help drive business and brand objectives. For every purchased product, one must comprehend its ROI. For example, when buying brand safety or ad verification post-bid products, it is essential that every cent is accounted for.
Oracle’s subsidiary, “Moat,” which is no longer operating, published a complex white paper on measuring the ROI of brand safety and ad verification. I utilise a straightforward calculation that I developed: it considers the benefits of preventing wasted impressions, such as the value of reduced wasted impressions, higher conversion rates, and improved brand perception, relative to the cost of preventing those wasted impressions, which includes the software needed to optimise and verify ad placements.
As a woman entering the tech-driven space, I have certainly encountered my share of challenges. One significant challenge has been navigating the male-dominated culture that can exist in tech environments. This experience has required me to build strong relationships and networks with tech platforms and providers to foster collaboration and support.
To overcome these challenges, I’ve leaned into some of my strengths—such as empathy, my drive to continuously learn, and relationship building—to establish rapport and credibility. I actively seek mentorship and sponsorship from leaders in the industry, which has been invaluable for my growth and confidence. Additionally, I seize every opportunity to advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives, helping to create a more inclusive environment for everyone who works with me.
Ultimately, I believe that by sharing my experiences and supporting other women in the field, we can collectively break down barriers and pave the way for future generations of female leaders in the tech-driven space.
In 2020, Thomas Udesen, our Chief Procurement Officer, was a pioneer in championing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) within Bayer’s global procurement efforts. I was fortunate to be part of the team that came together to initiate the dialogue around DE&I and drive the agenda forward. We called ourselves SWIRL, which stands for Stronger With Inclusion, Respect, and Love. Securing the word “Love” was not easy, but we believed it was essential to our mission.
This marked the beginning of my learning journey in DE&I, focusing on awareness, action, and advocacy. I launched a safe space initiative, which ultimately earned me an award. The safe space sessions were grassroots open dialogue forums designed to foster honest conversations. In preparing for the bi-monthly sessions, I researched topics such as personal pronouns, institutional privilege (including aspects like being straight, male, cisgender, white, upper/middle class, and able-bodied), microaggressions, and intersectionality. This allowed me to upskill in DE&I terminology, tools, and concepts, similar to my journey in online media and the tech space.
This growing knowledge enabled me to weave DE&I principles into everything I do, including procurement strategies and daily operations. For instance, I began advocating for diversity to be considered in the engagement of creators and influencers, in the publisher sites where we place our ads, and in the teams that design media plans. I truly believe, along with McKinsey research, that DE&I drives better business outcomes.
For me, transformational leadership means coaching, inspiring, and empowering teams to align their goals with Bayer’s business objectives. My approach starts with clear communication. I believe in sharing the company’s mission and how our procurement strategy fits into that picture. This understanding translates into the Joint Business Plan goals that we have in place. Bayer’s powerful mission—“Health for All, Hunger for None”—gives us all purpose and is both inspiring and empowering.
Bayer is undergoing an organisational shift towards placing the customer and the product at the centre of everything we do. Linked to this is the goal of reducing bureaucracy and removing command-and-control leadership practices. For me, this is transformational leadership in 2024.
I also encourage team members to share their ideas and insights, fostering an environment where everyone feels valued. This not only sparks innovation in the ideas produced to overcome challenges and roadblocks but also increases team motivation and respect for one another.
Lastly, I focus on continuous development. I invest in training and resources to equip the teams that support me with the skills they need to succeed. In 2021, I developed online media training modules on Degreed, the training platform I mentioned earlier. This training is regularly updated. By nurturing their growth, we collectively drive the digital transformation at Bayer and contribute meaningfully to the company’s success. Ultimately, it’s about creating a culture where everyone is empowered to take ownership and contribute to our shared vision.
I am passionate about programmatic transparency, defining and measuring ROI, and sustainability, including inclusive practices in the programmatic supply chain.
Regarding transparency, I believe that the only way to shift the needle is through legislation, such as the Digital Services Act. We have reached a point where it is imperative for industry bodies to achieve consensus on the highest standards of transparency that are universally accepted across the ecosystem.
When it comes to defining and measuring ROI, the narrative around measurement needs to be simplified and made accessible. Ad verification and brand safety serve as good examples of this.
On sustainability and DE&I, every link in the programmatic supply chain should strive to measure CO2 emissions consistently and accurately across the industry. Responsible media is a crucial part of this, and I believe that ad verification agencies should drive the agenda of effectively measuring where advertiser brands appear and do not appear—100% versus 99.5% of the time. Additionally, ensuring that sites that promote hate speech are identified and avoided is vital. I also advocate for the need to inspect every system and process for bias across the entire programmatic value chain.
The online media and procurement landscape is evolving rapidly, and I see several key trends shaping the future. First, data privacy and compliance are becoming increasingly important. With regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) tightening, we need to navigate these complexities while retaining trust with consumers. The recent news about the disbanding of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) means that advertisers must be more vigilant and thorough regarding where their ads are placed. Inclusion and exclusion lists have renewed significance, and ad verification agencies need to increase investment in R&D to better serve brands and ultimately protect brand equity.
Of course, I must mention the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning in ad tech. These technologies are game changers, enhancing targeting and personalisation, which leads to more efficient media buying and better ROI. At Bayer, we’re actively exploring AI-driven solutions to optimise our procurement strategies and processes, yielding incredible results.
Sustainability is also a major focus right now. Both consumers and brands are prioritising eco-friendly practices, which means we must adopt sustainable procurement strategies. Sustainability was integrated into our procurement framework several years ago, ensuring our partners align with our environmental goals. At Bayer, we are even reviewing tier-two suppliers. Within our joint business plans, sustainability forms an integral element, driving accuracy in measuring online media carbon emissions from creative ideation through to publisher site policies, such as the percentage of green electricity used.
Lastly, I believe that the shift toward full-funnel marketing should reshape how we, as a procurement function, approach media procurement. As consumers engage across multiple platforms, we should adapt by developing integrated procurement strategies that leverage various channels instead of siloed approaches. Additionally, procurement should consider cross-divisional and cross-agency partner joint business plans wherever possible—such as with Google, creative teams, media planning, sustainability efforts, and even ad verification agencies—all working toward the same meaningful and measurable goals.
