52. Nicolas Passaquin, CPO & Supply Chain Officer @ Telia

This episode, we’re joined by Nicolas Passaquin, Chief Procurement Officer & Supply Chain Officer for Telia, the multinational telecommunications company and mobile network operator, and Ambassador at The Sustainable Procurement Pledge.

As a seasoned Procurement practitioner and leader with previous experience at Thomas Reuters, Efficio, Refinitiv, Air France, and more, Nicolas shares his knowledge with Sam Jenks about setting up Procurement orgs for success, staying energized to drive continual transformation, and future-proofing Procurement to stay ahead of the curb.

He and Sam also explore the changes that Nicolas has seen his career and the lessons he’s learned, what to look for with new talent, digital inclusion within Procurement, how to make Procurement be seen as a strategic function, the importance of your network, and more!

Connect with Nicolas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/passaquin/

Learn more about Kodiak Hub's SRM platform:

https://www.kodiakhub.com

Timestamps:

(00:38) - Introducing Nicolas Passaquin

(01:15) - What does Sourcing & Procurement mean to Nicolas?

(02:07) - What does a Procurement leader need to do to make the function to be understood as strategic?

(03:30) - How would Nicolas say that the businesses in his career have differed?

(05:26) - How has Nicolas seen Procurement evolve in the 20 years of his career?

(08:14) - What is the business case that should be made for sustainable sourcing?

(09:43) - What is digital inclusion in Procurement?

(10:37) - As a Procurement leader, what does Nicolas look for when he hires new talent into his team?

(11:46) - What are the tactical skills that need to be focused on in 2025?

(12:46) - What are some examples of data savviness and technical literacy in Procurement?

(14:27) - How does Nicolas stay close to the operational practices of the business as a Procurement leader?

(16:14) - As a CPO, what does Nicolas’ executive team look like?

(17:33) - Was Nicolas’ center of excellence in place when he joined Telia or did he build it?

(19:02) - What advice would Nicolas give to himself just starting out his career?

(20:33) - What are some of the practical ways that Nicolas builds up his network?

(23:04) - How does Nicolas go about gauging the maturity of a business when he joins?

(23:58) - What checklist does Nicolas go through?

(25:46) - Nicolas shares his experience from working in different roles and companies throughout his career

(28:24) - How do you keep the sense of execution and focus in a business to continually reenergize?

(29:52) - What are some of the challenges and successes that Nicolas has experience in his current role at Telia?

(33:17) - How does Nicolas keep his team motivated during times of consolidation?

(35:35) - How does Nicolas see the phases of his career and the learnings he got from each?
(37:59) - Nicolas answers our quick fire round of questions