We’re joined by Anam Rahman - “Agent PO” and the Founder & CEO at Kavida, the AI solution that empowers manufacturing teams with post-PO management for on-time deliveries.

As a former procurement practitioner turned ProcureTech founder, Anam shares his wide range of Procurement insights with Sam Jenks in this great discussion, covering Kavida’s mission, AI adoption, PLG, Anam’s learnings as a founder, and more!

(00:38) - Introducing Anam

(01:38) - What does Kavida do and why do teams need its solutions?

(04:11) - What lead Anam to found Kavida?

(06:08) - Where does Kavida make the biggest impact for organizations today?

(08:06) - How will we find the balance between AI and human intelligence in Procurement?

(11:48) - Is AI only for digital native companies or can any company adopt it? And what is needed to prepare a company to adopt AI solutions?

(14:48) - What is PLG and what comes to mind for Adam about PLG?

(18:15) - Will PLG ever work within the enterprise?

(21:57) - What was a learning in Anam’s journey and how did he move forward?

(24:44) - What’s something Anam knows today that he wishes he’d known at the beginning of his career?

(27:21) - What tips does Anam have for anyone on a founder’s journey?

(30:08) - Anam answers our Kodiak Moment quick fire round of questions

On this episode, we’re joined by Vera Rozanova - a Procurement thought leader, award-winning speaker, CIPS lecturer, and former CPO at Royal Canin, British American Tobacco, Rusagro, and Procter & Gamble.

Vera joins Sam for a great discussion about the future of Procurement, how to build new plans and frameworks, building strong Supplier Development Programs, the necessary skills for Procurement teams, new technology adoption, and more!

(00:39) - Introducing Vera

(01:32) - How did Vera get started in Procurement?

(02:58) - What does Vera think Procurement is today and where is it going?

(03:58) - How will Procurement teams look different under Procurement 4.0?

(05:29) - What are Vera’s concrete tips to impact culture and building processes and frameworks quickly?

(06:39) - What are Vera’s guidelines for building a plan and executing on it in a new organization?

(08:17) - How does Vera source the best talent for Procurement when she’s hiring?

(11:02) - What skills does Vera look for in a new hire besides soft skills & hard skills?

(12:31) - Are there specialist Procurement roles that have emerged today which will stick around for the future?

(15:01) - What is Vera’s approach to supplier development within a global multi-national?

(17:25) - Does Vera use a specific segmentation model for suppliers or develop one based on the business?

(19:04) - What type of team and skills are needed for a strong supplier development plan?

(21:50) - When is it the right time to work with supplier learning and development?

(22:24) - When is the wrong time to work with supplier development? What are the signs that it’s too early or late?

(24:11) - Are supplier development programs only necessary for strategic suppliers or a certain level of maturity?

(25:22) - Which Procurement tactics are not going anywhere and here to stay?

(27:36) - Where are Procurement teams wasting time on manual tasks?

(28:25) - Is there a reluctancy to adopt new technologies in Procurement?

(29:18) - Vera answers our Kodiak Moment round of quick-fire questions

In this special episode, we’re joined by one of Kodiak Hub’s beloved partners - Denin Gigovic, Elektrobit’s Global Head of Procurement.

Denin joins Sam for a great discussion about how Procurement can help power innovation together with suppliers, how to balance cost with innovation, building strong relationships between internal stakeholders and external suppliers, the future of Procurement, and more!

(00:39) - Introducing Denin

(01:10) - What does Sourcing & Procurement mean to Denin?

(03:48) - What are some of the keys to career development in Procurement?

(09:32) - Denin talks about his Procurement role at Elektrobit

(11:11) - How does the competitiveness of different industries affect the way Procurement teams act and react?

(12:50) - How does Denin and Elektrobit balance cost with innovation?

(13:52) - What supplier relationship tactics does Denin use to drive innovation and get the most value?

(15:15) - How does Procurement mesh their relationships with internal stakeholders and external suppliers?

(18:46) - How does Denin make sure to stay operational in the business and what tips does he have?

(21:13) - Is there any way that Elektrobit is experimenting with AI?

(25:04) - How does legislation and export control affect the way that Denin and Elektrobit source?

(28:25) - Does Denin have any suggestions for how to be compliant with the recent legislative tsunami?

(32:33) - What is a mistake or learning that Denin has had in his career?

(34:12) - What are some Procurement tactics that Denin thinks are a thing of the past?

(35:34) - Are there things that have changed with Denin’s supplier relationship strategies?

(37:51) - Denin answers our Kodiak Moment quick fire round of questions