Art of Procurement

"Procurement's future is bright, when we continue to do it the right way for the right reasons." - Travis Hodge, Director of Enterprise Sourcing & Procurement at nVent
Procurement is no longer just a back-office function. As business models shift and digital transformation accelerates, procurement leaders face more pressure (and more opportunities) than ever to become true business partners. 
Supplier experience, strategic talent, and AI-enabled efficiency are fast becoming the new playbook for teams aiming to drive results in hyperscale markets.
This episode features Travis Hodge, Director of Enterprise Sourcing and Procurement at nVent, who shares how his organization is reinventing both its processes and culture to keep pace with customer needs and rapid growth. Recorded at Ivalua's 'Procurement Innovation on Tour' Summit in Chicago, Travis offers candid insights on supplier segmentation, why executive sponsorship matters, and the operational and emotional impact of genuine employee engagement.
His approach starts with treating suppliers as partners and ensuring procurement is measured not just on savings, but on real business value delivered in order to position procurement as a growth engine.
In this episode, Travis discusses:
-Reframe supplier experience as a cornerstone of transformation and value
-Leverage executive sponsorship to unlock strategic change
-Connect AI, automation, and data strategy to tangible business outcomes
-Prioritize employee experience as a real differentiator
 
Links:
Travis Hodge on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis-hodge-phd-612139125/ 
Procurement Innovation on Tour: https://www.ivalua.com/procurement-innovation-on-tour/ 
Subscribe to the AOP Newsletter: https://resources.artofprocurement.com/art-of-procurement-podcast-subscribe 
Subscribe to Art of Procurement on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtofProcurement

"Visibility is not the end goal. The end goal is how does that visibility enable me to make a quick decision." - Mohit Ahuja, Strategy & Transformation Leader, Caterpillar
Business leaders can no longer afford to think about digital procurement as "plug and play." This is especially true in manufacturing, where the risks of disruption run deep. Legacy systems, change-weary teams, and rapid-fire market shifts all raise the stakes for today's CPOs.
In this episode, Mohit Ahuja, a strategy and transformation leader at Caterpillar, shares what it takes to navigate these challenges. Drawing on over 16 years across engineering, supply chain, and operations, Mohit offers candid stories and actionable strategies for moving the needle on digital transformation without leaving people behind.
Whether you're wrestling with technical debt, siloed teams, or cultural resistance, this episode delivers perspective for CPOs and procurement professionals trying to drive lasting impact.
In this episode, Mohit covers how procurement can:
-Move from reactive to proactive and enable real-time, predictive risk management
-Build trust on the shop floor by practicing adaptive leadership
-Focus on early, low-risk wins to build momentum for transformation
-Shift from cost minimization to resilience as a core procurement goal
 
Links:
Mohit Ahuja on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohit--ahuja/ 
Subscribe to the AOP Newsletter: https://resources.artofprocurement.com/art-of-procurement-podcast-subscribe 
Subscribe to Art of Procurement on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtofProcurement

"It's amazing how you can rise to the top just by doing what you say you're going to do and being honest about what you can't do." - Anthony Clervi, Managing Partner, Una
Procurement teams today are under intense pressure to deliver savings, manage risk, and do more with less… all while digital transformation reshapes the landscape. For many, group purchasing organizations (GPOs) sound good on paper, but open questions about control and fit. 
What does it take to find a true partner in this space?
In this Provider of the Week episode, Anthony Clervi, Managing Partner at Una, joins us to break down what's changed in indirect spend and what CPOs should look for in a partner. From the "dietician, not the butcher" mindset to embracing AI and ongoing alignment, Anthony shares why a consultative, agile approach beats one-size-fits-all solutions. 
In this episode, Anthony covers:
-How GPOs balance speed, savings, and transparency 
-When to bring in partners like Una (and why earlier is better)
-Ways to adapt GPO services to your team's resource and maturity levels
-How ongoing supplier alignment drives long-term value
-Why a human, empathy-first approach matters now more than ever
 
Links:
Anthony Clervi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyclervi/ 
Provider Profile: Una: https://artofprocurement.com/provider-directory/una 
Subscribe to the AOP Newsletter: https://resources.artofprocurement.com/art-of-procurement-podcast-subscribe 
Subscribe to Art of Procurement on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtofProcurement

"If you build AI on top of weak foundations, you're going to have a very broken system." - Gaël De Martelaere, Chief Procurement Officer, Hexion
AI is driving enormous change in procurement, but success relies on more than just new tools. The real challenge is rebuilding the foundations (data, process, and team mindsets) while still delivering results for the business today.
In this episode, Gaël De Martelaere, CPO at Hexion, joins Philip Ideson to share how his team is moving beyond traditional procurement and redefining value for both customers and stakeholders. Gaël brings decades of experience, a healthy dose of curiosity, and a pragmatic focus on experimentation, not perfection.
In this episode, Gaël also speaks about:
-Transforming procurement to support broader business reinvention
-Rebuilding foundational processes with AI in mind
-Building digital fluency and accountability at every level
-Focusing on experimentation over multi-year perfection plans
-Why curiosity and sound judgment matter now more than ever
 
Links:
Gaël De Martelaere on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaeldemartelaere/ 
Subscribe to the AOP Newsletter: https://resources.artofprocurement.com/art-of-procurement-podcast-subscribe 
Subscribe to Art of Procurement on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtofProcurement

"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 Impossible, offers a flexible set of principles that work for deals of any size, in any industry. These stories (from Fortune 500 cases to community partnerships) reveal what really makes collaboration succeed… or stall.
Whether you're negotiating your next billion-dollar outsourcing contract or building a local alliance, Kate's Vested rules can help you unlock real, lasting value.
In this episode, Kate covers:
-Why partnerships fail and how you can avoid the common traps  
-How to apply the five rules for outcome-focused, trust-based partnerships  
-Measuring and managing cultural fit, even when there are big gaps  
-Using automation to support (not replace) strategic relationships  
-Moving your team from buying transactions to architecting business outcomes
 
Links:
Kate Vitasek on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katevitasek/ 
The Vested Way: Five Rules for Achieving the Impossible: https://a.co/d/09An1hNu 
Subscribe to the AOP Newsletter: https://resources.artofprocurement.com/art-of-procurement-podcast-subscribe 
Subscribe to Art of Procurement on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ArtofProcurement