At the recent Long View Systems #ActivateDigital2018 Conference, I had the opportunity to meet with some of the most notable thought leaders from the high tech industry and beyond. In what is the first of eight podcast interviews I did with amazing individuals such as Microsoft’s new President Kevin Peesker, NetApp’s Jon Mellon, and HPE’s new Vice President and General Manager John Dathan about digital transformation and its impact on our world today. This week I sit down with Microsoft President Kevin Peesker.

Jon Hansen (PI Window on The World)

Microsoft President Kevin Peesker Talks About The Need For More Women In STEM

At the recent Long View Systems #ActivateDigital2018 Conference, I had the opportunity to meet with some of the most notable thought leaders from the high tech industry and beyond to talk about digital transformation and its impact on everything from business, to the economy and even gender from the standpoint of the pressing need for more women in the STEM fields. In what is the first of eight podcast interviews I did with amazing individuals such as Microsoft’s new President Kevin Peesker, NetApp’s Jon Mellon, and HPE’s new Vice President and General Manager John Dathan

What Is Our Digital Future? (This Week: NetApp VP Jon Mellon)

Back in April I welcomed Ivalua SVP Sales and Business Development Amol Joshi to the show to talk about the company's big win Arizona, as well as successes with Quebec Hydro, Toronto’s Cadillac Fairview, and other notable account wins including US Foods, Honeywell and Credit Suisse. To say that Ivalua is a company on the rise may be an understatement, especially given their recent acquisition of Directworks, a company who has cloud-based platform that provides supplier management and process automation solutions for the manufacturing sector. Joining me today to discuss the "business" implications of this news is Alex Saric. Alex is Ivalua's CMO, and we will be focusing on the following three discussion points; 1. In my April interview with Amol Joshi, I suggested that we are perhaps seeing "the dawn of a new era, where companies such as Ivalua will begin to dominate both the market and its traditional big players." He did not disagree. Within this context, and from a business and branding standpoint, how important is this acquisition? 2. One thing that stood out from my discussion with Amol is his comment that before now, companies like Ariba and COUPA never took Ivalua seriously. At the time he said that with the Arizona win, as well as the other new client additions, he believed that this would all change going forward. What message does the Directworks acquisition send to your competitors? 3. Is this the first of what could possibly be many "strategic" acquisitions? How does the company view the acquisition approach to gaining both technical superiority and increased market share? 

Acquisition News: Ivalua CMO Alex Saric Talks About Directworks Acquisition

In October I had the privilege of moderating two panels featuring international industry experts discussing some of our industry's most pressing questions. I am pleased to provide you with this PI Window On The World exclusive broadcast of one of those discussions which were on supplier risk assessment and mitigation. INNOVATION TRACK (Lafitte Room)  The Evolution of Supplier Risk Assessment and Mitigation - A Panel Discussion  Panelists:  Bill Michel, CEO at Aripart Consulting, Business Advisor, Author, Professional Speaker Abdullatif Albastaki, Senior Vice President (Head - Retail Infrastructure and Automated Banking Services Retail Banking & Wealth Management), Emirates NBD  Gerard Smith, President, Global Risk Management Solutions (GRMS)  Moderator:  Jon Hansen, Writer and Speaker, Procurement Insights 

Horizon 2017 Panel: The Evolution of Supplier Risk Assessment and Mitigation

Okay, so I took some liberties with the famous Mark Twain, and Charles Dudley Warner joke about the weather and made it about risk. However, and different from the weather, procurement professionals can do something about risk, but for whatever reason choose not to. At least this is what one study reported when it was disclosed that while 80 percent of companies do background checks on their employees, just 20 percent screen their suppliers. Joining me today to talk about this disconnect is The Hackett Group's Chris Sawchuk, who's paper Emerging Options for Supply Chain Risk Management attempts to shed some light on what is a growing issue in the rapidly expanding global marketplace. I will be asking Chris these questions; Going back at least a decade, there has been the ready acknowledgment on the part of organizations that while risk exists not enough is being done to mitigate said risks. Why?In your recent paper, you state that the risk-management software tools that are currently available on the market "are still immature" when it comes to an integrated view of risk and that this leaves a lot of room for growth. To what degree does this limitation contribute to the current gap between recognition of risk and addressing it?Within an organization who should take ownership for managing and mitigating risk? 

The Risking It All Series: One-On-One with The Hackett Group's Chris Sawchuk

On April 10th, 2017, I received a press release announcing that Spend Matters released its first SolutionMap, an essential tool for procurement executives and their teams to assess and understand vendor capability on an ongoing basis. In today's segment, I am joined by Spend Matters' Chief Research Officer Pierre Mitchell to talk about SolutionMap, including the just-released rankings focusing on the following four questions; To start, what was the inspiration behind SolutionMap, and how is it different from a Magic Quadrant?There is reference to “rankings (that) are based equally on demonstrated technology/solution capability as well as on customer input.” How large is the customer pool, and how do you correlate the two?Let's talk about the most current rankings. What stands out the most in terms the company's referenced? What is the best way for those accessing the reports to use the information?Looking ahead to the future, what is the long-term vision for the SolutionMap tool?

Spend Matters SolutionMap: A Talk With Pierre Mitchell

Okay, so I took some liberties with the famous Mark Twain, and Charles Dudley Warner joke about the weather and made it about risk. However, and different from the weather, procurement professionals can do something about risk, but for whatever reason choose not to. At least this is what one study reported when it was disclosed that while 80 percent of companies do background checks on their employees, just 20 percent screen their suppliers. Joining me today to talk about this disconnect is CreditRiskMonitor CEO Jerry Flum to try and shed some light on what is a growing issue in the rapidly expanding global marketplace. I will be asking Jerry these questions; Going back at least a decade, there has been the ready acknowledgment on the part of organizations that while risk exists not enough is being done to mitigate said risks. Why?In a recent Hackett Group paper, Chris Sawchuk stated that the risk-management software tools that are currently available on the market "are still immature" when it comes to an integrated view of risk and that this leaves a lot of room for growth. To what degree does this limitation contribute to the current gap between recognition of risk and addressing it?Within an organization who should take ownership of managing and mitigating risk?

The Risking It All Series: One-On-One With CreditRiskMonitor CEO Jerry Flum

The Procurious Big Ideas Summit that is scheduled to take place on September 28th in Chicago promises to bring across the pond the same energy and insights as last years event in the UK. To do this, the organizers have lined up an impressive array of speakers, one of whom will be joining me today. Over the next 30-minutes, I will be talking with IBM Vice President of Global Procurement Graham Wright, and we will be focusing on the following discussion points; 1. In your Procurious Big Ideas Summit, you will be talking about transformation being the "new norm" as organizations look for ways to respond to an "onslaught of shocks."  Right off the bat, to what shocks are you referring and, what future shocks can we expect? 2. You will also be talking about a "best-practice" approach or way to transform the procurement function. However, there is a difference between being aware and prepared, and taking meaningful action. How do you move companies from a state of inertia in the face of acknowledged risk and motivate them to transform their organizations? 3. What do organizations need to do, from a best practices standpoint, to respond and adapt to the shocks to which you are referring? Be sure to visit the Procurement Insights Blog, and share your opinions on this segment or for that matter any topic using the Procurement Insights Open Talk hashtag #PIOpenTalk

Procurious Big Ideas Summit: Transforming Procurement The IBM Way

The Procurious Big Ideas Summit that is scheduled to take place on September 28th in Chicago promises to bring across the pond the same energy and insights as last years event in the UK. To do this, the organizers have lined up an impressive array of speakers, one of whom will be joining me today. Over the next 30-minutes, I will be talking with  American Blockchain Council Executive Director Jack Shaw, and we will be focusing on the following discussion points; 1. In a webinar last November I asked a procurement audience the following question by way of a poll; Are you familiar with Blockchain's role in the business world? Just a little more than 5 percent of those polled said yes. Two questions; do those numbers surprise you and, if we were to take the poll again a year later, would there be a notable difference regarding the response? 2. As it relates specifically to purchasing, what impact will Blockchain have on how procurement professionals do their jobs? How will Blockchain affect other professions? 3. What is the American Blockchain Council, and why is it an important organization? Be sure to visit the Procurement Insights Blog, and share your opinions on this segment or for that matter any topic using the Procurement Insights Open Talk hashtag #PIOpenTalk

Procurious Big Ideas Summit: Understanding The Blockchain Effect on Procurement

The Procurious Big Ideas Summit that is scheduled to take place on September 28th in Chicago promises to bring across the pond the same energy and insights as last years event in the UK. To do this, the organizers have lined up an impressive array of speakers, one of whom will be joining me today. Over the next 30-minutes, I will be talking with Sibylline CEO Justin Crump, and we will be focusing on the following discussion points; 1. Your bio states that you are the CEO of Sibylline Ltd, which is an international intelligence and risk analysis consultancy based in the UK, and that you have a personal focus on international jihadist terrorism, strategic affairs, military evolution, and intelligence operations worldwide. While I did not see an immediate or direct connection with the procurement world, you will be discussing the disruptive forces headed toward procurement pros in 2017 at the Procurious Big Ideas Summit. So here is the question; how do you link or correlate expertise in jihadist terrorism with procurement? 2. In the past when the subject of disruptive forces and procurement came up, factors such as financial environments, political change, technological advances, socio-cultural change, and environmental fluctuations were usually cited as areas to watch. How do these align with your disruptive forces? 3. Asking the obvious question, what are the disruptive forces about which you will be talking at the Procurious Big Ideas Summit later this month, and what makes them unique to 2017 - or for that matter any particular year? Be sure to visit the Procurement Insights Blog, and share your opinions on this segment or for that matter any topic using the Procurement Insights Open Talk hashtag #PIOpenTalk

Procurious Big Ideas Summit: Rethinking What's Possible

PROACTIS, the Wetherby-based provider of spend management solutions, recently completed the reverse takeover of US-based Perfect Commerce, LLC for an aggregate consideration of up to $132.5 million (approximately £102.4 million). It has been reported that the acquisition will significantly "accelerate PROACTIS’ growth strategy and its geographic footprint" through Perfect Commerce's "global reach" as the latter has operations in the US, UK, and Europe. But what does this expanded combined footprint really mean? Joining me today to talk about the new Proactis is CFO Tim Sykes. During this 30 minute interview, we will focus on the following three key points; Solution synergyThe new company cultureBiggest challenges and opportunities

An Insight Into The Proactis - Perfect Commerce Reverse Takeover

Everycs, a data and software engineering company focused on product intelligence, has just joined forces with environmental consultant GreenDelta to connect their Makersite platform with the world's life-cycle data, augment it with other information, and enable faster, distributed collaboration for procurement professionals.  Joining me today to talk about what this means to the supply industry as a whole is Everycs CEO, Christoph Wilfert.  

Is Procurement Good For The Environment?

Today I will be joined by Ivalua’s SVP Sales and Business Development Amol Joshi to talk about the upstart company's big win with the State of Arizona. Ironically, the use of the term upstart is somewhat deceiving, because Ivalua has been around for 15 years. The moniker, however, is appropriate because the win with Arizona as well as with Cadillac Fairview, US Foods, Honeywell and Credit Suisse are an indication of a seismic shift in the industry. In short, companies like Ivalua are taking the battle to the big boys such as CGI and coming out on top. During my discussion with Joshi you will learn why.

The Ivalua tail wags the CGI dog

One top public sector procurement expert suggests that the additional $2 million that Santa Clara County is going to pay to KPMG to review its procurement practice makes absolutely no sense. Or as he put it, there is no amount of service or insight that KPMG – or any consulting firm for that matter, can provide that would come close to justifying not just the additional $2 million, but the total $3.3 million that the County will spend. In today's segment, I welcome Santa Clara County Executive Jeffrey Smith to talk about these and other concerns relating to the KPMG contract. 

A Discussion With Santa Clara County Executive Jeffrey Smith

The partnership between THOMASNET.com (formerly the Thomas Register), a company that is more than 100 years old, and Dun & Bradstreet (a company that is more than 150 years old) to protect supply chains against disruption due to unforeseen risks, is a potential game changer. Today I will be joined by THOMASNET President and CEO, Tony Uphoff, to talk about the new partnership focusing on the following three questions; 1. Given the length of time, your respective organizations have been in existence, why form a partnership now? 2. Studies consistently show that while executives acknowledge that their organizations have exposure in terms of supply chain risks, the vast majority have failed to take the appropriate measures to address said risks. Why is this, and how can the new partnership stimulate or facilitate needed executive action? 3. What reaction do you expect to receive from "the service provider" world, some of whom already have a supplier network as part of their offering?  

THOMASNET – D&B Partnership: Now This Is A Story To Watch

Riveting, thought-provoking interviews with industry leaders The PI Window goes where no other media dares to tread to bring you the stories and insights you need to stay on top of your procurement world. Do you have a story idea or guest suggestion? Send us an e-mail at jhansen@pisocialmedia1.com.

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Jon Hansen (PI Window on The World)

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