The Future of Procurement

Cutting-edge thought leadership, trends, and insights in Procurement, served up in casual, coffee-chat style conversations

The Future of Procurement is a technology podcast hosted by SAP SE, with 35 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

SAP SE hosts The Future of Procurement, a technology show with 35 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #35

  Episode 035: Procuring Securely in a Regulated Environment with Jeff Korol

  Aug 13, 202642 min

  Solution Manager for SAP NS2, Jeff Korol demystifies the processes and protocols of regulated industries and explains how security and compliance is critical to the future of procurement. Guest: Jeff Korol – Solution Manager, SAP NS2 (National Security Services) Host: Ryan Sammel – Director, Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend – Regulated Industries Host: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the term “Regulated Industry”? Do you first think about government? The military? Classified information? Top-level security clearance and background checks? Bureaucratic processes, rigorous data collection, and overly redundant compliance protocols? Our guest today, Jeff Korol, is part of a specialized and independent U.S. subsidiary of SAP called SAP NationalSecurity Services (aka SAP NS2). In this role, Jeff works across all customers and industries that require an extra layer of regulatory security and compliance standards to ensure all classified and confidential data is handled properly, and all Users that may had direct or indirect access are properly vetted, screened and validated to mitigate security risks in an environment where the stakes are high and the data is sensitive. Besides educating us on avariety of acronyms unique to the industry and explaining their importance in adhering to a set of compliance standards by which data, people and processes are categorized by, Jeff also enlightened us to the reality that many private sector companies that support regulated industries as a vendor must also adhere to these same regulatory standards to secure business in these industries. Further, as AI and other emerging technologies become more prevalent, Jeff predicts that more companies in the private sector will start to explore and adopt the rigorous securitystandards already in place in the regulatory environment. Similar to how NASA has pioneered many innovations that now exist in the market as commonplace, he sees the securityprotocols developed and delivered by SAP NS2 as becoming the standard by which companies stay ahead of the emerging cybersecurity threats and risks that can plague corporate security and their reputation. So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast. Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/ Follow SAP Ariba: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/ Follow SAP NS2: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sapns2/ Follow Jeff: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-korol/ Follow Ryan: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-sammel/ Follow Erik: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/ Follow Justin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/ Follow Sarah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swnelson12/ Please like, share, and subscribe!Send feedback and questions to TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

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  Episode #34

  Episode 034: Winning the AI Race with Trust Over Speed with Seb Haupt

  Jul 29, 202648 min

  VP of Information Security, Sebastian Haupt explains the role IT and Information Security plays in the future of enterprise AI and how trust matters more than speed in driving meaningful value. Guest: Seb Haupt – Vice President, Information Security & IT Operations, Pager Health Host: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend What is your company’s current approach to AI? Is it move fast and break things? Is it slow and steady wins the race? Or is it to avoid at all costs? My guess is that depending on your role, you might have very different perspectives on what the best approach should be. Our guest today, Seb Haupt, helps us navigate the challenges companies are facing in the fast-paced and ever-changing landscape of AI tools, models and capabilities. As the VP of Information Security, he has a unique perspective on the role of trust and governance in the AI race. He explains the importance of regulated data access and security, well-defined business processes, and maintaining deep understanding of how the AI tools and models work as a foundation to realizing success. Surprisingly, Seb isn’t suggesting InfoSec or IT act as the gatekeeper or be a barrier to AI adoption but instead advocating for an open conversation with the business around goals, outcomes and a path to adoption. He believes that the role of IT and Information Security teams should be in figuring out how to get to “Yes” when it comes to implementing and adopting AI solutions, while also maintaining data integrity, access controls and system security. In this way, Seb sees himself and others in the IT/InfoSec space as enablers of AI technologies in the organization, ensuring that that the proper guardrails are in place to protect the company, while allowing the end Users enough control and flexibility to drive valuable outcomes. He also notes that the AI race is a marathon, not a sprint, and this level of trust will be crucial in determining which companies find success in their AI journey. So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast. Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/ Follow SAP Ariba: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/ Follow Pager Health: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pager-health/ Follow Seb: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastianhaupt/ Follow Erik: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/ Follow Justin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/ Follow Sarah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swnelson12/ Please like, share, and subscribe! Send feedback and questions to TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

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  Episode #33

  Episode 033: How AI in the Classroom is Shaping the Future of Work with Anil Kumar

  Jun 30, 202649 min

  Professor of Business Analytics, Anil Kumar provides insights on how AI is being used in the classroom to shift how students are shaping the future of how work is done in the AI era. Guest: Anil Kumar – Professor of Business Analytics, Texas A&M University College of Business Host: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend What is your comfort level with AI? How deep have you gone down the AI rabbit hole of using the models, tools, and applications to create things to optimize your life? Are you an AI Native or are you an AI Immigrant? Our guest today, Anil Kumar, helps us understand the impact that AI is having on one of the most important areas of society…the classroom. A professor of Business Analytics at Texas A&M University, Anil explains that today’s students are among the first generations that have grown up with AI as part of their everyday lives and are well-positioned to use that to reshape how people and AI co-exist in the workplace of the future. One of the biggest surprises is that Anil does not shy away from students using AI in the classroom. In fact, he encourages it. His belief is that these are the tools and skills that will drive businesses going forward and that the ability to build things though “vibe coding” or other methodologies will be critical to helping solve some of the biggest challenges organizations face today. As an added bonus, students and young people are often curious about the world and offer a fresh perspective on how to solve problems. As the future of work evolves to adapt to this new AI-first mindset, fresh perspectives are exactly what will drive success and deliver AI with purpose. Anil suggests a collaboration between active students and business leaders could revolutionize how students prepare for the workforce while also providing these businesses with these fresh ideas for how to utilize AI in new ways. So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast. Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/ Follow SAP Ariba: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/ Follow Anil: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kumaranil2025/ Follow Erik: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/ Follow Justin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/ Follow Sarah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swnelson12/ Please like, share, and subscribe! Send feedback and questions to ⁠⁠TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

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  Episode #32

  Episode 032: Factoring AI into Your Procurement Strategy with Jay Brand

  Jun 5, 202650 min

  Fellow SAP Solution Advisor, Jay Brand shares his unfiltered thoughts on the driving factors of procurement transformations and how AI should factor into the procurement strategy. Guest: Jay Brand – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend Host: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend Is the technology the ultimate driver of change in a procurement transformation? Can software magically fix poor processes, bad data, or unclear goals and KPIs? Does the transformation end when the new software goes live? Will AI be the solution for all these challenges? Our guest today, Jay Brand, has been on both sides of the aisle having gone through procurement transformation during his time at 3M in addition to helping customers navigate transformations today at SAP. Drawing on his experiences, Jay answers these questions and more, with his signature style and directness that his customers and colleagues love. Jay stresses the importance of a solid plan, strong leadership vision, and measurable KPIs in guiding the direction and success of any transformation program. He cautions against some of the typical roadblocks like analysis paralysis and designing to perfection and instead offers the mantra of “move fast and break things” as a way to fail fast and move on – figure out what works and adjust what doesn’t. Additionally, Jay uses a vivid analogy to explain that true transformation doesn’t end when the go-live party happens. Implementing the new software is just one step in a constant cycle of analysis, reflection, adjustment and adoption that continuously evolves as circumstances change in the organization. Finally, Jay discusses the role AI will play in all this and offers up a somewhat bold prediction that although AI will make things faster and more efficient, the role of the procurement professional and the processes of procurement will remain largely the same. So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast. Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/ Follow SAP Ariba: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/ Follow Jay: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-brand-436901b/ Follow Erik: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/ Follow Justin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/ Follow Sarah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swnelson12/ Please like, share, and subscribe! Send feedback and questions to ⁠TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

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  Episode #31

  Episode 031: Being Intentional using a Bluefield Transformation Strategy with Curt Reppart

  May 19, 202656 min

  Associate Partner at IBM, Curt Reppart talks about a new, selective transformation approach that helps his customers find balance in new and existing technology, processes and data. Guest: Curt Reppart – Associate Partner, IBM Host: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend When taking on any major business transformation or technology upgrade in your organization, two major decisions always take center stage. 1) Where do we begin? 2) Will we go Brownfield (lift-and-shift our existing system) or Greenfield (start fresh with new standards)? Our guest today, Curt Reppart, has been helping companies navigate these questions for years and offers great perspective as an Associate Partner at IBM. Though it sometimes may make sense to do a Brownfield, lift-and-shift transformation or start completely fresh with a Greenfield implementation, often these options carry significant trade-offs such as carrying forward technical debt and poor processes or create massive disruptions to the business. At IBM, Curt often suggests a third path to his customers and that is the Bluefield Implementation strategy, where customers use a selective approach that drives deliberate decisions about which configurations, processes and data to keep, redesign, or retire and where to adopt a more fit-to-standard approach. Further, Curt makes a compelling case for Procurement being the ideal entry point for this transformation journey as it is often a highly disconnected, fragmented and over-customized area of the business in a space where collaboration extending beyond the four walls of the organization requires a certain level of standardization and conformity to succeed. This makes procurement the perfect catalyst for being intentional about what to keep and what to simplify. So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast. Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/ Follow SAP Ariba: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ariba/ Follow IBM: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ibm/ Follow Curt: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtreppart/ Follow Erik: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-derenne/ Follow Justin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinmorse/ Follow Sarah: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/swnelson12/ Please like, share, and subscribe! Send feedback and questions to TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com

  ListenShow Notes

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