Talent Talks Podcast
The Talent Talks Podcast provides regular insights and guidance to procurement and supply chain professionals. Host, Martin Smith interviews CPO's within large corporations and brands in the UK such as John Lewis, Mars, Babcock International, Managing Directors of procurement specialist companies including as Procurement Excellence and Embedded IT as well as thought-leaders and authors from the sector. Martin Smith, founder of Talent Drive is a specialist procurement and supply chain recruiter. He uses his network and expertise to provide insightful, thought provoking discussions, as well as providing tips on building your own career in the industry. The podcast is just one area of #projectprocurement; Martin's network of like-minded procurement professionals including webinars, content and events. Register your email to find out about our next meet-up and get involved: https://bit.ly/talenttalksmailinglist We'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast, and do please reach out if you'd like to be a guest; martin@talentdrive.co.uk. All links and references at https://talentdrive.co.uk/
Episodes
114 episodes
What High-Growth Companies Need From Procurement, with Darren Bosman
Procurement has a reputation problem, but what if it could become one of the most strategic, human-led functions in a modern business?In this episode of the Talent Talks Podcast, we sit down with Darren Bosman, an experienced proc...
Ben Freeman on AI, Procurement and Scaling Omnea
How does someone with no procurement background end up building one of Europe’s fastest-growing procure-tech companies?In this episode of Talent Talks, Martin Smith sits down with Ben Freeman, co-founder and CEO of Omnea, the AI...
From Apprentice to Procurement Director: Leigh Hurrell's Journey
What does it take to grow from a young apprentice to leading global procurement transformation?In this episode of Talent Talks, Leigh Hurrell, Director of Indirect Procurement at Entrust, joins Martin Smith to discuss his two-decade jour...
Building Procurement Influence, Insights from Rob Douglas
On this episode of Talent Talks, Rob Douglas joins Martin Smith to share lessons from a remarkable 30-year career spanning Ford, Capgemini, Barclays, Currys, National Grid, and Direct Line Group. From his first role in “purchasing” to his evolu...
The Power of Sport in Business with Stuart Farrell
SummaryWhat happens when you bring sport, leadership, and purpose into procurement?In this episode of Talent Talks, host Martin Smith sits down with Stuart Farrell, Group Procurement Director across the FFTL portfolio (incl...
Marching Forward: Ben Farrell’s Mission to Modernise Global Procurement
On this episode, Ben Farrell MBE, discusses his journey from a 23-year military career to becoming the CEO of CIPS. He shares insights on leadership, the importance of emotional intelligence, and the challenges and opportunities in ...
The Future of NHS Procurement: Challenges, Leadership, and Patient Outcomes, with Richard Evans
In this episode, Martin Smith interviews Richard Evans, Executive Commercial Director for NHS Supply Chain. Richard shares valuable insights from his extensive career in procurement, discussing his transition from consultancy to the...
Leading Through Crisis: Procurement in a Startup World with Fraser McBeth
On this episode, Fraser McBeth, Procurement Director at Volta Trucks, shares his journey from working in established OEMs to leading procurement in a startup environment. He discusses the unique challenges faced during the transitio...
Talent Talks Live 2024: How Al is Shaping the Future of Procurement
On this episode of Talent Talks, Samuel De Frates, Kathryn Thompson and Bilal Shaykh discuss the transformative role of AI in procurement, exploring its potential to enhance supplier selection, risk management, and overall efficiency. ...
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Continuous learning and adaptation: Steps to success from John Butcher, Just Eat
On this episode, Martin Smith interviews John Butcher, the Procurement Director at Just Eat Takeaway. John shares his journey of building a procurement team from scratch, the challenges he faced, and the importance of hiring the rig...
Cultural Adaptability and Soft Skills: A New Era in Procurement with Canberk Incekara
In this episode, Martin Smith interviews Canberk Incekara, Head of Indirect Procurement at OCS.Canberk shares his extensive experience in procurement and supply chains, discussing the evolution of the industry, the importance of understa...
Breaking Barriers: Diversity, Soft Skills and Rebranding Procurement with Nikki Wright
On this episode of the Talent Talks Podcast, Martin sits down with Nikki Wright, Director of Operations at 10X Banking, as she shares her extensive experience in procurement and operations across various industries, particularly in the banking ...
Conscious Choices: Navigating Mental Health with Carl Ferrand
In this episode, Martin Smith interviews Carl Ferrand, Head of Procurement at Specsavers. Carl shares his journey into procurement, emphasising the importance of people in leadership and the need to stand out when applying for posit...
Listening in Leadership: How to Build Trust in Procurement, with Jonathan Wharfe
On this episode of the Talent Talks Podcast, Martin talks to Jonathan Wharfe, Director of Procurement and Commercial Operations at Transport for London.Jonathan shares insights from his extensive career in procurement. He emphasises the ...
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How to Make Money and be a Force for Good: 4C Associates B Corp story with Suzanna Hinnell
On this episode of the Talent Talks Podcast, Martin speaks with Suzanna Hinnell, Operations and Marketing Director at 4C Associates, about B Corp and its impact on sustainable business practices. They discuss the certification proce...
Behind the Mic: The Talent Drive Story Ep #99
In this special episode of the Talent Talks podcast, we have a new host, Warren Munson, founder of Evolve and The Evolve to Succeed Podcast interview our normal host Martin Smith, about his journey as an entrepreneur and running a recruitment g...
Technology and ESG: Embracing Change with Emir Allen #98
In this episode Martin Smith interviews Emir Allen, the Managing Director of Talent Finance. They discuss Emir's background in the accountancy and finance world, the challenges and opportunities in the profession and the current lan...
Empowering Professionals with Shifa Nasir: Networking, Branding and Market Trends #97
In this episode of the Talent Talks Podcast, our host Martin Smith speaks to Shifa Nasir, a procurement recruitment consultant at Talent Drive. Shifa discusses the power of networking and the current trends in the real estate and pr...
Procurement Evolution: From Industry to Consultancy with James Ball #96
In this episode, Martin Smith interviews James Ball, Associate Director at Infosys Portland.James discusses the differences between working in industry and working in consultancy in the procurement field. James shares his ins...
Sustaining Longevity and Success within Procurement Leadership, with Gavin Boswell #95
In this episode, Martin Smith interviews Gavin Boswell, the Director of Procurement at Serco. They discuss Gavin’s 10-year career at Serco and the evolution of procurement over the past 30 years and the changing role of proc...
Building Relationships and Proving Value: Claire Bevan's Journey in Procurement at Dentsu #94
In this episode, Martin Smith interviews Claire Bevan, Global Procurement Director at Dentsu. Claire discusses her career journey and the challenges and opportunities she has faced in driving a global procurement trans...
Empowering Procurement Professionals: Lessons Learned Over 40 Years Within Procurement With Alex Jennings #93
In this episode, Martin Smith interviews Alex Jennings, an experienced procurement and commercial professional who has worked for companies such as GE and Toyota.They discuss Alex's career journey, his experience in managing teams, and t...
Procurement Perspectives: Unveiling Procurement's Strategic Value with Tom Hajek #92
In this episode, Martin Smith speaks to Tom Hajek, an independent consultant and head of strategic procurement at Checkatrade. They discuss the key ingredients for successful procurement transformation. Tom emphasises the importance...
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Diversity and Agility: Successful Hiring in Procurement with Brad Mills #91
SummaryIn this episode, Martin Smith interviews Brad Mills, the first recruit of Talent Drive, about his experience in procurement recruitment. They discuss the challenges and opportunities in the retail and hospitalit...
From Sales to Procurement: Unveiling New Perspectives with Burberry's Ben Paynter #90
In this episode, Martin Smith interviews Ben Paynter, Procurement Director of Burberry, about his journey into procurement and the challenges and opportunities in the industry. Ben shares his transition from sales to procurement an...
