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/
Talent Talks Podcast
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-native intake and orchestration platform transforming how companies like Spotify, Wise, Monzo and Adecco manage spend, supplier risk and procurement workflows.
Ben shares his unexpected path into procurement tech, from founding cybersecurity scale-up Tessian to spending 18 months searching for his next big idea. After more than 300 interviews with procurement leaders, Ben uncovered systemic problems around collaboration, process, risk and user experience - leading him to build Omnea in 2022.
Now over 150 people strong across London and New York, Omnea has raised more than $75 million from Accel, Khosla and Insight Partners, and is redefining how procurement operates in the AI era.
This conversation covers talent density, efficiency, product philosophy, market noise, AI realities, and what CPOs are really struggling with today. Ben’s honesty, clarity and founder mindset make this one of the most insightful episodes to date.
This episode is proudly sponsored by Omnea!
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Some of the key moments during this podcast:
- How Ben went from cybersecurity founder to procure–tech CEO
- Why he spent 18 months exploring ideas before launching Omnea
- What 300+ interviews revealed about procurement’s biggest problems
- Why talent density is the most important factor in scaling
- Lessons learned from Tessian and applying them to Omnea
- The importance of patience and product quality in enterprise software
- Why brand awareness matters - even with an 86% RFP win rate
- How AI is reshaping procurement roles and team structures
- The difference between hype-driven AI and real operational impact
- Why the future of procurement is collaborative, connected and AI-native
Chapters
00:00 – Intro & Who Is Ben Freeman?
01:30 – How did a non-procurement founder build a procure–tech company?03:45 – What did 300+ interviews reveal about procurement’s biggest problems?
05:10 – How did Omnea scale to 150 people and $75m raised in 3 years?
06:35 – What pressures and realities come with leading a hypergrowth company?
08:15 – What has Omnea done right, and what’s been underestimated?
13:20 – Why is talent density the biggest determinant of success?
14:50 – How does Omnea balance efficiency with product quality and patient execution?
15:55 – Why is lack of brand awareness Omnea’s biggest growth limiter today?
19:55 – What does Ben really think about the current procure-tech landscape?
23:10 – What challenges are CPOs facing right now across industries?
26:00 – How can procurement fix its reputation and elevate its influence?
29:10 – How should procurement leaders position themselves for 2026’s opportunities?
32:00 – Will AI replace procurement roles, or transform them?
35:00 – What’s the difference between real AI substance and market hype?
36:00 – Final reflections
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