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LEADERS IN PROCUREMENT

LEADERS IN PROCUREMENT

By: Mike Jansen / Fabian Heinrich / Carsten Metzger
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About this listen

The LEADERS IN PROCUREMENT Podcast brings you peer-level insights into how complex procurement decisions are made at the top.


Each episode features candid conversations with senior procurement and supply chain leaders who share real operational challenges — from scaling technology and proving compliance to building resilience and leading teams under pressure.


If you value experience over theory and want proven approaches you can test in your own procurement operations, this show is for you.







© 2026 LEADERS IN PROCUREMENT
Episodes
  • Ep. 22 - Beyond ‘Your Wish Is My Command’: Elevating Procurement to a Strategic Partner - with Niels Walberg
    Nov 5 2025

    If Procurement is still a ‘your wish is my command’ function at your company, you’re leaving value on the table.

    In this episode, host Mike Jansen speaks with Niels Walberg, CPO at K+S Aktiengesellschaft. With over 25 years in procurement, Niels shares how he’s driving the shift from reactive service provider to strategic partner at a €1.5 billion spend organisation.

    He explains why clear KPIs and supplier performance management matter, why stakeholder buy-in is the true lever for lasting change, and how Procurement can embed itself into complex CapEx projects to deliver real business value.


    You’ll learn:

    1. How Procurement can shift from service provider to strategic partner
    2. Why strategic coverage outperforms savings as a steering KPI
    3. The role of stakeholder engagement in driving lasting change
    4. What makes performance management with contractors effective
    5. Practical lessons from digitising and simplifying procurement processes

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    Get in touch with Niels Walberg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niels-walberg-023308b0/


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    About the host Mike Jansen:
    Mike Jansen is Partner at H&Z Management Consulting with over a decade of experience enhancing the value that procurement delivers to organisations. Driven by a passion for tackling challenges, Mike thrives on competition—whether with others or himself. Outside of work, Mike enjoys quality time with his wife and children.


    Get in touch with Mike Jansen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jansen-mike/

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    1 hr and 15 mins
  • Ep. 21 – Building Procurement Resilience in a Volatile, Digital Age – with Kai Dittberner
    Oct 22 2025

    Digitalisation succeeds when people lead the change, not just the tools.

    In this episode, host Mike Jansen speaks with Kai Dittberner, VP Global Procurement at Giesecke+Devrient, about how Procurement at the global security technology company has evolved to drive resilience, innovation, and ESG impact.

    He explains why successful digitalisation depends on strong processes and people engagement, how G+D leveraged “digital heroes” to embed change, and why regional diversification and supplier collaboration are must-haves in a fractured geopolitical environment. Kai also makes the case for ESG to become a measurable KPI in Procurement, with Scope 3 emissions one day sitting alongside savings and spend.


    You’ll learn:

    1. Why strong processes must come before digitalisation
    2. How to leverage “digital heroes” to drive cultural change
    3. Practical strategies for navigating global supply chain risks
    4. How supplier collaboration builds true resilience
    5. Why Scope 3 emissions should become a core Procurement KPI

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    Get in touch with Kai Dittberner, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kai-dittberner-13b8aa29/


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    About the host Mike Jansen:
    Mike Jansen is Partner at H&Z Management Consulting with over a decade of experience enhancing the value that procurement delivers to organisations. Driven by a passion for tackling challenges, Mike thrives on competition—whether with others or himself. Outside of work, Mike enjoys quality time with his wife and children.


    Get in touch with Mike Jansen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jansen-mike/

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    43 mins
  • Ep. 20 - Driving Procurement Excellence through Digitalisation at Scale - with Karl Poulsen
    Oct 8 2025

    Procurement transformation isn't just about systems. It's about scale, culture, and strategy.

    In this episode, host Richard McIntosh speaks with Karl Poulsen, CPO at Hiscox, about leading a greenfield procurement transformation by leveraging digital tools not just to modernise, but to embed excellence at scale.

    Karl shares how he moved the organisation from spreadsheets and silos to a centralised, tech-enabled function. He explains how automation, governance, and scalability were built with compliance in mind—but designed to support consistency and growth across a complex, international business. From reducing a 10,000-supplier sprawl to navigating cultural change across regions, Karl reveals what it takes to turn procurement into a true engine of business value—and why the hardest part wasn’t the technology, but shifting mindsets and ways of working.


    You’ll learn:

    1. How to build a business case for procurement tech from a greenfield start
    2. Why cultural change is harder and more important than system implementation
    3. How automation drives compliance, risk management, and sustainability
    4. Where the biggest financial gains come from in digital procurement
    5. What to prioritise post-rollout to improve adoption and user experience

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    Get in touch with Karl Poulsen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karl-poulsen-a6bb2112/


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    About the host Richard McIntosh:
    Richard McIntosh, Partner at H&Z Management Consulting, has spent over 23 years helping procurement leaders succeed. Richard is an avid rugby fan, and a children's rugby coach, with a passion for helping children to become their best selves through sports. He spends his time outside of work with his wife and children.

    Get in touch with Richard McIntosh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcintosh-richard/

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    34 mins
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