Episode show notes
“Procurement has been really effective in seeing growth opportunities and saying ‘Let us manage this, we can look after this’.”
While Will Bowley’s route into procurement may not be conventional, his pedigree in the industry matches the impact delivered as Director of Staverton Consulting.
With a unique perspective on the industry, Will joins us on Talent Talks to discuss the biggest challenges facing startup procurement consultancies, procurement’s evolution as a commercial facilitator, and much more.
This episode of Talent Talks covers:
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- Positioning procurement for executive visibility
- The ‘seat at the table’ happening organically, not being forced
- Breaking the stigma surrounding consultancies
- Will’s journey into business ownership & taking the plunge
- Procurement’s evolution as a commercial facilitator
- Leaders & CPOs seizing opportunities and leading agendas
The Talent Talks Podcast is proudly sponsored by Staverton Consulting. Staverton Consulting delivers tangible and sustainable cost reduction as well as reducing business risks throughout the supply chain for private equity backed businesses, SME’S and growth companies. For more information please head to stavertonconsulting.com.
Episode highlights
“We have more skills in our toolbox than we’ve ever had before. One of my challenges is making sure that the business and leaders understand we can do a lot more than just savings.” – 9:40 – S-J Aldridge
“Most of the time, the seat at the table will happen organically if the ROI or value add is seen.” – 5:30 – Will Bowley
“You eat what you catch, so in terms of regularity of paychecks at the beginning it was a slightly interesting time. But for the vast majority of it, being able to adapt has been a real joy.” – 10:50 – Will Bowley
“We don’t want to sit in a room, or have a meeting, if it’s any longer than understanding if we’re going to add value, because then as soon as we realise that we’re then taking value away in terms of time.” – 23:20 – Will Bowley
“We see procurement becoming much more the commercial facilitator role, being involved in every conversation at a business level, from sustainability to surety of supply to strategic R&D.” – 30:40 – Will Bowley
“Procurement has been really effective in seeing opportunity in terms of growth and saying ‘Actually, let procurement manage this, we can look after this’. It only adds to the profile and positive PR about what procurement can do.” – 35:25 – Will Bowley
“Having good relationships with your existing clients is the most important thing to any business. Obviously new clients and growth is critical, but our client retention has been something we’re incredibly proud of. ” – 42:45 – Will Bowley
Links & references
Will Bowley, Director at Staverton Consulting – https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-bowley-303a2b53/
Staverton Consulting – https://www.linkedin.com/company/stavertonconsulting/
Martin Smith, Founder & Director of Talent Drive – https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinsmith2009/
