The biggest procurement myth? That better negotiations automatically create better results.

Host Mike Jansen speaks with Mario Meyer, CPO and Head of Global Quality for the Division Plants at Ammann Group, about why classic negotiation tactics often hit a hard ceiling, and where Procurement leaders should focus instead.

Mario challenges the idea that value is won at the negotiation table. Drawing on real examples from Ammann’s project-driven environment, he explains how deeper collaboration with suppliers and internal stakeholders unlocks value that price pressure alone never delivers.

This way of thinking becomes especially critical in project procurement, where complexity is the norm rather than the exception. With up to half of Ammann’s asphalt and concrete mixing plants customised, Mario shares how his team manages cost, risk and timelines without relying on serial-production logic or simplistic savings metrics.


You’ll learn:

1. Why negotiation-driven saving approaches quickly hit their structural limits
2. How collaboration creates value that price pressure never can
3. What project procurement fundamentally changes about cost control
4. Why total cost and execution matter more than unit price
5. How Procurement can stay in control when every project is different

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Get in touch with Mario Meyer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mario-meyer-304121150/


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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/

Avoiding the “AI stamp" trap in Procurement starts with one mindset shift: orchestrate AI, don’t just adopt it.

In this episode, host Mike Jansen speaks with Salvatore Lombardo, CPTO at Coupa, about how procurement leaders can turn AI into a true business driver.

Salvatore explains why too many teams chase artificial intelligence for visibility rather than value, and what it takes to build sustainable impact instead. He breaks down how to move from scattered “one agent per pain point” initiatives to orchestrated AI ecosystems that connect data, workflows and people.

Drawing on Coupa’s real-world client successes, including a €25M saving achieved by Uber through AI-driven spend analysis, Salvatore reveals how to start small, measure what matters, and keep empathy and human judgement at the centre of decision-making.


You’ll learn:

1. Why performative AI adoption fails and what to do instead
2. How to start small and scale AI responsibly
3. How to turn risk and opportunity into measurable business value
4. How to orchestrate agents across business functions
5. Why empathy remains Procurement’s ultimate advantage

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Get in touch with Salvatore Lombardo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/salva-lombardo/


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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/

In private equity, the smartest procurement move isn’t scaling spend. It's scaling insight.

In this episode, host Richard McIntosh speaks with Will Harman, Founder & CEO of Trusted Value Creation and former Global Margin Expansion Lead at Apax Partners.

Will shares how private equity turns procurement into one of its most powerful levers for value creation. Drawing on his experience managing $12 billion in annual spend across 85 portfolio companies, he explains how PE firms create margin improvement through data-driven insight, precise timing, and selective intervention, instead of bulk buying.

From AI tools that turn spend data into opportunity maps to peer networks that unlock scale without complexity, Will shows why intelligent collaboration outperforms traditional cost-cutting. His perspective challenges procurement leaders to think differently, using PE’s focused, results-driven model to deliver measurable value and long-term business impact.

You’ll learn:

1. How private equity turns procurement into a core driver of profit and growth
2. Why collaboration often beats centralised buying for real results
3. How AI helps uncover opportunities before they reach the boardroom
4. What right-sized capability looks like in agile, fast-moving organisations
5. How PE’s value creation mindset helps procurement prove its business impact

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Get in touch with Will Harman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-harman-a20ab41/

Learn more about Trusted Value Creation: https://trustedvaluecreation.com/


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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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The Procurement Initiative Leaders Podcast is powered by H&Z Management Consulting in collaboration with SAWOO.