{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"853: From Pain Points to Progress: Medtronic\u2019s Procurement Evolution W\/ Amit Saronwala and Jeremy Lappin","description":"\u201cProcurement is what you make of it. It can be a bargain basement function at some firms, but it\u2019s also becoming more strategic. We have to take a more holistic, integrated view of things and try to understand the big business problems we can help solve and then offer a business solution, not just a procurement solution.\u201d \u2013 Amit Saronwala, VP, Global Indirect Supply Management, Medtronic Procurement leaders in healthcare are feeling the heat: innovation cycles are tightening, supplier bases are vast, and new pressures on cost and cash flow are here to stay. So how do you build more agile, high-performing procurement teams without adding complexity or burning out your people? In this episode, Philip Ideson speaks with Amit Saronwala, VP of Global Indirect Supply Management at Medtronic, and Jeremy Lappin, CEO of Candex. Amit draws from his clinical experience and deep commercial expertise to share how Medtronic is recasting procurement\u2019s role by focusing on smarter supplier segmentation, business-centric metrics, and technology that makes friction disappear. Jeremy adds perspective from supporting global procurement teams at scale, revealing where automation and analytics can create breathing room for strategic work. This conversation takes a candid look at how one of healthcare\u2019s biggest names is making indirect procurement a critical lever for business value and what it takes to bring suppliers and stakeholders on the journey. In this episode, Amit and Jeremy discuss how procurement can:  Set a clear line for strategic vs. transactional suppliers\u2026 and stick to it Speak \u201cbusiness\u201d (not just \u201cprocurement\u201d) to increase influence with stakeholders Automate low-risk, high-volume purchases to free up valuable talent Choose tools that require little or no change management for smoother adoption Redefine procurement\u2019s core skillset for the next five years  Links:  Amit Saronwala on LinkedIn Jeremy Lappin on LinkedIn  Subscribe to This Week in Procurement Subscribe to Art of Procurement on YouTube  &amp;nbsp; ","author_name":"Art of Procurement","author_url":"http:\/\/artofprocurement.com","html":"<iframe title=\"Libsyn Player\" style=\"border: none\" src=\"\/\/html5-player.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/40087835\/height\/90\/theme\/custom\/thumbnail\/yes\/direction\/forward\/render-playlist\/no\/custom-color\/88AA3C\/\" height=\"90\" width=\"600\" scrolling=\"no\"  allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen><\/iframe>","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/assets.libsyn.com\/secure\/item\/40087835"}