How to solve IR35: Mark Coulson Discusses 7 Figure Savings and Creating a Competitive Advantage #77

In this episode of the Talent Talks podcast, Martin Smith interviews Brian Lombard, a manager at Talent Drive. Brian shares his background and how he transitioned from procurement into procurement recruitment. 

He primarily focuses on the interim market and discusses the current opportunities and trends in UK procurement. They also touch on the impact of IR35 regulation and the hiring activity in different sectors. 

Brian provides advice for individuals looking to enter the interim market and shares tips for hiring interim professionals. Finally, they discuss their plans for 2024 and the growth of their business.

This episode of Talent Talks covers: 

1. Transitioning from procurement to recruitment can be a natural progression due to the similar skill sets required.
2. The interim market in UK procurement is currently strong, with opportunities in various sectors such as public sector, risk, and financial services.
3. The impact of IR35 regulation has settled, leading to more confidence in hiring contractors outside IR35.
4. Networking effectively and showcasing specific strengths are crucial for individuals looking to enter the interim market.
5. When hiring interim professionals, it is important to move at a fast pace, align with market salary expectations, and prioritize smooth onboarding.

“The most critical thing right now is to really develop the relationships with the people you work with, spend time with them understand them really well and form as trusting a relationship as you possibly can”

Tim has had a diverse journey in procurement, working in the industry for nearly 20yrs. He began his career joining Tesco on their graduate scheme and hasn’t looked back, working for various companies in retail, automotive and property both in the UK and internationally. He now heads up procurement for one of the largest UK property services companies, where over the last 3 years he has taken the area from a brownfield space to a mature function.

Tim shares his journey into procurement and discusses the importance of emotional intelligence in the field. He highlights the challenges and opportunities in procurement, particularly in managing time and resources. Tim also explores the evolving talent landscape in procurement and emphasises the need for continuous learning and development. 

He discusses the balance between a cash-driven approach and a business partnering approach in procurement.

Tim and Martin discuss the challenges of prioritisation and uncertainty in procurement. They highlight the difficulty of determining priorities and the unpredictable nature of outcomes. They also emphasise the importance of developing strong relationships with stakeholders to navigate the changing business landscape.

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

1. Emotional intelligence within procurement.
2. Adaptability and being open to change within the industry
3. Focusing on business priorities while striving for continuous improvement
4. Embracing new challenges and experiences.
5. Building strong relationships

“We need suppliers who understand what it's like from underrepresented groups’ perspectives, because those often are the groups that we're looking to speak to.”

Supplier diversity is essential to any good procurement professional’s portfolio, which emphasises the importance of the SRM that underpins everything.

That’s a focus area for one of procurement’s most prominent voices, Coventry Building Society’s Rebecca Howard.

Rebecca joins us on Talent Talks to discuss her very purposeful route into procurement, a growing focus on the social element of ESG goals, and the skills that separate average SRM from great SRM.

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

• Rebecca’s determined entry into procurement
• The two top skills that underpin great SRM
• The amazing work on supplier diversity
• Pros and cons of separating SRM from procurement
• Advice for aspiring procurement and SRM leaders

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 https://www.stavertonconsulting.com/.

“Really push yourself out there - pushing your comfort zone is where you really feel alive.”

Soft skills in procurement are one thing, but employing them to become one of procurement’s most prominent names on social media is another ball game entirely.

If we’re to elevate the profession, it’s the kind of work that Tom Mills puts into his social following which we need to see more often. 

Tom returns for the second in this two-part episode of Talent Talks to discuss the power of stepping out of your comfort zone, how to stand out, and advice for anyone looking to bolster their confidence.

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

• Tom’s powerful experience dealing with Pervasive Anxiety Disorder
• Advice for those wanting to gain confidence when sharing their voice
• Long term aims for Tom’s overall social media push
• The strength of ‘feeling fear and doing it anyway’

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 https://www.stavertonconsulting.com/.

“Everyone should be learning right through their career. It's actually the power of saying very little, and listening.”

Soft skills are an undoubtedly vital part of any procurement professional’s skillset, but it’s such a vague term for something so key.

That’s why Tom Mills’ advocacy for soft skill development makes him the perfect guest on Talent Talks for a two-part discussion around how new professionals can stay a cut above the rest.

Join us for part 1 with Tom, where he covers the specific skills to develop, a comprehensive approach to stakeholder management, and the challenging language pervading the industry.

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

• Why soft skills have evolved to become 10 times more important than before
• Which specific soft skills are best for budding procurement professionals to develop
• Flipping the narrative in stakeholder management
• The language of procurement and whether it clouds the understanding of how essential soft skills can be

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 https://www.stavertonconsulting.com/.

“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:

• 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 https://www.stavertonconsulting.com/.

“It’s not hard to find bodies if you want bodies, but the best people have options. You’ve got to be approaching them.”

When good procurement people have the power to choose their path, it takes proactivity to create a quality team - as Sermet Baykaner has done proficiently through his career to date. 

With names like Carnival and Unilever under his belt, Sermet - Bourne Leisure’s Group Procurement Director - is this week’s fantastic guest on the Talent Talks podcast.

Join us as we touch on attracting talent in a competitive market, convincing the C-suite to support the procurement agenda, and integrating sustainability business-wide.

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

• Building sustainability into the overall strategy
• How to attract talent when good people have options
• Solving the C-suite’s needs, rather than focusing on what you can deliver
• What’s evolved in procurement and how Sermet has adapted to that

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 https://www.stavertonconsulting.com/.

“We have all these other things that we can do, but the end game that the Chief Executive wants is the value that you're giving them.”

The procurement industry is ever-evolving with shifting skillsets, constrained talent pool and a new age of technology & automation - it’s on us to evolve with it. 

We hosted an incredible Talent Talks Live event at Landsec in September, where we delighted in a panel with Visa’s S-J Aldridge, Specsavers’ Carl Ferrand and AWE’s Jonathan Patrick.

Join us for this live podcast episode where they touch on reframing our value, strategy vs tactical operating, and ChatGPT’s role in procurement’s future.

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

• Our value in procurement, and whether we need to reframe/market that value better
• Crafting procurement as a more strategic function, shedding transactional activities
• How the talent pool has shifted, particularly post-pandemic
• The balance of technical skill vs commercial skill
• AI’s uses in the future of procurement

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 https://www.stavertonconsulting.com/.

“The challenge is finding somebody with a really good set of soft skills, and that transcends both public and private sectors.”

When it comes to recruiting exciting new procurement talent, good apprenticeships can be the perfect combination of experience and learning.

Emma Law’s sustained efforts to create such apprenticeship opportunities are becoming fruitful, alongside her already stellar decade at Orbis Partnership.

We’re joined by Emma on Talent Talks to discuss the major challenges facing public sector procurement hiring, why we need to push harder on ESG, and AI’s role in procurement’s future.

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

• The main challenges with recruiting new talent into the public sector
• How public scrutiny affects decision making
• Which skills transcend the divide between public and private sectors
• How early we should bring procurement language into education
• AI’s role in the future of procurement, and the time it’ll free up for strategic thinking

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.

“Procurement was once the gatekeeper to the marketplace. Technology speeds up how we do things, and brings the external market to internal stakeholders.”

The one defence we have against extinction of any kind is adaptation. It might be drastic to suggest procurement is on the brink of extinction, but it certainly needs to adapt…

Whether it’s in the attraction of new talent or moving away from gatekeeping suppliers, Thames Water’s David Wylie has seen first hand the power of shifting focus and making changes.

David joins us for Talent Talks this week to share key learnings from roles in TfL & Centrica, how to deliver meaningful social value, and the three most important words in procurement.

This episode of Talent Talks covers:

• How the procurement industry needs to shift to stay relevant
• Evolving observations in procurement talent
• The power of bringing ‘relentless insight’ into your business
• Operating in environments with very different regulatory challenges
• Delivery of social value at Thames Water