Art of Procurement25 Aug 2025

829: From Good to Great: How Business Partnering Transforms Procurement Teams

"Business partnering is what sets apart good procurement teams from great procurement teams, especially in indirect procurement... Those who are good at partnering with the business, they actually are able to excel." - Sasha Sergeev, Director of Technical & Corporate Procurement, Nova Chemicals

Procurement must evolve beyond traditional cost-focused metrics to become true business partners that drive organizational success. The most mature procurement teams understand that delivering exceptional stakeholder support and building embedded relationships creates far more value than savings alone.

In this episode of the Art of Procurement podcast, recorded at the Supply Chain Canada National Conference, procurement transformation leader Sasha Sergeev, Director of Technical & Corporate Procurement at Nova Chemicals, reveals the comprehensive approach his organization used to elevate their indirect procurement team from good to great through strategic business partnering.

Sasha shares practical insights on conducting honest maturity assessments, embedding procurement professionals within business teams, and building stakeholder relationships that separate high-performing procurement organizations from the rest.

Sasha also discusses:

How to conduct comprehensive procurement maturity assessments using both quantitative benchmarks and qualitative stakeholder feedback
The critical importance of honest, anonymous feedback in identifying procurement's blind spots and pain points
Strategies for embedding procurement business partners directly within stakeholder teams and daily operations
Why in-person engagement accelerates relationship building and trust, though virtual partnering can also be effective
How to train procurement professionals to balance being helpful business partners while maintaining appropriate governance

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