This week, we’re joined by Fredrik Taube, Head of Procurement at Söderberg & Partners and former Head of Sourcing for Ericsson. Fredrik discusses how he began his career in Sales at Ericsson before transitioning to Procurement and leading Ericsson’s global Sourcing team. He shares some lessons that he’s learned from having sat on both sides of the table to develop a 360-Degree Procurement Mindset and his experience with building a Procurement organization from scratch. 

Timestamps:

(01:24) - What does Sourcing & Procurement mean for Fredrik?

(02:08) - How did Fredrik end up working in Procurement?

(02:54) - Fredrik talks about his current procurement role at Söderberg & Partners

(03:50) - What lessons from Fredrik’s career has he taken into his work today? 

(05:31) - What are the most important tools for a Procurement professional to successfully transition into a new organization? 

(06:41) - What can Procurement learn from Sales, and vice-versa? 

(07:55) - How can Procurement & Sales improve their understanding of each other’s perspectives and needs? 

(09:18) - How has Fredrik seen an evolution in Buyer-Supplier relationships during his career?

(12:47) - What was the most challenging aspect of transitioning to Fredrik’s current position? 

(16:45) - What advice does Fredrik have for someone with the opportunity to build up a new Procurement org? 

(20:00) - How does talent recruitment differ between different types of Procurement teams? 

(21:26) - How does Fredrik assure that he stays current and up-to-date throughout his career? 

(23:59) - What does Fredrik see his Procurement peers doing right and wrong? 

(26:10) - What tips does Fredrik have for staying close to the pulse of a business operationally? 

(27:10) - What else are Procurement teams getting right today? 

(28:40) - What is something that Fredrik knows today that he wishes he knew at the beginning of his career? 

(30:59) - Fredrik answers our round of quick-fire questions