Matt Spooner

What’s been happening at Supply Chain Now? This week, our program hosts welcomed many special guests this week to talk about startup growth, manufacturing, procurement, and, of course, supply chain! Check out the latest interviews, conversations, and podcast episodes right here! On Monday, we released 2 new episodes! In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, hosts Kelly Barner, Scott Luton, and Kim Winter welcome special guest Sam Achampong to talk about why it’s absolutely crucial for procurement to be aligned with your overall business strategy. On This Week in Business History, host Scott Luton delves into the story of Dr. Lillian Gilbreth, whom many refer to as “the Mother of Modern Management” and “America’s First Lady of Engineering”. On Tuesday, we released 2 new episodes! On this episode of Supply Chain Now, Lora Cecere, Founder of Supply Chain Insights, sat down with Scott Luton and Greg White to discuss COVID-19’s impact on software development, chip shortages, supply chain performance metrics, and more! On TECHquila Sunrise, host Greg White welcomed Jack Freeman of PeakSpan Capital to hear his path from startup to the investor seat, including what he’s learned, what he’s still learning and some new areas that he’s getting…

At the Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit in Denver, Scott Luton sat down with Nari Viswanathan, a veteran innovator in the planning and procurement technology space and a key leader at Coupa. The two reconnected after several recent collaborations—including webinars, industry sessions, and conversations in Dallas—and discussed the new realities of supply chain planning and how organizations are embracing technology like never before.   Coupa and Autonomous Spend Management For those less familiar with Coupa, Viswanathan explained the company as the global leader in autonomous spend management—a framework that brings together direct and indirect spending to help organizations manage total spend more intelligently. Direct spend, of course, is where supply chain operations come into focus, making planning, design, and cost optimization central to the value Coupa delivers. Viswanathan leads Coupa’s global supply chain strategy, shaping how the company positions and scales its solutions across the market. After years spent in supply chain planning technology, he now sits at the intersection of procurement, supply chain, and advanced analytics—an area he believes has never been more exciting or more critical.   Old Problems, New Pressures—and a Greater Willingness to Innovate When asked about the biggest challenges facing planners today, Viswanathan emphasized a…