{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Spend Table","title":"White Glove IT Procurement Strategy with Coursera's Isa Rivera","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2115,"description":"Michael Shields and Justin Etkin sit down with Isa Rivera, Senior Global IT Procurement and Asset Management Manager at Coursera, to explore her unique journey from sales to becoming the first procurement hire at a major tech company. Isa shares how she built trust with engineering executives in just 3 months by providing white glove service that removed the burden of vendor management from technical teams. Her approach focuses not just on savings but on taking complete ownership of the procurement process from proof of concept to multimillion dollar contracts.The conversation dives into practical AI applications in procurement, including how Isa partnered with an AI specialist to build contract review agents that instantly identify missing terms and commercial details. She also discusses navigating mergers and acquisitions, having been through the Sprint and T-Mobile consolidation, and now managing the integration of Coursera's recent acquisition. Isa explains how Coursera implemented innovative review committees to control AI spend and new tool purchases, creating streamlined processes that balance innovation with budget controls.Key topics covered:[00:00] Intro[00:52] From Sales to Procurement Journey[01:56] Reporting to IT vs Finance[03:55] Building Stakeholder Trust and Credibility[05:26] White Glove Service Model[08:51] Navigating Company Acquisitions[11:21] M&A Best Practices and NDAs[15:15] AI's Impact on Procurement Value[16:53] Building Custom AI Agents[20:05] Internal AI Training Programs[21:00] Managing Email Overload with AI[22:05] AI Token Costs and Budget Control[25:47] Policy Shifts Around Software Purchases[28:32] ROI Standards for New Technology[29:24] Review Committee Implementation ProcessA fascinating look at building procurement functions from the ground up and leveraging AI to unlock strategic value in modern tech companies.","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/wmVDEyTyl07EW7CAsCnXyQuNcv2lT2cjrZSv-J9gKTA/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9iMDgz/ZmFhMTg1MDVmZTY3/NDNhNzRlZTAwMGQ1/NTcwYi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}