Ep. 12 | Ben Terry: Curiosity Drives Procurement

Procurement professionals who thrive in today’s environment, Ben Terry argues, are the ones who never stop being curious, and never stop adapting.

In this episode of the Procurement Magazine Podcast, host Aaron McMillan sits down with Ben Terry, Chief Procurement Officer at evoke – the global betting and gaming company behind William Hill, 888 and Mr Green. Ben has spent almost two decades moving across Sony PlayStation, John Lewis, Entain and now evoke, picking up a different commercial challenge at each stop. Here, he shares some of the key lessons and consistent threads throughout his career: stay curious, speak the language of the business you're in and never get stuck in a lane.

🎧 To listen and subscribe on Spotify click here
▶️ To listen and watch on YouTube click here​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

In this episode Aaron and Ben explore:

• Why curiosity is becoming procurement's most valuable skill
• How AI should eliminate administrative work rather than replace procurement professionals
• Why procurement teams need to become commercial partners, not process owners
• How procurement leaders can build trust and credibility across the business
• What the procurement team of the future will look like in an AI-driven world

Procurement beyond purchasing

For Ben, procurement's role has evolved well beyond sourcing and supplier management. Modern procurement teams have a unique enterprise-wide perspective that allows them to identify commercial opportunities others may overlook. Rather than simply responding to business demand, procurement should actively shape it by bringing creativity, insight and commercial thinking into strategic conversations. That means challenging assumptions, understanding the wider business and looking for value wherever it exists, not just within traditional procurement boundaries.

Becoming the procurement chameleon

One of Ben's strongest messages is that procurement professionals must become ‘chameleons’. Every stakeholder has different priorities, whether it's the CFO, Chief Commercial Officer or Legal team, and procurement must adapt accordingly. Building credibility isn't about saying "no" or hiding behind process, it's about speaking the language of the business, understanding its objectives and delivering against commitments consistently. Trust, he explains, is built through transparency, reliability and commercial understanding over time.

AI should create time for value

While AI dominates conversations across procurement, Ben believes its greatest impact will come from removing repetitive, low-value work. Tasks such as contract reviews, sourcing administration and data analysis can increasingly be automated, giving procurement professionals more time to focus on supplier relationships, strategic thinking and creating business value. Rather than replacing procurement, AI should amplify the capabilities that matter most.

Why curiosity matters more than ever

Asked what skill he values most when hiring, Ben doesn't hesitate: curiosity. As procurement becomes more strategic, professionals need to understand their industries, customers, suppliers and competitors at a much deeper level. Those who ask better questions, challenge the status quo and continuously learn will be best placed to unlock new commercial opportunities. Curiosity, Ben argues, isn't simply a personality trait, it's a skill that can be developed throughout a career.

The procurement team of the future

Looking ahead, Ben expects procurement functions to become leaner, supported by AI and automation that removes much of today's operational workload. However, he believes human judgement will become even more valuable. Future procurement leaders will need stronger commercial instincts, systems thinking and the ability to build partnerships across the business. The challenge will be ensuring the next generation still gains enough real-world experience as traditional entry-level tasks become increasingly automated.

Subscribe and Listen

Episode 12 is brought to you by Amazon Business, the one-stop destination for everything your organisation needs.

Explore More from the Procurement Podcast Series

Catch up on Episode 11, featuring Felix Meng, Co-Founder of Zip, discussing super agents, AI governance and the future of autonomous procurement.