Talking Tech Sourcing - Navigating the New Reality of Procurement and IT Spend
The IT sourcing playbook has changed — fast.
Vendor aggression is up. Renewals feel like prenups.
AI disruption is rewriting tech stacks before contracts even expire.
As procurement leaders, we’re being asked to do more than negotiate — we’re expected to create leverage, align with strategy, and protect enterprise value in the middle of chaos.
Join your peers at our pre-Tech Sourcing, Chicago webinar to tackle:
• The new rules of leverage in IT negotiations
• Navigating vendor aggression and renewal pressure
• Turning AI from hype into measurable value
• Real-world strategies from practitioners leading digital transformation
Hear actionable insight and honest conversation with our panel of procurement experts and they unpack the perfect storm reshaping our industry.
Speakers
A glimpse into who will inspire this conversation!
Jamie Martino
SVP Strategic Sourcing & Founder, IT Diversity and Leader
Talking Tech Sourcing
Sheri Spinks
Procurement & Supply Chain Executive
Jon Winsett
CEO
NPI Financial
Susan Patrick Harris
VP Procurement
R1 RCM
Michael Shields
VP Procurement
Tropic
speaker bios
Jamie Martino has been intimately involved in the launch of Internet related technologies over the past 30 years, which have transformed the commercial economy. His early career included the deployment of 80 of the earliest fiber broadband networks and the launch of the first competitive switched voice service. Driving competitive broadband deployment at TCG and e.Spire, Jamie enhanced consumer choice and reduced the cost of high speed communications for businesses.Jamie has unique leadership experience in IT sourcing, procurement, and expense management. As CEO of Last Mile Connections and Avotus Corporation, he designed sourcing software solutions, which disrupted an industry and enhanced leverage for buyers. As the Global Leader of IT Sourcing at Ingersoll Rand, he managed over $300M in IT Spend and achieved record results for Savings, Diversity Spend, Working Capital and Employee Engagement. As the Global Leader for Access Management at Global Crossing, he managed a $2.8 billion P&L and achieved savings of over $225M.
Sheri Spinks is a dynamic procurement and supply chain executive with over 25 years of global experience transforming sourcing functions into strategic value partners and key business enablers. In her most recent role as Vice President of Global Procurement Strategy at Primo Water Corp, she successfully managed a portfolio exceeding $1 billion in spend while spearheading operational excellence, transformation initiatives, and digital enhancements.
Her extensive career spans diverse industries, including consumer packaged goods (CPG), retail, biopharma, manufacturing, distribution, marketing, and print. Sheri is known for her strong focus on innovation and sustainable change, having led enterprise-wide procurement transformations that foster high-performing teams, streamlined systems, and efficient processes. Her efforts have significantly improved operational efficiency, strengthened supplier relationships, and enhanced risk management, delivering maximum business value and measurable impact.
As a recognized thought leader in the field, Sheri is passionate about sharing insights on best practices and the evolving landscape of sourcing and procurement. She is currently seeking her next opportunity with an organization poised to elevate its sourcing and procurement function to new heights.
Jon Winsett is the CEO and Founder of NPI, a company specializing in IT sourcing optimization to help businesses reduce overspending on IT purchases. With a strong background in account management and business development, he has successfully led NPI to become a trusted advisor for clients seeking significant savings in their IT expenditures. Jon’s leadership is characterized by a commitment to nurturing a success-oriented team environment, which has contributed to impressive savings for clients across various industries. He is also recognized for his thought leadership in spend management, frequently consulted by major media outlets. Outside of work, Jon is passionate about aviation and boating, and he enjoys exploring the world. He believes in the power of data-driven strategies to drive negotiation success and enhance client outcomes.
Susan Patrick Harris has over 20+ years experience in a combination of Healthcare, Retail and Manufacturing, Experienced in P2P strategy, strategic sourcing, category management, AP and vendor management. Strong background in sourcing all goods and services needed in a Healthcare Environment and developing rapid response measures during the Covid pandemic. Susan builds strong and nimble teams and enjoy supporting end users that are saving lives everyday! Her passion is problem solving and is often called a Fixer! Susan has done everything from opening a warehouse in the middle of the pandemic to relocating Wellpath’s home office with a full construction build out. She is a mom of 3 children and husband, Stephen.
Michael Shields is VP of Procurement at Tropic. He has worked in Procurement for 15 years – as a full time employee, college professor, advisor and consultant. Although he has experience on both the direct and indirect side, the last 8 years has been focused on indirect with a heavy emphasis for managing SaaS spend – an area of explosive growth for many companies. Prior to tropic, Michael led procurement at two other companies – Qualtrics and MX. He has proven incredibly adept at standing up the function and developing a process and team that are respected as valued partners. His playbook increases visibility and control while creating a strong user experience. He understands the value of networking both externally (to collaborate and share ideas) and internally to champion the cause of procurement and deliver value that stakeholders can understand and appreciate. Michael is committed to the cause of elevating the procurement professional as well as improving the perception of procurement in the business world.