Season 2 Ep 18: 2026 and Beyond: The Future of Procurement feat. Ari Stone

RELEASED October 28, 2025

Q4 is always an interesting time of year – like standing between two worlds. On the one hand, everyone is pressing forward, trying to hit or exceed current year targets. On the other hand, it is very hard not to let your imagination wander ahead to the brand new year getting closer by the day. 

In this episode of the #LoveProcurement podcast host Vishal Patel welcomes Ari Stone, Ivalua’s Global SVP of Value Engineering, Solution Consulting & Services, back to the show to identify and describe what he sees as the biggest trends in procurement this year before looking forward to 2026. 

Ari and Vishal share their perspectives on:

• The developing concept of ‘digital employees’ that is rising out of the AI and automation trend and what it means for human talent
• Business expectations for the increased autonomy of processes and systems
• The pervasive problem of data quality, and how it continues to be the lynchpin of agentic AI ROI
• Continuing ups and downs of global trade and geopolitics