Season 2 – Ep 5: Building Procurement Careers with Meaning feat. Lauren Feery and Kathryn Thompson

RELEASED April 29, 2025

Procurement leaders are notorious for finding varied paths into the function, often bringing with them a depth and breadth of experience that the teams they join benefit from. Just as important as the knowledge they gather are the people they meet along the way – mentors and trailblazers who inspire them and open doors ahead of them, clearing a path for them to do the same.

In this episode of the #LoveProcurement podcast, Kelly Barner is joined by Lauren Feery and Kathryn Thompson. 

Lauren is the Group Procurement Director at DS Smith, a leading global sustainable package company. With extensive experience in procurement across 30 countries, Lauren has been instrumental in aligning procurement strategies with overall business objectives. 

Kathryn is a leading figure in procurement as well, currently heading the procurement practice for Deloitte EMEA. With over 20 years of experience, she specializes in digital procurement and has led numerous transformation programs across various sectors, including consumer products, oil and gas, retail, financial services, and life sciences. 

In this episode, Lauren and Kathryn speak openly about:

• The professional journey and background that brought each of them to this point in their career
• The professional skills and personal traits that set procurement leaders up for success
• How they think about (and benefit from) working with diverse teams