Aaqil Kassamali: Procurement, the Heart of SaaS Management at Hootsuite

Starting a career in sports sales, Aaqil Kassamali never imagined his journey would take him to building and leading a Procurement team at Hootsuite. From creating broader visibility to turnkey internal processes, it’s become the heart of their SaaS management program. In this episode, discover the lessons Aaqil and his team have learned and his advice for positioning Procurement as a valuable business partner.Episode Highlights: [02:14] Aaqil's background experience in sales[04:56] Being in sales and building empathy[06:39] The moment Hootsuite realized it needed to cenralize IT and SaaS efforts[08:28] Building out purchase orders[11:04] The branding of procurement and showing value to hesitant minds[12:52] What SAM and SaaS ownership looks like at Hootsuite[14:03] Software sits in legal at Hootsuite, how to balance function and needs?[]15:56 Metrics and KPIs Aaqil reports to his boss[18:17] The process and people being fearful for time[21:30] Important areas of focus for a sound SaaS management strategy internally[23:29] The rise of SaaS and distribution[25:47] Tackling the transformation[26:13] Discussing renewal fatigue and downstream effects[27:33] Aaqil's thoughts on budgeting around SaaS for fast growing organizations[31:53 ] The next evolution of procurement at Hootsuite[32:52] Data and insights