Explore every episode of the podcast Nine3 - The Podcast

In the latest episode of Nine3 The Podcast, Michael chat's with Charlotte Payne about procurement's influence being decided by when it is invited into the conversation rather than by where it sits on the organisation chart.

Charlotte also shares her recent professional high side moment, what she believes the best leaders are doing today, challenges within the Australia / New Zealand landscape, real world procurement failures and where AI sits.

Charlotte Payne is Principal Consultant of Payne Strategic Advisory, an executive-led consulting practice working at two points: procurement and commercial capability across organisations, and operational, digital and governance transformation inside professional bodies and membership associations. She established the practice in 2026 and is building it AI-first from the ground up.

She spent twenty-one years at a chartered professional institute, latterly as General Manager and locally appointed director for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. She is UK-based and works across the UK, Australia and New Zealand, and her work has taken her to seventeen countries and territories, spanning government, private sector, NGO and third sector organisations.

She has an academic foundation in physics, an MBA in strategic procurement and MCIPS Chartered status. Analytical by training, and inclined to argue the other side of a position before agreeing with it.

Contact Charlotte at:

charlotte@payne-strategic.co.uk

https://www.payne-strategic.co.uk/

In this episode, Michael from Nine3 chat's with Amanda Branley, a procurement leader who’s operated at the very top of government and now coaches teams across Australia on how to lift their procurement and contract management capability.

Amanda’s career spans:

• Chief Procurement Officer at the Public Transport Authority
• Senior leadership roles across the Department of Education
• Founder of The Procurement Coach, where she now advises, mentors, and supports organisations navigating modern procurement challenges

Our conversation goes deep into what strong procurement leadership actually looks like today, not the textbook version, but the real, lived version inside complex government environments.

We explore:

• What the best procurement leaders are doing differently
• How leadership shifts when you’re operating in a government setting
• The realities of ethical leadership, ESG, and doing the right thing when no one’s watching
• Communicating clearly and calmly as a manager
• Managing the daily flood of emails without losing your mind
• And how leaders can actually switch off at the end of the week

It’s a grounded, honest conversation with someone who’s been in the pressure seat and now helps others navigate it with more clarity and confidence.

If you want to connect with Amanda:

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/amandabranley
• Email: amanda@theprocurementcoach.com.au
• Website: www.theprocurementcoach.com.au

Robbie and Michael Bertalli come together to introduce their first podcast series relating to leadership. It takes a little while to get the ball rolling, which provides some insight into the nature of this leadership podcast

We talk through current leadership challenges and experiences, as well as the format for future episodes that are focused on interviewing leaders from across various industries about their leadership journey. You can reach out to both Michael or Robbie on LinkedIn to discuss in more detail.