An Interview with Warren Byrum, Strategic Sourcing at Truist Financial

Bill Duggan, ANA: Your career in strategic sourcing spans 25+ years. What has changed most re: strategic sourcing in that time?

Warren Byrum, Truist: Over the past 25 years, strategic sourcing has evolved from a price‑focused function into a strategic business partner. What once centered on sourcing bids and achieving savings is now deeply tied to enterprise strategy, risk management, supplier innovation, and customer experience. Today, sourcing helps drive growth, speed‑to‑market, and smarter third‑party decisions -- balancing cost, capability, risk, and long‑term value. In short, it’s no longer about buying cheaper, but about enabling growth, resilience, and sustainable value.

Duggan: What are the key KPIs for your role? If it applies - while measuring cost savings is straightforward, how does one measure the value added?

Byrum: The key KPIs for a strong strategic sourcing role center on driving both financial performance and strategic value for the business. While cost savings and efficiency gains are foundational measures, the real value shows up in how well we improve capabilities, influence growth, and elevate decision quality across the organization. I look at KPIs such as supplier innovation contributions, time to market improvements, category health metrics, stakeholder satisfaction, and the incremental revenue or margin enabled through better choices. These indicators help demonstrate that our work is not just about reducing spend, but about building competitive advantage and creating long term enterprise value.”

Duggan: How are you using AI today? And how are your agencies using AI?

Byrum: We’re already seeing real impact from AI. It’s helping us move faster on everyday work -- drafting emails, shaping scopes of work, and quickly turning complex contracts into clear, business‑ready insights. Our agencies and professional services partners are using AI to speed up concepting, streamline workflows, and deepen analytics so decisions are sharper. What’s most exciting is that AI isn’t replacing judgment -- it’s freeing people up to think more strategically, collaborate better, and build higher‑value partnerships.

Duggan: Do you have a role with media? If so, how … and what are some of your projects?

Byrum: We stay involved, from agency selection through ongoing reviews, performance conversations, and supplier management. The focus for sourcing is really about relationship value: having the right capabilities, the right commercial structure, and the right transparency to drive results. We partner with marketing to strengthen accountability and make sure our media investments deliver both efficiency and innovation. In short, it’s about staying connected well beyond the pitch, supporting the business day‑to‑day, and keeping partnerships aligned as needs evolve.

Duggan: What’s one thing agencies should know about strategic sourcing that they might not be aware of today?

Byrum: One thing agencies don’t always realize is that strategic sourcing isn’t just about cost, it’s about enabling strong partnerships. Our role is to bring structure, transparency, and alignment so relationships can perform at their best, not slow things down or reduce decisions to price alone. We look just as closely at capabilities, innovation, accountability, and long‑term value. When we’re involved early, we can help shape the right scope, model, and expectations so everyone wins. Bottom line: sourcing isn’t a gatekeeper, we’re a strategic partner invested in healthy, high‑performing agency relationships. My advice? Engage early, offer training and hands‑on exposure to the agency side, and keep finance partners involved well beyond the negotiation through ongoing reviews and reconciliation

Duggan: You’ll be co-hosting the ANA Advertising Financial Management Conference in early May. What are you most looking forward to at that conference?

Byrum: I’m looking forward to the opportunity to be on the front end of a conference I’ve attended for more than 20 years. Being part of the ANA community for so long, I’ve always valued the learning, transparency, and collaboration this event brings -- but to now help co host it will be truly special. This conference brings together a unique mix of marketing, finance, sourcing, and agency leaders and creates the space for real, open conversations about where the industry is headed. It’s one of the few times we can step back from day to day execution and talk honestly about what’s working, what needs to evolve, and how we build smarter, more transparent, and more collaborative operating models -- especially as AI, data, and measurement continue to reshape how we work. I’m excited to engage with peers, hear fresh thinking, exchange ideas that drive value for our organizations, and connect with leaders tackling similar challenges. After two decades of attending, it’s an honor to help shape the experience and be part of the dialogue in a more visible way.

Duggan: See you in Orlando, Warren!

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