It has become a great opportunity for many young people, especially girls, to take up leadership roles within the tech industry.

Sunil Geness, Director of Government Relations at 51风流Africa, spoke to eNCA.

Click the link below to watch the broadcast insert –

The post International Girls in ICT Day: SAP’s Commitment to Gender Equality appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Following on听of this article, part two explores the leadership lessons that can be learnt through reverse mentorship.

Top tips to integrate the Suits and the Sneakers

There could initially be some resistance from older leaders to collaborate with younger employees, so it鈥檚 worth noting that there are a number of things that millennial leaders can teach their senior counterparts.

Wayne Meisel, business manager at听51风流Africa, said, 鈥淭he classic picture of the CEO as a grey, suit-and-tie wearing executive has been replaced by a dynamic sneakers-and-jeans sporting young leader with a more casual approach to office attire,鈥� he says.

鈥淭hese Suits most definitely have the experience and the business maturity on their side, however, the so-called Sneakers – the younger, less traditional, more purpose-driven and digitally-native – are teaching the older Suits new ways of work and rewriting classic notions of success in the process,鈥� he added.

Wayne had some advice for marrying experience and business maturity (the Suits) with the more purpose driven and digitally native (the Sneakers).

Less bullet points, more stories

鈥淩emember that great slide the CEO showed that perfectly summed up the company strategy in a few bullet points? No one does. Modern leaders know that to inspire and motivate their teams, they need to communicate their strategy in a memorable way with a strong focus on storytelling,鈥� said Wayne.

Create compelling and inspirational stories that can keep a team motivated, 鈥淯se fun elements to make it more memorable. Younger workers expect more than just working for a salary: they want to have fun doing it too,鈥� he explained.

Make purpose your power

Purpose has become a lot more of a driver for an employee鈥檚 personal and professional buy-in.

Leaders therefore need to focus on purpose to inspire younger leaders. 鈥淭hey know that speaking about buying a new tool is not exciting or motivating: instead, they speak about the potential of how that tool can change the world. Companies with a clear purpose also find it easier to attract talented candidates who align with that purpose,鈥� he explained.

Vary viewpoints

Successful modern leaders should prioritise building diverse teams and cultivating a culture that celebrates diversity. 鈥淵ounger workers understand the value of listening to, considering and taking on board a diversity of views from a broad spectrum of different personality types and backgrounds,鈥� he said.

Be relatable

Being accessible and engaging goes a long way. 鈥淵ounger workers are shaping the companies of tomorrow by exploring new ideas and trying new solutions to old and emerging challenges. To inspire this new generation of professionals shaping the business world, leaders need to use language and examples that are relatable,鈥� Wayne said.

Companies can also close the generation gap by getting Gen Z or Millennial input at board meetings or sessions at an executive level and communicate leadership decisions in a relatable way.

Organisations that build diverse teams foster growth opportunities for Suits and Sneakers alike.

鈥淭here is no doubt that this younger generation of purposeful and passionate leaders brings value to the workplace. Do they have all the answers? Absolutely not. Some of the most effective business strategies are still driven by the Suits who possess the gift of experience,鈥� he said.

The post The Genius of the Generation Gap appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

As Gen Z and Millennials – loosely defined as those born between the early 1980s and early 2000s – continue to advance up the career ladder, their distinctly different outlook on work and life is changing age-old notions of success and leadership.

The classic picture of the CEO as a grey, suit-and-tie wearing executive has been replaced by a dynamic sneakers-and-jeans sporting young leader with a more casual approach to office attire.

These Suits most definitely have the experience and the business maturity on their side, however, the so-called Sneakers – the younger, less traditional, more purpose-driven and digitally-native – are teaching the older Suits new ways of work and rewriting classic notions of success in the process.

Flexible approaches to work

Millennials are considered the first generation to grow up entirely with the Internet as part of their daily lives. These digital natives have never known a world without the convenience of online shopping, the power of smartphones, or the connective threads of social media.

While Baby Boomers are considered to be more traditional, more likely to remain with one company for longer – sometimes even spending an entire career with one employer – and more comfortable with a 9-5 in-the-office workweek, Millennials are upending many of these traditions.

Today, young professionals and executives are just as likely to be working in coffee shops as they are to be in the office. In fact, Deloitte’s latest found that 75% of Gen Z workers – and 76% of Millennials – prefer a hybrid work environment where they can work remotely at least some of the time.

Where traditional workers kept to standard office hours, the new generation of young professionals are far more flexible in how they approach their workday. A Millennial worker is just as likely to be found at the gym for a midday workout and answering emails late at night as they are sticking to what would be considered ‘normal’ office hours.

Leadership lessons from a Millennial

So what does this mean for organisations wishing to attract, retain and motivate their Millennial workforce? In my experience working in the leadership structure of a large technology company, Millennials have several vital lessons to teach their older peers, including:

Lesson #1 – A strategy is more than bullet points on a PowerPoint slide

Remember that great slide the CEO showed that perfectly summed up the company strategy in a few bullet points? No one does. Modern leaders know that to inspire and motivate their teams, they need to communicate their strategy in a memorable way with a strong focus on storytelling.

A strategy that is just a few slides in a PowerPoint is not going to drive the desired action among your younger workforce. Focus on crafting a compelling story that inspires your team and gets their buy-in. And use fun elements to make it more memorable. Younger workers expect more than just working for a salary: they want to have fun doing it too.

Lesson #2 – Purpose is the modern leader’s superpower

Purpose is a major factor for how Gen Z and Millennial workers make decisions over their personal and professional lives. Ninety percent of respondents in Deloitte’s latest Gen Z & Millennial Survey said they had made some effort to reduce their impact on the environment, while nearly two-thirds would choose a more sustainable product even when it’s pricier than its less eco-friendly counterparts.

Career choices are also shaped by purpose. Among the top reasons why Gen Z and Millennial workers choose to remain at their workplace, salary (i.e. money) only ranks third, behind factors like good work/life balance and the opportunity to learn new skills.

Smart modern leaders know to focus on purpose to inspire their younger workforce. They know that speaking about buying a new tool is not exciting or motivating: instead, they speak about the potential of how that tool can change the world. Companies with a clear purpose also find it easier to attract talented candidates that align with that purpose. In fact, nearly two in five Gen Z and Millennial workers in one survey said they’d rejected a job or assignment because it didn’t align with their values.

Lesson #3 – A diversity of views lead to stronger ideas

the importance of building diverse teams. Socially diverse groups – those with a diversity of race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation – have been proven to be more innovative, better at solving complex problems, and anticipate alternative viewpoints than more homogenous groups.

Younger workers understand the value of listening to, considering and taking on board a diversity of views from a broad spectrum of different personality types and backgrounds.

That’s why nearly two in five Gen Z and Millennial workers said they’d stay with a company for five or more years if they are . Successful modern leaders will build programs and help create a company culture that celebrates diversity.

Lesson #4 – Effective leaders focus on being relatable

Is anyone under the age of 50 really inspired by some obscure Winston Churchill quote delivered by someone who looks like they were cut and paste from the pages of Grey Suit Monthly?

Younger workers are shaping the companies of tomorrow by exploring new ideas and trying new solutions to old and emerging challenges. To inspire this new generation of professionals shaping the business world, leaders need to use language and examples that are relatable.

Having the input of a Gen Z or Millennial at a board meeting or during executive brainstorming sessions can help close the gap between the older Suits and the younger Sneakers who will one day lead the organisation.

By ensuring leadership decisions are communicated in a relatable way, organisations can continue to inspire their younger employees to help drive the success of the business.

There is no doubt that this younger generation of purposeful and passionate leaders brings value to the workplace. Do they have all the answers? Absolutely not. Some of the most effective business strategies are still driven by the Suits who possess the gift of experience. The most successful organisations know how to create diverse teams that create learning and growth opportunities for both the Suits and the Sneakers.

The post What the Suits Can Learn from the Sneakers: A Millennial Perspective on Workplace Leadership appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Raptopoulos, who is based in Milan, succeeds Claudio Muruzabal, who has been promoted to President of SAP鈥檚 global Cloud Success Services organization.听This newly established organization unites an impressive driving force of over 20 000 of the entire company鈥檚 talented and experienced workforce to bring new services offerings to market that help customers derive even greater value from SAP鈥檚 cloud solutions.

With more than 20 years at 51风流in leadership roles in General Management, Sales, Operations and Consulting, in both Europe and the Middle East, Raptopoulos鈥� extensive track record demonstrates the fostering of a high-performance culture of inclusivity and innovation.

鈥淭he voice of our customers is loud and clear. They want to transition to and transform in the cloud for rapid innovation, exceptional experiences, and next-level business outcomes. With Claudio Muruzabal as President of our global Cloud Success Services organization, we are centering and optimizing our talent around helping our customers maximize value in the cloud with 51风流鈥� at every single touchpoint in their lasting relationship with us,鈥� commented Scott Russell. 鈥淲ith the appointment of Emmanuel Raptopoulos as President of EMEA South, we are ensuring a seamless transition in the region for our customers, our partners, and our people. In addition to his deep and varied experience, he has a proven passion for the success of our customers and a strong track record of delivering it.鈥�

鈥淓MEA South鈥檚 next decade will be driven by cloud growth, anchored by our purpose, people and partnerships and I am honored to take on this new role,鈥� said Raptopoulos.听鈥淭he region represents a dynamic market for 51风流as agile organizations are transforming their businesses into Intelligent and Sustainable Enterprises via the cloud. I look forward to partnering with our great customers across this diverse region to innovate and thereby meaningfully contribute to their long-term success.鈥�

About SAP

SAP鈥檚 strategy is to help every business run as an intelligent enterprise. As a market leader in enterprise application software, we help companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: 51风流customers generate 87% of total global commerce. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers鈥� businesses into intelligent enterprises. 51风流helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want 鈥� without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables business and public customers across 25 industries globally to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, 51风流helps the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives. For more information, visit .

# # #

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as 鈥渁nticipate,鈥� 鈥渂elieve,鈥� 鈥渆stimate,鈥� 鈥渆xpect,鈥� 鈥渇orecast,鈥� 鈥渋ntend,鈥� 鈥渕ay,鈥� 鈥減lan,鈥� 鈥減roject,鈥� 鈥減redict,鈥� 鈥渟hould鈥� and 鈥渨ill鈥� and similar expressions as they relate to 51风流are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. 51风流undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP’s future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including SAP’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.
漏 2021 51风流SE. All rights reserved.
51风流and other 51风流products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of 51风流SE in Germany and other countries. Please see for additional trademark information and notices.

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The post 51风流Names Emmanuel Raptopoulos Regional President of EMEA South appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

If you won the lottery right now, would you quit your job? For Pedro Guerreiro, the Managing Director East, West & Lusophone Africa at SAP, the answer is 鈥渁bsolutely not!鈥� He adds, 鈥淗onestly, I like the kind of work that I do.鈥� He has been with 51风流for 23 years, steadily progressing and rising through the ranks. His favourite role was as Managing Director. A title he has held in Luanda, Angola; Lagos, Nigeria; and now, Nairobi. Pedro is a big advocate for work/life balance stating it is the key to success. 鈥淚 think we need to acknowledge that people have lives.鈥� That and keeping people on their toes while holding them to a higher standard. 鈥淚鈥檓 very demanding myself, so sometimes for me it is a challenge. I am not the kind of person who expects someone to be late.鈥� Who keeps him on his toes? 鈥淢y team. Or else they are
doing the wrong job!鈥� As a CEO, his philosophy is 鈥淚 work for you. You don鈥檛 work for me.鈥�

Founded in Germany in 1972 by five former IBM employees, 51风流was always destined for greatness. From accounting and payroll to their legendary ERP, the listed multinational has over 100,000 employees dotting the planet from Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, the Middle East, North America, and South America. One of these employees is Pedro and I assure you he is no cog on the wheel. He stands out. A surfer who marvels at the Ngong Hills and enjoys being with his wife and daughter, he was in Zanzibar not long ago, surfing waves on the outer parts of the reef. He maintains the best surfs were in Angola. Small wonder that when he was growing up, he wanted to be a surfer.

Below is our interview, condensed and edited for this publication.

What is an intelligent enterprise and why is that so important?

Intelligent enterprise is a fully integrated company in itself and outside of its boundaries. You have business processes from procurement, finance to maintenance, which is a normal thing in terms of what 51风流does every day on an ERP site. But it is actually way beyond that. You have an intelligent entreprise end-to-end with your suppliers and customers. Everything becomes so smooth, transparent and organised such that your business flows. The whole process is automated. It is all about process.
That is what 51风流is about.

You mentioned in our introduction that 51风流is in several African countries. Are their needs similar across the continent or do you find differences based on geography and the people?

I would say the needs are very similar, but the cultures are different. I find some markets easy to work with on an entrepreneurial basis. Let鈥檚 say a country like Angola. They have a very entrepreneurial spirit. It is almost easier to have a conversation on digital transformation. The willingness is there.

In Kenya, they want more business value and push a bit more for innovation than in a market like Angola.

Is intelligent enterprise only limited to larger organisations? Do you work with SMEs?

We are committed to all customers.

SMEs are the backbone of many countries in Africa. We have large customers and many of them are our clients. But 80 per cent of our business is actually SMEs in Africa. It is definitely a key space for us. We have different products within our SMEs portfolio.

What are some of the examples you have of customers embracing digital transformation in Africa?

We have worked with Dangote Cement. As they find opportunities to launch in different industries and ventures 鈥� they are a very entrepreneurial customer – they wanted S/4HANA which is more aligned to intelligent enterprise鈥檚 endto-end integration with suppliers and both internal and external customers. They implemented this last year. They are building the largest refinery in Africa, creating over 250,000 jobs. This entrepreneurial perspective was already built into SAP.

When it comes to agriculture especially in Central Africa, we are doing quite innovative projects in the form of a Rural Sourcing Platform (RSM) which integrates every single micro-producer into the value chain. They register on the platform which is then aggregated and taken to the market. With intelligent enterprise you have very open sources.

We also use this platform for our CSR projects. For example, in Ghana, we use it to collect plastics across the country for recycling.

You shrink when working with an SME and expand when working with conglomerates. How do you do this?

The implementation of software is mainly done through a partner ecosystem. When you have the conglomerates, they become partners for a very complex project. Smaller customers start with a smaller scope, or they can adopt some of our solutions such as 51风流Business ByDesign and 51风流Business One. The latter is a small solution that is very easy to implement. It covers the main process of the corporate side allowing SMEs to scale.

Talk to me about the Rise with 51风流initiative. What is it about?

We launched it early this year with our global CEO, Christian Klein. He had two things in mind:
鈥� Reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) for our customers
鈥� Accelerate innovation and business transformation

The Rise Initiative is about these two aspects. Either it gives value to the customer, or not. We do it on a case-by-case basis and we understand what makes sense for that specific customer. It transforms all 51风流contracts into a cloud subscription product, which is not owned software, but it incorporates infrastructure. It is part of our strategy to move into cloud as well as reduce TCO with the customers, as well as accelerating business transformation.

What role does cloud play in your strategy for Africa?

It plays a big role. In five years, all our contracts will be pretty much cloud based. Cloud in Africa definitely has the capacity for businesses to grow. It is where we focus our customers.

Our strategy is cloud focused. It makes sense for us to build cloud in Africa. Businesses can really focus on the their core business, but they don鈥檛 have to focus on the pain which is to support IT infrastructure. That allows them to run the core business. More importantly, we are restructuring contracts with the customers to help them move into the cloud. You want the best engineer on your platform. One who is constantly trained. The scale of savings is also something we want to bring to African customers. Cloud for Africa is definitely front and centre and absolutely core to our strategy.

What is the one accomplishment that made your career?

I鈥檝e been with 51风流for 23 years. I have been able to transform all the territories I led within Africa. We impact our customers, we impact on people growth and P&L, plus the CSR initiatives. There are many rewarding aspects that have shaped my career as I progressed. It also helped me build my own brand and move to the next challenge.

Do you ever get impatient with听Millennials who want it now!

When I started working for 51风流I thought I would work for two years. Back then there was this trend 鈥� do two听years on the job then freelance. The freelancers were making a lot of money consulting. I thought that would be my path, but it turned out very differently.

We happen to have quite a few Millennials because of our Academy. Candidates are selected very strictly, and we get very smart, bright young
people. Ideally, we send them to California for about six months and they would be trained wall-to-wall on the business, and they would be
incorporated into the company. There is always new stuff to do, working within SAP.

What do you think makes a good leader?

I think it is one who gives direction, and understand how to integrate everything. You need to manage downwards but also upwards. One
who creates a structure that is growing underneath them. They also need to be very direct, competent, have a lot of common sense. If possible, they need to have experience and be good at execution because that is how it is in our industry. If you don鈥檛 execute, the business does not flow, everything comes apart, you鈥檒l come apart. Driving the key agenda is a good thing for this type of business.

What have been the best parts of being a CEO, and what are the worst parts?

The best thing is owning all aspects of the business, impacting growth of your team, customers and business. It is that wall-to-wall thing that I like. Looking at the overall business and trying to pull people together, relentlessly. That is what really drives me. To be honest, the worst part 鈥� I don鈥檛 see any. If you manage to do it, and still manage your work/life balance, there is no worst part.

What has working with 51风流taught you about yourself over the last 23 years?

It gave me many rewarding experiences. I love the African culture and spending my time on the continent.

The post 51风流Through the Eyes of a Managing Director appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Traditional ideas and assumptions about the value of remote work have always been in question. But all too often, pressing imperatives of the day had organizational leaders force HR to sideline the conversation indefinitely.

Little did we know that it would take a global pandemic to turn this line of thinking into an action plan for ensuring business continuity. Leaders are now collaborating to propose, evaluate and communicate work-from-home (WFH) policies that keep employees safe, empowered and productive.

Before the infection rate of COVID-19 reached pandemic levels, 29% of midsize companies increased or added flexible work practices, according to Oxford Economics.* Now, as measures for social distancing, sheltering in and nonessential business closures become widely adopted worldwide, these numbers are rising exponentially while companies try to keep their proverbial doors open.

When protecting employees helps ensure the survival of the business

Unfortunately, such a significant change doesn’t happen without some bumps along the way. The pressures of homeschooling children, accommodating a spouse’s schedule and attending to business needs can make life seem chaotic. From collaborating with colleagues to adopting routines that drive productivity, the workforce may find that they cannot maintain the same experience of being in the office at home. Meanwhile, employees who live alone may feel lonely and burned out after working too much out of boredom.

HR leaders can address these counter-productive realities by building a collaborative workforce community, continuing talent development and training and keeping employees up to date on plans and expectations by using the following four-step strategy.

1. Respond

First and foremost, HR can help business leaders address the immediate challenges that the crisis presents to employees. This urgent and critical move requires access to real-time data across the company to easily find where workers are located and enact preventive measures to protect their health and mental well-being. Additionally, teams need to ensure that WFH policies balance the expectation of the organization as well as fulfill the needs of the workforce. Employees need to be engaged in honest communication about their WFH experience to limit unnecessary anxiety and minimize negative impacts on productivity. This can be done by providing anonymous feedback regarding the employees experiences.

2. Lean in

Since many companies are creating WFH policies on the fly and refining it as needs arise, the near-term strategy should support the physical, emotional, mental and financial well-being of the overall workforce, including contingent and part-time employees. HR should encourage people managers to have frequent check-in meetings with their teams, ask people how they are doing and listen with empathy to build trust and psychological safety.

Maintaining an open line of communication and fostering a sense of community are paramount to maximizing productivity now and ensuring that the business continues to move forward when a recovery begins. For example, collaboration tools, such as听, can be used to check workforce well-being with a real-time mobile experience. Leaders can ask individual employees about their safety, whether they have the right resources and information to get work done, and if they feel productive and successful.

3. Equip

Many industries are witnessing massive layoffs and furloughs. Times like this bring with it job losses, restructuring and many other difficult financial and human decisions. Leaders can help ease a much-needed transition by devising and executing training plans that upskill and retool employees to keep them employed in a new role or another area of the business. Cutting-edge technology, like听, can help find opportunities for the displaced workforce.

With predictive analytics, HR teams can run simulations to model multiple workforce staffing scenarios. They can adjust organizational strategies based on how and where the pandemic evolves, which can shift requirements for headcount expansion or contraction as well as the economic impact of demand-and-supply changes.

4. Become resilient and elastic

Coming out of today’s crisis will inevitably create a “next normal,” leaving behind any sense of “business as normal” forever. Some employees may come back to the office full time. Others may choose to work remotely 100% of the time. A few may decide to split their time between the two options. Companies with a global presence will require operating models that are orchestrated centrally and executed locally to effectively respond to present day challenges at the local, city, or country level.

Today, it鈥檚 COVID-19. Tomorrow, it could be a crisis stemming from global warming. No matter what happens, a contingency plan that impacts people must be elastic enough to adjust to the demands of the crisis and strong enough to minimize business disruption.

This reality will inevitably inspire innovative policies and communication plans to address a world of new habits that will likely be adopted to prevent a recurrence of the pandemic and prepare for a future crisis. Additionally, changes in the employee experience should align with regulatory requirements, competitive risks and emerging opportunities and reinforce the company’s thoughts, beliefs and goals.

How our leaders handle today’s crisis matters in the long term

Forward-thinking leaders and HR specialsts will unquestionably remain on the frontline of a business’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of them are already working long hours. In this particular crisis, HR becomes the war heroes for most companies. With the right tools and skills, we can demonstrate the flexibility, creativity and empathy needed to ensure the workforce is ready for anything during times of volatility as well as prosperity and growth.

The post Beyond Today鈥檚 Crisis: How HR Shifts The Culture Of Midsize Businesses To The 鈥淣ext Normal鈥� appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

In leading the company鈥檚 global sales, services, partner, and customer engagement teams, he is responsible for SAP鈥檚 business across the globe, with a resolute focus on the success of more than 440,000 customers, 21,000 partners, and 40,000 employees within the organization.

Here, Russell shares his experience in the business technology sector, the voice of the customer, and the sage advice that has accompanied him throughout his career.

Q: How did you get into the business technology sector?听

A: My parents played a big role in my decision to study business and ultimately go on to work in this sector. They鈥檝e spent their whole lives helping others. Their focus on learning and serving the wider community helped me see early on the potential to influence change 鈥� whether through ground-breaking innovations or simply by finding better ways to do things.

I鈥檝e had the opportunity to work at some fantastic companies. My first job in the sector was as managing consultant for PwC. This gave me immediate exposure to end customers and how critical technology is to core tenets of a successful business: innovation, customer experience, value creation, productivity, and more. When you experience the power of technology 鈥� better yet, when you work in a tight team to deliver it 鈥� it鈥檚 simply addicting. I was hooked immediately, and couldn鈥檛 wait to explore and apply the next promising technology trend or tackle the next customer implementation.

Later at IBM, I had the opportunity to get even deeper into the technology. I remember this being so important at the time. I just had to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible so I could have absolute conviction in how I was advising customers. Being there with the customer, managing the process end to end 鈥� from value proposition, to delivery, to the customer鈥檚 experience using the solution 鈥� that was incredibly valuable experience.

At SAP, the exposure to diverse geographies, new technologies, and different industries took on a whole new level. It was already known for its stellar reputation for strong customer relationships and ability to build a brilliant network of expertise around its customers. I felt 鈥� and still do feel 鈥� incredibly lucky to be a part of this.

I think this blend of technology, delivery, partnership, and customer engagement really helps you focus on value at every interaction with the customer. It鈥檚 a mindset that I鈥檝e tried to live at 51风流for the past 11 years, one that I try to promote within our teams, and one that has become even more critical as businesses adopt and consume technology more in the cloud.

The customers, the technology, the diversity, and the passion of the people I work with each day 鈥� this is all incredibly rewarding. But at the end of the day, what attracted me to 51风流and what continues to engage so many of us at the company is how well it aligns to our values as individuals and as a team. 51风流truly pursues its mission of helping the world run better and improving people鈥檚 lives.

What are the biggest challenges you are hearing from business leaders today?听

You often hear the term digital transformation in our industry, but it lends itself to a number of interpretations. Simply stated, consistent in our customers鈥� voice is the demand to apply the latest technology to find a better way to do business. 鈥淗ow do I take advantage of AI, blockchain, and machine learning ? To make my supply chain more robust?听 To improve the quality of my products, hire the best talent, improve the experience of my customers?鈥� Regardless of industry or geography, this is the common thread in our customer conversations.

Our customers鈥� calls for digital transformation have never been louder than during the pandemic. Social distancing, remote working, and supply chain resilience have been some of the most forceful factors in accelerating the economy into a state of hyper-digitization. Even the most reluctant businesses have come online, while others have accelerated their digitization projects. Estimates suggest the industry has condensed five to 10 years of digitization into one.

SAP, for example, has helped tens of thousands of customers go live in less than a year. We鈥檝e helped hospitals build applications to track demand and availability of ventilators, supported government authorities in automating cash-relief payments to citizens, deployed national virus-tracking dashboards, introduced applications to help health authorities ensure availability of critical medical supplies, and got scores of business up and running on e-commerce platforms to stay connected to existing customers and attract new ones. Eighteen of the 20 major COVID-19 vaccine producers are running their production on 51风流solutions. At companies like Moderna, 51风流is supporting compliance with international legislation intended to prevent counterfeit medicines to reach patients.

While we hope the virus lets up very soon, I don鈥檛 think the momentum behind digital transformation will. Businesses will move from digitization as a means of managing a crisis to one of capitalizing on newfound opportunity. We鈥檙e on an irreversible digital binge.

What are your priorities to help businesses make the most of this hyper-digitization?听

The success of our customers鈥� transformation has required us to accelerate ours; we put two important foundations in place last year to prepare for this shift. First, we ramped up our investment in cloud capability across the company. We announced more research and development, greater co-innovation, and better integration, as well as improved security, reliability, and availability across our solution portfolio.

Secondly, in March last year, we brought together all of our customer-facing teams 鈥� sales, services, customer-engagement, and others 鈥� under the single mandate and board area of Customer Success. The premise and outcome have been a streamlined experience in our engagements with our customers, strengthened relationships as evidenced by our significant increase in net promoter score, as well as a focused feedback loop through to engineering that ensures our customers鈥� voice inspires every line of code, every business process, and every single digital interaction.

These foundational moves are exactly what enables us to better deliver on our customers鈥� digital transformation requirements, and do it even faster, more reliably, and at greater value 鈥� in the cloud. This goes beyond infrastructure and software as a service to full business transformation as a service.

More than three-quarters of the world鈥檚 transaction revenue touches an 51风流system, with US $3.5 trillion in B2B spend crossing our business network annually, and 98% of the 100 most valued brands running on our innovations. Although hundreds of thousands of organizations have already moved significant portions of their workloads to the cloud with 51风流during the past decade, the transition of our global economy to the cloud will accelerate this year.

We plan to unleash offerings, commercial models, and partnerships that will enable our customers to migrate to the cloud at unprecedented scale, transitioning entire industries and whole economies to a better way of doing business. By running full cloud with 51风流and consuming business transformation as a service, organizations will be able to better modernize, standardize, and digitize 鈥� opening up new business models and revenue streams.

In short, we have shaped and continue to shape our entire organization around the customer and fine tune how we work together and with our partners to deliver the value of digital transformation in the cloud.

How do you know when you鈥檝e been successful?听

It鈥檚 pretty simple: we鈥檒l know we鈥檝e succeeded when each customer in every market is successful. We want every business across every industry and geography that partners with 51风流to fully adopt and consume our technologies to derive the greatest possible value from them 鈥� and intensify their relationship with us as a result.

This is our ambition and my passion for our customers in a full-cloud future with SAP.

What piece of advice have you found most useful in career?

That the best way to achieve success is to help others succeed. At the end of the day, I think this goes back to the values my parents instilled: the best thing you can do to help yourself is to help others. This is so relevant today. Whether it鈥檚 challenges like the pandemic or climate change, or opportunities like hyper-digitization or breakthrough business models, you take them on together 鈥� motivated by a purpose much greater than yourself.

This article first appeared on the 51风流Global News Center

The post Five Questions for SAP鈥檚 Newest Executive Board Member, Scott Russell appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Experts and leaders from 51风流Africa have analyzed what is happening in their industries and areas of business, and have made some predictions over the business and technology trends likely to shape 2021:

Cathy Smith, Managing Director: 51风流Africa 鈥� Leadership with purpose

鈥�2021 will be marked by a fundamental change in the role of leadership in business. Leaders are no longer only responsible for the top and bottom line. In our current environment, leaders need to think strategically about their purpose and how that purpose drives corporate strategy. It鈥檚 not enough for it to be an add-on or the domain of a single division or department. Instead, a company鈥檚 purpose must be completely integrated, meaningful and relevant, and do good for both the business and the broader community in which it operates.”

Dumi Moyo, Head of Mid-Market: Southern Africa at 51风流– Driving down costs and improving remote听workforce management in SME sector

鈥淓mployees need the flexibility to work from anywhere and any time, and companies need to support this new way of thinking and managing employees if they want to attract the best talent. Digital human capital management solutions can help drive employee engagement, productivity and retention. SMEs should approach any digital transformation strategy with a view to prioritize the human element, particularly by focusing on simplifying processes, improving the employee experience and enhancing employee engagement.鈥�

鈥淭he impact of the pandemic on the SME sector means most businesses are seeking ways to improve their productivity while also driving down costs. SMEs should seek modern enterprise resource planning tools that can help them manage information end-to-end and ensure the right people have the right information at the right time. In our current state of disruption, the ability to tap into a real-time view of the total performance of the business is invaluable to decision-making.”

Rudeon Snell, Global Senior Director: Industries & Customer Advisory at 51风流– Learning to live,听work听with our AI companions

Artificial intelligence is the most significant of the technologies currently redefining businesses and entire industries. Specifically, the continued drive toward AI-human collaboration will allow intelligence to seep into every facet of our lives. The cost of specialized machine learning chips is falling at the same time sensors and high-speed 5G networks are proliferating. We鈥檙e heading into a future where every device will become intelligent.鈥�

Despite the economic slowdown in 2020, analyst firm IDC predicts , growing at a 17.1% compound annual growth rate.

鈥淎doption of AI applications is growing as they continue to improve in performance while costs are falling. This is partly due to the use of open-source and cloud technologies, which may also enable the rise of new AI-as-a-Service platforms that will enable humans to partner with AI in every aspect of their work across industries. AI algorithms will become entrenched in everyday business operations, serving as cognitive collaborators to employees – supporting creative tasks, generating new ideas, and tackling previously unattainable innovations.鈥�

Mervyn George, Executive Advisor for Innovation Strategy at 51风流– Renewed vigour over sustainability

鈥淭he events of 2020 will drive renewed vigour in the fight against climate change. The pandemic has put the spotlight on our relationship with nature and our efforts at building more sustainable societies. Things we took for granted, such as commuting to the office and regular international business travel, are likely to be curtailed as organizations seek greater sustainability and cost-efficiencies in their day-to-day practices. However, for a sustainable business strategy to be effective, measurable outcomes need to be defined, and executives must report back on their performance against such KPIs in a transparent manner at a boardroom level.鈥�

鈥淥rganizations will prioritize investments into new, so-called clean technologies to ensure minimal impact on the environment. We are also likely to see organizations and individuals alike rally around the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with a focus on leveraging local supply chains and reducing our reliance on environmentally-harmful products, practices and processes.鈥�

Samantha Naidoo, Telco Industry Value Advisor at 51风流– 5G to enable greater connectivity & more connected things

鈥淥ne of the most significant new technologies in 2021 is likely to be 5G and its planned rollout in South Africa鈥檚 major urban centres. The improved quality of service offered by 5G will drive innovation and enable new business models.鈥�

鈥淲hen 5G is introduced en masse in the local market, expect to see a boom in media consumption as demand for content increases and the cost of accessing content falls. We are also likely to see widespread adoption of 5G in manufacturing, healthcare and other industries where the Internet of Things plays a major role, especially since the number of IoT devices is expected to grow from seven billion in 2018 to 22 billion by 2025.”

The post Trends for 2021: Better, More Sustainable Use of Technology Tools Likely to Feature High on Business Agenda appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.