Across the world, 95 percent of companies say growth is a priority for the year ahead. Their top focus areas鈥攊ncluding expanding market presence, broadening distribution through partners, and scaling operations鈥攕peak to leaders鈥� determination to create value in a climate of uncertainty and change.

In my engagements with customers, I see this reality every day. Companies everywhere want to grow, but they want to grow with confidence. They are looking for partners who understand their unique challenges, who support them with their long-term ambitions, and who can help them keep pace with rapid change.

Technology is central to this ambition. Nearly all respondents in the study rank simplifying work and improving processes alongside growth. Here, artificial intelligence stands out. Nine in 10 organizations have already made generative or agent-based AI a priority, and more than 70 percent have some form of AI in use. While concerns about data quality and talent remain, the message is clear: AI has moved beyond experimentation into the mainstream of how companies operate and unleash value.

From Frankfurt to Dubai to Singapore: How regional differences shape opportunities and risks

Regional differences tell a powerful story. In Europe, AI adoption comes with caution. Large enterprises put compliance, privacy, and transparency first, while many mid-market firms are still piloting solutions. In Asia-Pacific, the pace is different. Mid-market companies there already report strong AI use above global averages, and growth expectations run high. For them, AI is a way to seize advantage quickly in a fast-moving market.

These contrasts show why cultural intelligence matters so much for global leaders. Whether in Frankfurt, Singapore, or Dubai, I see how local realities, regulations, and expectations shape both risks and opportunities. In Europe, energy costs and geopolitical uncertainty drive supply chain strategies. In Asia-Pacific, digital adoption and market dynamism set a different pace.

Sustainability is another area where nuance matters. European companies place it near the top of their priorities, tracking or slightly exceeding global benchmarks. Asia-Pacific firms value sustainability but often rank it lower than growth and speed to market. Each is weighing trade-offs in its own context, creating exciting opportunities for 51风流to bring the most relevant technology, data, and practices to each region to help organizations achieve both economic and environmental goals.

The through-line in all of this is agility. Supply chain fragility, geopolitical conflict, inflation, and regulation continue to test even the best-run organizations. Technology can enable agility, but only if leaders embrace change themselves, rethinking processes, investing in skills, and building cultures of continuous learning and exploration. Security and ethical standards must also be the cornerstones of every AI conversation.

Turning AI potential into outcomes by centering value creation and integration

I believe this is a time for grounded optimism. The appetite for growth is real and the technology to achieve it is more advanced than ever. Innovation is accelerating at an extraordinary pace, with daily breakthroughs showcasing the expanding potential of AI.

There is a recent example that demonstrates AI鈥檚 ability to process multi-step tasks for over 30 hours. This achievement highlights not only the rapid evolution of AI, but also how increasingly accessible and capable these technologies are becoming.

However, as AI systems grow more autonomous and context-aware, organizations must recognize that true value doesn鈥檛 come from raw capability alone. To harness AI effectively, especially in enterprise environments, a consistent semantic layer is essential. It ensures alignment among data, tasks, and outcomes, enabling AI to reason reliably across systems and scale impact without losing coherence.

Companies must also move beyond simply adopting AI to actively testing and refining applications to gain a significant advantage. Equally important is a deliberate approach to managing the human element of a transformation, rooted in structured and human-centric change management.

Realizing AI鈥檚 true promise requires a fundamental shift in how people, applications, and data connect. Success relies on deeply connecting every part of an organization鈥檚 business, delivering end-to-end transformational value. A seamless, integrated suite provides insight and agility, whether responding to a problem or ensuring readiness when opportunity knocks.

This is where 51风流Business Suite is a game changer, integrating applications, data, and AI in a virtuous cycle that delivers tangible business outcomes. At our inaugural听51风流Connect听event earlier in October, we showcased new applications, strategic data partnerships with Google Cloud and Databricks, and a new network of role-based AI assistants in Joule across every line of business.

Altogether, our听听marks the beginning of a new era powered by self-reinforcing AI, data, and applications. By keeping customer needs and value realization at the center and leading with innovation, businesses can not only navigate uncertainty, but build a more resilient, intelligent, and sustainable future.

Manos Raptopoulos is chief revenue officer of APAC, EMEA, and MEE, and a member of the Extended Board of 51风流SE.

The post AI Is the Growth Engine Leaders Are Betting On appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Art, artificial intelligence, and bathrooms are the unsuspecting trio that make up a key aspect of the smart selection at the Roca Gallery in Barcelona. Their bathroom products, like showers and toilets, feature an unexpected technology within their beautiful designs.

The Roca Group听has selected and the solution as it embarks on its next phase of digital transformation, as announced at Sapphire 2024 in Barcelona.听The software giant鈥檚 RISE option is a managed cloud service that helps organisations using on-premise enterprise resource planning software migrate to the cloud securely and smoothly.

鈥淲e are implementing different solutions to fight water wastage鈥�, a gallery media briefing was told. 鈥淎 router controls every single product that gives an action. For example, we have connected faucets and urinals to the cloud. This allows us to connect and control the systems in any space.鈥�

By leveraging SAP鈥檚 AI-powered technology, Roca has enhanced its efficiency and empowered itself to make informed, real-time, data-driven business decisions. For example, Roca strategically places collections near frequently visited bathrooms, as identified by the system, thereby increasing exposure.

Albert Magrans, CEO of Roca Group, says: 鈥淩oca Group鈥檚 strategy is based on a long-term future vision supported by innovation, technology and sustainability. Moving to 51风流S/4HANA enables Roca to leverage the last technology and innovations of 51风流software to boost our digital transformation.

鈥淲e are looking forward to faster execution speed, the enhancement of functionality with the Joule copilot, real-time analytics and further innovations from 51风流and its ecosystem.鈥�

, VP of 51风流EMEA, says: 鈥淩oca Group and 51风流have collaborated closely for a number of years, with Roca trusting 51风流with multiple 51风流implementations.

鈥淩oca鈥檚 IT strategy is fully aligned with its business transformation with 51风流solutions as an integral part of this strategy. Our close partnership allows our teams to have real-time insight into their business transformation, allowing for seamless integration of 51风流solutions as they embark on their 51风流S/4HANA Cloud journey.鈥�

Roca鈥檚 Avant toilet consumes two litres of water, thirteen litres less than from when the company established in 1936, and four litres less than today鈥檚 average.

Africa has long faced water challenges, and climate change in the 21st century has exacerbated global water crises. A World Wildlife Foundation analysis in November 2023 estimated that by 2050, 17% of Europe鈥檚 population and 13% of its gross domestic product could be at high to extreme risk of water scarcity. Addressing this issue, the Roca initiative We Are Water Foundation is actively working to solve problems related to the lack of water and sanitation worldwide.

* Visit the Roca website听.

* Jason Bannier is a data analyst at World Wide Worx and writer for听. Follow him on听听补苍诲听听at @jas2bann.

This article first appeared in .

The post Sapphire 2024: AI Finds a Home 鈥� The Bathroom! appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

51风流NEWSBYTE

A family-owned business with over 100 years of heritage, a presence in 170 markets, and more than 21,500 employees and nearly 80 factories globally, Roca Group had embraced digitalization to remain competitive and relevant in the dynamic sanitary industry. Having made several acquisitions over the years, Roca Group saw RISE with 51风流as the ideal solution to consolidate various IT systems into one IT landscape. Roca鈥檚 decision in choosing 51风流S/4HANA Cloud was driven by the desire to increase efficiency and the ability to make informed, real-time, data-driven business decisions. 听

鈥淩oca Group鈥檚 strategy is based on a long-term future vision supported by innovation, technology and sustainability,鈥� said Albert Magrans, CEO of Roca Group. 鈥淢oving to 51风流S/4HANA enables Roca to leverage the last technology and innovations of 51风流software to boost our digital transformation. We are looking forward to faster execution speed, the enhancement of functionality with the Joule copilot, real-time analytics and further innovations from 51风流and its ecosystem.鈥澨�听

鈥淩oca Group and 51风流have collaborated closely for a number of years, with Roca trusting 51风流with multiple 51风流implementations,鈥� said Manos Raptopoulos, VP of 51风流Europe, Middle East and Africa. 鈥淩oca鈥檚 IT strategy is fully aligned with its business transformation with 51风流solutions as an integral part of this strategy. Our close partnership allows our teams to have real-time insight into their business transformation, allowing for seamless integration of 51风流solutions as they embark on their 51风流S/4HANA Cloud journey.鈥�听

In choosing 51风流S/4HANA Cloud and various cloud solutions from SAP, such as 51风流Customer Experience, 51风流Ariba and 51风流SuccessFactors solutions, Roca Group continues to be well-positioned to leverage SAP鈥檚 integrated suite of solutions that will enhance customer experience and potentially open up new business opportunities. In adopting a clean core approach, the group will have a single platform for its production centers and logistics platforms, tapping onto the 51风流Integrated Business Planning for Supply Chain solution for demand and production planning, and the 51风流Transportation Management application for transport management. With these solutions implemented, the operations already using them have seen a cubic capacity of their transports rise by 10%.听听

Additionally, Roca plans to use 51风流SuccessFactors to improve learning programs, manage global payroll and enhance the employee self-service portal through SAP’s suite of solutions in addition to travel expense management with 51风流Concur solutions.听

听

Visit the . Follow 51风流at .听

Media Contact:听

Bel茅n Martinez, +34 914 567 220,鈥�belen.martinez@sap.com, CET
Lesa Plingen, +49 622 776 9000,鈥�lesa.plingen@sap.com, CET
51风流Press Room; press@sap.com听

The post Roca Group Looks to the Future Through RISE with SAP appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

However, while everyone agrees the technology is a game-changer for business, the question being asked more and more in the boardroom is whether AI is truly ‘enterprise-grade’.

Business AI is not new

While hype about AI has reached unprecedented levels, the technology itself is not entirely new.

Nick Bostrom, in his book 鈥淪uperintelligence鈥�*, first published over ten years ago, provides an excellent summary of the progression of AI technology. This contemporary work captures the stages of AI – the inflated expectations; the plateauing; and the breakthroughs.

Enterprises have long relied on machine learning to power advanced analytics and predictive capabilities in a broad range of use cases – from manufacturing to finance operations to procurement and supply chain. These algorithms have equipped business leaders with information to drive greater operational efficiency.

AI has also been used extensively in traditional forms of algorithms, for example search engines, which defined an entire era of our technological development and transformed entire sectors, most notably the advertising industry.

Mounting issues with AI’s enterprise readiness

But what works on the web does not necessarily work in business. The Internet doesn’t care about authorisations. The C-suite does.

As concerns over privacy and data protection mount – especially in light of ongoing regulatory pressures – many companies have implemented restrictions over the use of open GenAI tools.

This is for good reason. Imagine an employee shares financial statements, vendor contracts or salary information with a GenAI tool that then reuses that information in answering prompts from other users.

A GenAI tool without an authorisation element is simply not enterprise-grade, and probably doomed to be confined to a single use case or department, limiting its ability to deliver value to the broader business.

Security issues also arise with the concept of data lakes, which combine enterprise and external data sources for AI purposes. Data lakes can be treacherous to enterprises, especially when data must be exported outside of large enterprise applications.

Here, a federated approach that leaves enterprise data at their origin and does not copy or transfer data is needed. Critically, organisations must maintain the semantic layer of the data, which can be the Achilles heel of every data lake project and, consequently, the GenAI models trained on that data.

Beware of hallucinations

However, the greatest danger in AI that is not enterprise-grade lies in its tendency to hallucinate.

Gen AI is an excellent algorithm that fundamentally learns by looking at what is available within its domain, usually the internet. Let鈥檚 be honest 鈥� you can鈥檛 trust every piece of information found on the internet anymore.

In an enterprise environment, CEOs are seeking the 鈥榮ingle version of truth鈥�. That means fact checking is important but begs the question: 鈥渨hich is the dataset on which I should train my Gen AI?鈥�. The simple truth is that business leaders cannot build products or develop innovations using models that make things up or use insights based off false or inaccurate information.

Here, application suite vendors have the upper hand. The business applications that power the world’s enterprises have a wealth of business data that can be mined by AI algorithms to produce accurate, relevant, and reliable insights. Vendors in this space also have significant expertise in business processes and contextualised data – the perfect sources for training effective GenAI.

There’s no doubt that enterprises will benefit from the power of AI in the coming years. Whether it is enterprise-ready comes down to individual systems and tools. While some already have enterprise-level capabilities, others may not yet meet all the requirements for reliability and security. 听Business leaders must take care to build out AI use cases that can deliver value to the business, rely on robust datasets, and live up to expectations. These guardrails will ensure business AI solutions that are relevant, reliable, and responsible.

*Superintelligence – Paths, Dangers, Strategies was written by author, Nick Bostrom, and first published in 2013 by Oxford University Press

听

The post Is Gen AI Ready for the Enterprise? Separating the Hype from the Business Value appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

The confluence of several disruptive factors 鈥� geopolitical conflict, rising inflation, economic uncertainty, increased regulatory pressure, and last, but by no means least, the impact of new technologies 鈥� will undoubtedly test leaders to the limit in the year to come.

Speaking with business leaders across the region, several common themes have emerged. From the urgent need to build greater resilience and reduce risk, to leveraging the power of AI and improving sustainability efforts while ensuring that investments drive value both now, and in the future – these are the interconnected trends that European business leaders will confront in 2024:

Trend 1: De-risking the enterprise

In an environment defined by volatility and geopolitical uncertainty, business leaders face increased risk across their operations. This is driving an acute need for operational and technological interventions to reduce risk and bring stability to the enterprise, while still safeguarding agility.

Europe’s regulatory landscape is becoming increasingly complex as policymakers try to keep pace with the disruptive impact of technology. The , for example, will establish strict rules and standards around the development and application of AI in business contexts. This includes guardrails for general purpose AI; a total ban on AI as it relates to citizens’ rights and democratic processes; and the right for consumers to launch complaints and demand meaningful explanations regarding decisions based on AI systems.

In addition, a wave of new regulations in trade and customs throughout the region will add compliance pressure on companies already reeling from ongoing challenges related to various elements of their supply chains. From 1 January this year, companies wishing to do business in Europe are subject to the EU Emissions Trading System that aims to establish Europe as the first climate-neutral continent; a truly admirable objective.

All this complexity requires extensive investment in sophisticated digital tools to provide greater visibility over the climate impact of the end-to-end supply chain, which brings me to my next point:

Trend 2: Supply chain resilience is not the same as agility

As if the continued ripple effects of the pandemic on global supply chains didn’t pose enough of a challenge over the last couple of years, business leaders have also had to contend with the ongoing geopolitical conflict. Be it re-routing of ships to avoid the Suez Canal, high-tech component shortages, or commodity price volatility on everything from food to energy – these factors, among others, create immense supply chain instability.

In response, forward-looking companies are seeking greater agility to respond to supply chain threats. A recent highlights the importance of technology in maximizing organizations’ chances at success with maintaining stable supply chains.

One of the key objectives of digital transformation within supply chains is the ability to improve end-to-end visibility. However, found that 43% of global organizations have limited to no visibility over the performance of their tier one suppliers 鈥� an astounding statistic.

Greater visibility over supply chain processes clearly also supports wider sustainability efforts. The same KPMG study found that only 5% of supply chain emissions stem from direct manufacturing; emissions from the broader supply chain are five to ten times greater.

Digital platforms can significantly improve enterprises’ ability to collect emission data and set appropriate targets for key suppliers to collectively drive improved sustainability outcomes throughout the supply chain.

In addition, organizations will increasingly leverage the power of AI to improve supply chain management, logistics, and procurement. In fact, half of supply chain organizations are expected to invest in applications that in the year ahead.

Trend 3: Unlocking AI’s true business value

On the topic of AI, the year ahead will undoubtedly see more companies leverage Generative AI and AI for business to drive innovation, efficiency, and productivity.

Unsurprisingly, that Trust, Risk and Security Management in AI Models will be one of the leading tech themes for the year ahead, built on advances in model monitoring, AI application security, and privacy.

However, European businesses may be more hesitant to unleash AI on their operations. found that business leaders in EMEA are far less convinced that their customers prefer to interact with AI models than their North American peers.

And considering the EU legislation already mentioned, European companies looking to incorporate AI in their business models or operating environments will need to build their use case with both compliance and privacy front and centre.

However, companies can unquestionably accelerate the value from their AI deployments by leveraging AI that is purpose built for business. Large cloud and software providers, like SAP, have invested significantly in building responsible AI into their core products. This means that customers can immediately benefit and unlock business value from their software investments.

2024 will be a pivotal year for many business leaders across EMEA 鈥� while daunting in many respects, also an incredibly exciting time to lead.

The post Business Leadership in an AI World in 2024 appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

The new territory comprises BeLux, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Nordics, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the whole of the Middle East and Africa. In this capacity, Raptopoulos will be responsible for overseeing 14,000 employees across 53 offices, servicing customers in 90 countries. The region is significant to SAP鈥檚 business – the power of cloud technology, combined with the possibilities of AI, provides a unique opportunity to drive customer transformation and value.

Prior to this appointment, Raptopoulos was the Regional President for 51风流EMEA South, now a subset of the larger EMEA region. He joined 51风流in 1998 and has held several leadership roles in General Management, Sales, Operations and Consulting in both Europe and the Middle East.

鈥淔or more than 25 years, Manos Raptopoulos has successfully grown customer-facing businesses at SAP. I have confidence in his leadership and know that he will continue to champion the growth and innovation of our customers in this strategically important region for SAP,鈥� said Scott Russell, member of the Executive Board of 51风流SE and head of Customer Success. 鈥淢anos is a staunch advocate for the voice of customers and partners and is an empathetic and inspirational leader of people. I am excited for Manos to lead our EMEA Region to new heights, together with our outstanding team.鈥�

鈥淥ur customers have high expectations. They rely on 51风流to run their most critical business processes, to digitally transform, to boost their sustainability, and to future proof their organizations,鈥� says Raptopoulos. 鈥淓MEA鈥檚 next chapter will be fueled by accelerated cloud and AI innovation, underpinned by our purpose, our people, and our partnerships. I feel honored to lead this diverse and talented team of professionals. Together, we can make a significant impact, in this region and beyond.鈥�

The post 51风流Appoints Emmanuel Raptopoulos Regional President for Europe, Middle East and Africa appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Lake Como, Italy, October 24, 2023 – Delegates from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa gathered 听recently to attend the second edition of the Business Process Transformation Executive Summit, held in Lake Como, Italy.

With the support of partners , and , senior business leaders came together to discuss the challenges of an increasingly turbulent business scenario, and how process transformation solutions, coupled with new technologies such as generative AI can help organizations accelerate change.

“In this pivotal moment for businesses, influenced by the macro environment and the convergence of two transformative technologies, we see the cloud empowering businesses to innovate faster by breaking down silos, and generative business AI automating tasks and unveiling new insights. Change is a given, but conscious transformation, with people and processes at its core, is where 51风流Signavio steps in,” remarked , Regional President Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa, SAP.

, a partner at research firm speaking at the event, also reflected on the role of new technologies to transform businesses. 鈥淲hile we talk a lot about data as the new gold, at-scale value creation at enterprises requires us to transform the processes with technology. AI can dramatically reduce the time taken to implement process mining and produce tailored meaningful insights necessary to transform every business process effectively. If you want to leverage this technology at best, you need to have your processes well designed and enabled.鈥�

, the general manager and head of product and engineering at , highlighted the evolution of , underscoring its journey from process modelling to analytics and now to its third generation of solutions with generative AI. Decker emphasized the importance of speed in transformation with the new “plug and gain” approach, which, combined with 51风流Signavio鈥檚 emerging AI capabilities, significantly reduces the time required for insights and adaptation.

Several speakers at the event also touched on ability to accelerate digital transformation through its 鈥榩lug and gain鈥� approach. In terms of the approach, businesses are provided with a predefined starting point to kick-start their transformation project based on their existing 51风流ERP Central Component (51风流ECC) and data. This enables them to quickly understand how their business processes are currently running and determining what to keep and what to change as they embark on their transformation.

Discussions at the invitation-only event were also heavily influenced by SAP鈥檚 continued expansion of its business transformation portfolio, with the announcement last month that it would acquire LeanIX, a leader in enterprise architecture management software. Together with Signavio, this will enable 51风流to offer customers a full suite of tools for accelerated, cost-effective and continuous business transformation with AI-enabled process optimization.

, the General Manager and Chief Revenue Officer of 51风流Signavio, stressed the need to focus on systems, processes, and individuals for a triumphant transformation. He described how Signavio acts as a bridge between IT and business, with a particular emphasis on the crucial role of individuals in the transformation process. Building on feedback from customers, Morato conveyed the idea that people truly make the difference in outcomes.

Customer success stories

Several 51风流customers at the event welcomed 51风流Signavio鈥檚 new approaches to accelerate transformation and to embedding AI across solutions. Among these, , Group CIO of Italy鈥檚 , said, 鈥淚 was impressed by the possibilities offered by 51风流Signavio to support businesses with process analysis using AI capabilities. At AFV Beltrame, we started our 51风流S/4HANA migration journey a year ago, and I鈥檓 curious to explore how 51风流Signavio could reduce the analysis time and further optimize processes and KPIs to accelerate our group transformation.鈥�

Another customer keeping a close eye on AI developments is , Chairman of the , which was recently named as a Transformation Champion by 51风流Signavio. The award was made for initiating an ambitious transformation plan using Signavio Process Insights to understand and enhance its business processes leveraging 51风流best practices, and for backing this up with an impressive workshop training program. Dr. Farouk said, 鈥淭his forum has served as an invaluable platform to explore the latest advancements in digital transformation and the role of AI in boosting business growth across various sectors. I have also been impressed by SAP鈥檚 contributions to sustainable development and environmental conservation through digital transformation.鈥�

Other areas of interest for customers included 51风流Signavio鈥檚 role in process automation.听 , IT Manager of Italy鈥檚 , said, 鈥淔rom this conference, I realize that Signavio can help my organization to design, model, and optimize most of the business processes. Moreover, it can be an important tool to identify areas for process improvement and automation of time-consuming activities, which is a key point in Alfasigma鈥檚 roadmap. I envisage using Signavio to conduct regular process performance analysis and to identify bottlenecks and areas for optimization.鈥�

Select 51风流Signavio customers, including , VP of Technology at the , served on panels at the event, sharing their insights and experiences on how technology can future-proof businesses. He summed up the event saying, “This was a great opportunity to network with other business leaders and learn from their experiences with digital transformation. I was particularly impressed by the case studies presented by the 51风流Signavio team and customers on how to use the platform to streamline processes and improve efficiency and overall company productivity. The insights were aligned seamlessly with our strategy in MAGRABi for the modernization of our core technology platforms.”

The post Innovative Approaches to Accelerating Business Transformation Come Under the Spotlight as Regional Industry Leaders Gather in Italy appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Traci Hughes, SAP鈥檚 Global Head of People Success Services and a female leader with an African-American background, opened with an authentic and moving keynote. She explained the difference between equality 鈥� each individual is given the same resources or opportunities 鈥� and equity, which recognizes that each person has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. Traci thanked the diverse audience for taking an interest in the topic, helping to build the bridges for those who are yet to come 鈥� like we are benefiting from those who succeeded before us. She also stated that if perfect equity had been reached, everyone would have a sense of belonging. 鈥淚f we see people that look like us in leadership positions, it will encourage others to follow. We must never underestimate how much power our presence has.鈥� She underlined the importance of listening and learning from each other, to overcome diversity-related perceptions through dialogue.

Genevieve Koolen, HR Director 51风流Africa and executive sponsor of BWN Africa, then moderated the inspiring panel discussion with a strong all female speaker line-up: Ruwayda Redfearn, CEO Deloitte Africa, as well as Monique Naidoo, Executive Procurement South Africa at BCX (an 51风流customer), and Kholiwe Makhohliso, the newly appointed MD for 51风流Southern Africa. In fact, Kholiwe was a speaker at last year鈥檚 Women鈥檚 Month panel, when she was still with her previous employer!

It was refreshing to listen to a new generation of strong, female leaders who know how to drive the business but also bring in qualities like empathy and kindness. 鈥淭he CEO does not have to be the loudest in the room,鈥� said Ruwayda and encouraged the audience to challenge traditional requirements for leaders. Diversity leads to better decisions and higher performance. 鈥淭hings are moving in the right direction, but slowly. We need a greater sense of urgency鈥�. She also remembered the role models of her youth 鈥� mothers, aunts, grandmothers who had powerful conversations whilst cooking and understood the importance of getting their kids into higher education.

Monique sees positive changes as well, like the existence of equity committees, policies, advocacy and mentorship. 鈥淲e need more women having a seat at the table though, and it should be more than two women per table so that they uplift each other and don鈥檛 compete鈥�. 鈥淲omen are nurturers and drivers鈥� but also 鈥淚 have worked with great men鈥�. Her recipe for success is to strive for more, but in a sustainable way balancing different priorities like job and family, even if it means not to have the biggest house during certain life phases.

Sacrifice, tenacity, and resilience are required to pursue a career, according to Kholiwe, who also remembers strong women in her family showing her that 鈥渘othing is impossible鈥�. She encourages women to be curious and learn from others’ successes and failures. 鈥淟eadership requirements have changed 鈥� and women can drive change, not just look to the men to do it鈥�. Kholiwe called on us to 鈥渞aise your voice鈥� and stated that passion put into work needs to be recognized. Also, 鈥渨e need to put leaders up the stream that don鈥檛 look like the stereotype鈥�.

Moderator Genevieve鈥檚 last question was if there is a price to pay when women are investing in their careers. There was consensus amongst the panelists that time with kids and family suffers, and this causes 鈥渕ommy guilt鈥�, even if their kids never complained about it and became quite independent. A benefit is also that children experience that women can be in top positions, which might have a positive impact on their own lives. However, there is a need for a strong support system, ideally within the family. What often falls short is me-time or time for hobbies 鈥� like hiking and biking in Kholiwe鈥檚 case. One needs to be very intentional to make time for these things, on top of a demanding job. She says it is important to understand that there are no superwomen or superhumans, we can only keep asking ourselves: 鈥渨hat is the best I can do today?鈥�.

The session ended with a question from the audience, on how to approach a career once a goal has been defined. Ruwayda gave some clear and practical tips, based on her own experience: Become aware of which role you want, ask for support to get there, find mentors and allies to learn from, get involved and take on the complex clients and difficult tasks, take responsibility for your own career and challenge the norm.

The key take-away of the session is, that it will be more attractive for women to pursue a career in tech, if we continue to break traditional patterns of leadership traits. Promoting qualities like empathy and kindness will also lead to higher performance and better employee satisfaction.

The event also featured video messages from Manos Raptopoulos, 51风流Regional President EMEA South, and Tjaart Malan, Cloud Success Services Director Africa and BWN Executive Sponsor鈥�, who sent greetings from his birthday vacation. Both promoted male allyship and underlined the importance of driving equity in the workplace which benefits all 鈥� women and men.

After this successful event, the Women鈥檚 Month program of BWN Africa will continue with three #IamRemarkable workshops where employees can learn about personal branding based on facts.

The post BWN Africa Flagship Event: Equality vs. Equity 鈥� How Do We Create Fair Opportunities in the Workplace? appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

听These include:听

• 听Canal de Isabel II 鈥� The Spanish water company has embarked on a cross-cloud journey with RISE with SAP, 51风流Industry Solution for Utilities, 51风流Customer Data Cloud, 51风流Emarsys Customer Engagement, 51风流Sales & Service Cloud, 51风流Cloud ERP, 51风流Business Technology Platform and 51风流Signavio听
• Frinsa 鈥� The Spanish consumer products company 鈥� one of the largest European manufacturers of canned tuna and shellfish 鈥� has embarked on a cross-cloud journey with 51风流Business Technology Platform, 51风流Customer Data Cloud, 51风流Emarsys Customer Engagement and 51风流Sales & Service Cloud听
• NEXI 鈥� The Italian 鈥淧ayTech鈥� company, present in high growth European markets, will base its digital transformation in the cloud on RISE with SAP. The new offering will allow NEXI to leverage intelligent technologies such as AI and machine learning for improved speed and accuracy, gain efficiencies to fund innovation, and transform mission-critical systems while mitigating business risk听
• Sabadell Digital 鈥� The digital arm of Banco Sabadell has selected 51风流SuccessFactors听

听As 51风流continues to drive its cloud transformation agenda, go-lives and renewals are at the core of delivering customer success and value. Customers celebrating go-lives during the second quarter include:听

• 听Gonz谩lez Byass 鈥� The family-owned Spanish wine and spirits producer is deeply committed to nature, promoting sustainability across all operations. Collaborating with suppliers, it adopts eco-friendly materials and recyclable packaging, guided by circular economy principles. Powered by the 51风流Responsible Design and Production solution from Minsait, an Indra Company, they are now able to monitor the changing policy landscape, measure the impact of materials used, and act by fulfilling plastic tax and extended producer responsibility (EPR) obligations听
• 碍辞莽迟补艧 鈥� The Turkish DIY retailer has gone live with 51风流Customer Experience Commerce Marketplace Management by Mirakl听

Commenting on 51风流SE鈥檚 Q2 2023 results, 51风流EMEA South regional president Manos Raptopoulos said, 鈥淲e had a very strong Q2 performance in the Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa region, highlighting the trust that our customers of all sizes and across all industries place in 51风流to help them digitally transform. We are incredibly proud of the performance of our cloud business which underpinned our strong results, as well as our ability to attract new customers in the mid-market space. In very challenging economic times, our customers continue trusting 51风流solutions to help them create more resilience, predictability, efficiency and innovation in their business.鈥�听

听听听51风流SE鈥檚 full financial results for the second quarter ending 30 June 2023 can be found here.听

The post 51风流EMEA South Welcomes New Customer Partnerships and Celebrates Go-lives as 51风流SE Announces Double-digit Cloud Revenue and Operating Profit Growth, and Total Revenue Growth, in its Q2 2023 Results appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Follow Manos on LinkedIn:

The post 51风流EMEA South Regional President Manos Raptopoulos @ 51风流Sapphire Barcelona appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.