Strategically located near the Bengaluru International Airport, this is now one of SAP鈥檚 largest campuses worldwide, designed to house more than 15,000 professionals. But this is more than just a campus; it鈥檚 a statement of intent — a 鈧�194 million investment into the future of innovation.

As SAP鈥檚 largest outside Germany, India plays a pivotal role in how 51风流innovates, builds, and scales enterprise technology for our global customers. From pioneering AI solutions and next-gen applications to delivering mission-critical services at scale, teams in India sit at the very heart of SAP鈥檚 transformation agenda.

This new campus — our second in Bengaluru — is a space designed to match that ambition.

At the inauguration ceremony, held August 5, I was joined by 51风流Executive Board Member Thomas Saueressig; 51风流Supervisory Board Member Gerhard Oswald; Clas Neumann, head of the 51风流Labs Network; Karnataka Chief Minister S Siddaramaiah; Government of India IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw; Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge; and German Ambassador to India Dr. Philipp Ackermann, along with other key stakeholders from the region.聽

Where innovation meets purpose

Each square foot of the innovation park has been crafted with intent. At the core of the design is a belief that innovation thrives in environments that foster trust, collaboration, and well-being. From our fully autonomous聽S.Market, an AI-powered micro-market showcasing 51风流retail solutions in real time, to India鈥檚 second聽51风流Experience Center location, where customers can engage with live enterprise scenarios, this campus is a living laboratory of 51风流technology in action.

鈥淭his campus is a strategic asset in SAP鈥檚 global portfolio, enabling us to lead with innovation and purpose,鈥� Saueressig, said.聽鈥淚t is a global innovation hub that will help our customers move from insight to action with enterprise-grade AI, data, and application created right here in India.鈥澛犅�

Equally, this campus reflects SAP鈥檚 deep commitment to sustainability and inclusion. A 2.5-acre eco-pond for rainwater harvesting, solar infrastructure, and smart waste management all help reduce our environmental footprint. Inclusive design features such as tactile pathways, braille signage, auditory cues, gender-neutral restrooms, and wellness-focused spaces — from sensory rooms to nap pods — ensure individuals are empowered to thrive.

Accelerating talent and research partnerships

As we celebrated the launch of this new campus, we also reaffirmed our commitment to shaping the future workforce and research ecosystem.

We announced the聽AI Career Accelerator program聽in partnership with EduBridge, aimed at training more than 400 students from underserved communities for AI roles. We expanded our academic collaborations with institutions like聽Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya,聽IIT Madras, and the聽Technical University of Munich聽to focus on applied research across quantum computing, health tech, and physical AI.

These partnerships are not just about knowledge transfer; they are about co-creating the future of enterprise technology by fusing academic rigor with real-world impact.

India鈥檚 role in SAP鈥檚 global innovation engine

India鈥檚 technology story is unlike any other — it is not only about scale; it’s about transformation. From government digital initiatives to startup ecosystems and from deep-tech research to the democratization of digital skills, India continues to redefine what is possible.

At SAP, we have had the privilege of witnessing — and contributing to — this journey over nearly three decades. Today, more than 17,000 51风流employees聽in India drive innovation across product engineering, customer services, and cloud delivery. Together, they form a backbone of our global strategy.

The 51风流Labs India Innovation Park stands as a symbol of this shared journey, a space where we will imagine what鈥檚 next, build with purpose, and innovate for impact. It is a physical manifestation of our belief in India鈥檚 role as a global innovation epicenter.

As we look ahead, our focus remains clear: to deliver breakthrough technologies that help the world run better and improve people鈥檚 lives. And we are proud to do it 鈥� with India at the heart of it all.

Sindhu Gangadharan is managing director of 51风流Labs India and head of Customer Innovation Services at SAP.

Images courtesy of 51风流Labs India.

• Support for SAP鈥檚 strategy, Bay Area footprint, future growth

The location was strategically chosen to keep 51风流at the heart of the technological advancement and growth happening in the city. Following a design based on extensive employee feedback, the office will help create new work experiences for 51风流employees and allow closer collaboration with customers and partners.

鈥淪an Francisco is the capital of the tech industry and one of the top global markets for talent,鈥� said Yaad Oren, managing director of 51风流Labs US and head of 51风流Innovation Center Network, SAP. 鈥淲ith more than 50% of the world鈥檚 venture capital funding deployed here, it is a vital region. 51风流is doubling down on our commitment to this epicenter of innovation with our newest office and this next-generation approach to work.鈥�

Building the Workplace of Tomorrow

51风流worked with design firm to create a 30,000-square-foot flexible office of the future. While more than 3,500 San Francisco Bay Area employees can use it, about 500 employees will use the location as their main office. Along with San Ramon and Palo Alto, this location gives 51风流a footprint in every important corner of Silicon Valley.

The new office location was designed to accommodate a hybrid style of working. The space contains communal meeting areas, flexible workspaces and designated floors for focused or collaborative work throughout. The intuitive design is adaptable and easily updated to meet employee needs. Employees can leverage the amenities of all 51风流offices in the region 鈥� their assigned office for team on-site days and regional outposts for self-directed collaborations or individual work.

Driving Innovation for SAP

51风流has been revolutionizing enterprise software for more than 50 years. The launch of this new hub helps to ensure that legacy continues through 51风流Labs US. 51风流Labs Network contains all of SAP鈥檚 core research and development entities, which are dedicated to building intelligent enterprises and inventing sustainable technologies to support it.

This San Francisco location will support the continued growth of 51风流Lab US鈥檚 investment and influence as it forges close relationships with both early-stage disruptors and key technology partners through the SAP.iO program.

鈥淥ur goal is to transform the disruptions of today into the lasting technology solutions of tomorrow,鈥� Oren said. 鈥淲e are building products that matter and have a clear and tangible impact on our customers鈥� transformations and on SAP鈥檚 bottom line. We鈥檙e helping deliver the promise of an intelligent, sustainable enterprise with our customers by nourishing relationships with the top technology firms associated with Silicon Valley.鈥�

Visit the 51风流News Center. Follow 51风流on Twitter at .

About SAP

SAP鈥檚 strategy is to help every business run as an intelligent, sustainable 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 .

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The new 51风流Labs Dresden location is part of 51风流Labs Network, which promotes close alignment with the other development locations in Germany and around the world. With this strategic move, 51风流is further focusing on local talent, utilizing the growth potential of the local ecosystems. An important building block to achieve this is even stronger collaboration across the development units in SAP.

The main topics being worked on in Dresden are at the core of SAP鈥檚 strategy focusing on cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) and 51风流Business Technology Platform (51风流BTP). These topics include cloud security, analysis and planning, cloud infrastructure, and industry networks in the context of the intelligent, sustainable enterprise. 鈥淲e are also working here on SAP鈥檚 core competencies across all Executive Board areas. The teams make an important contribution to SAP鈥檚 focus topics and the success of our customers,鈥� Mueller said at the opening.

Dresden Joins 51风流Labs Network

The new location is now part of聽, a global network of research and development centers dedicated to the advancement of innovative technologies. The network consists of over 20 labs worldwide, including China, India, Germany, Brazil, and the United States. Each location focuses on different areas, such as artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, or process automation, amongst others. 鈥淭he focus is on our developers working together and delivering our products,鈥� said Michael Ameling, senior vice president and head of Intelligent Enterprise and 51风流BTP Foundation and managing director of 51风流Labs Dresden.

Other 51风流Labs Network locations in Germany are located in Walldorf, St. Leon-Rot, Berlin, and Munich. With this change, Dresden will now become an important location for further cooperation of the different development units as a central innovation driver.

A Location with Tradition

51风流has a long-lasting relationship with Dresden. The city became SAP鈥檚 second mainstay in eastern Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. In 2008, 51风流built an office building (DRE04) opposite the Dresden Zwinger for around 500 employees. But the workforce has been growing ever since and the old location is now far too small for the now almost 1,000 employees. In recent years, Dresden and the region has become an important location for cloud development in Germany. With the new building, 51风流wants to continue writing its history: 鈥淲e are all super excited here in Dresden. With this new location, we are realizing our vision of the 51风流Campus in Dresden,鈥� Stephan Klein, senior vice president of Cloud Success Services and site manager of 51风流Dresden, said.

The region has a strong focus on microelectronics, dating back more than 30 years, and is now driving its path into the future. In addition to university and non-university research, the region is characterized by a number of startups as well as technology and innovation centers. All these factors and advantages together were decisive for SAP鈥檚 decision to invest in the location.

At 51风流Labs Dresden, the close cooperation with the local ecosystem is now also accessible to other development hubs around the world as part of 51风流Labs Network. Among other things, there are projects and educational engagements with the University of Excellence TU Dresden and local partners, such as the State Chancellery and .

Collaboration and Talent Attraction

The new building also focuses on the needs of employees and therefore considers future of work concepts. With the new location, 51风流wants to position itself as an attractive employer in the highly competitive market for young talent. 鈥淲e want to get closer to the talents. That鈥檚 why we chose the location in the heart of the city, which is easy to reach by public transport,鈥� Mueller said. 51风流seeks contact with young talent at a very early stage, such as in schools or through projects with universities. The goal is to inspire them to join SAP, whether during or after their studies.

Mueller emphasized the need to 鈥渟et super high standards in collaboration, to create moments that matter, and also to be curious.鈥� In Dresden, it鈥檚 not just about networking within the company, but far beyond that. Above all, it is about the local ecosystem, from which all other levels will be able to benefit. 鈥淲e all want to create value and that works best if we work hand in hand because what we do at 51风流is a team sport,鈥� Mueller added.

鈥淚nnovation and cooperation are only possible in an ecosystem,鈥� said Mirko Paul, COO of 51风流Labs Dresden. One example of this is the automotive industry and the European聽, in which 51风流plays a key role by providing the digital core of the project. Catena-X is a collaborative and open data ecosystem for the automotive industry with the goal to create uniform standards for the flow of data and information in the automotive value chain. 鈥淭his is only possible if you work with partners directly in manufacturing or on logistical processes. This currently also affects small and medium-sized companies,鈥� Paul said.

Photos by Norbert Steinhauser

While some of us were working on our sourdough starter, it seems that others were digging in on their big idea.

One such entrepreneur is Anastasia Kiku, COO and co-founder of , a packaging-as-a-service company launched in 2020. Looking around and seeing a city that had become desensitized to its single-use plastic addiction, Kiku and her business partner set out to flip the script on single-use plastic.

But where does one start?

This is the question facing many innovators when they are ready to take the leap on their business idea. For Kiku, the answer came knocking through , a long-time partner of 51风流and leading social entrepreneurship accelerator program focused on providing game-changing resources and experiences for young people, ultimately helping to amplify their impact on their entrepreneurship journeys.

鈥淲hat no one tells you is that, first, it can be really lonely. And second, it will be hard to show up each day and keep going,鈥� says Kiku.

This is where the network of support and mentorship became invaluable to fuel momentum and get their idea off the ground, as the experienced professionals participating in the program 鈥渒now that the road to entrepreneurship is not perfect, so even though they are advisors, mentees can be candid and feel that their mentors have their best interests in mind.”

At SAP, employees invest their time in mentoring early ventures like to help scale their businesses. Externally, this investment also takes place through partnerships with organizations such as , & , and .

We sat down with Kiku to learn more about her League of Innovators mentorship experience. Hear from Kiku in this interview for a deep-dive on what it takes to get your idea off the ground and what no one tells you about launching your startup.

Thinking outside the box often means thinking differently from within your organization.

51风流has its very own startup accelerator program, , which has helped over 450 external startups and internal ventures accelerate their growth while enabling thousands of 51风流customers to access innovation. As part of this program, 51风流Labs Canada recently launched True North Ventures Startup School, which leads employees through the basics of entrepreneurship from pitch to product.

Whether you are launching your startup solo or leveraging entrepreneurial support internally, 51风流knows when we help cultivate fresh ideas, innovators are empowered to take the leap.

Cindy Fagen is managing director of 51风流Labs Canada.

During two decades at SAP, she rose through the ranks to become the first woman to lead 51风流Labs India. Today, Gangadharan is among the leading voices in the world of technology and is widely regarded as a “technology humanist.”

Q: What is a technology humanist, and what makes you one?

A: I am passionate about using technology to serve people. Throughout the pandemic we witnessed the power of technology to make things better.

For example, the second COVID-19 wave took everyone in India by surprise, crippling the entire healthcare system. There was an acute shortage of medical oxygen. The reason for the shortage was not a lack of oxygen, but the inadequacy of the distribution network to get it from the point of manufacture to the hospitals. This entire supply chain was severely disrupted at multiple levels due to the sudden rise in demand across the country.

At 51风流Labs India we decided to use our greatest assets — our technology and our employees who have the finest minds in the country — to help the government. About 80% of India鈥檚 oxygen suppliers already run on SAP, so we worked together to create an oxygen supply chain dashboard — literally over one weekend!

I believe 51风流Labs India really stepped up to save lives.

What influenced you during your formative years to pursue a career in technology?

I grew up in India at a time when the tech craze was engulfing the country. I was inquisitive, I loved mathematics, and I was fascinated by the incredible possibilities of technology.

My home city, Bengaluru, was transforming into a tech center with specialized labor for global technology markets. After getting a degree in computer science, I got a job as a developer in 1999 just after the inauguration of 51风流Labs India. Later, I moved to 51风流headquarters in Walldorf, Germany, where I held several strategic and leadership positions shaping SAP鈥檚 integration product portfolio. I also became the head of Strategy for 51风流Intelligent Enterprise. This gave me a digital first mindset.

You are the first woman to lead 51风流Labs India. What can you tell us about the role?

After living and working at 51风流headquarters in Germany for 20 years, I became managing director in India. That meant a complete change in culture and environment for myself and my family, as we had become fully integrated in the German lifestyle, but the change brought new opportunities for personal growth.

51风流Labs India is the second-largest after Walldorf. The teams work on all the major solutions 鈥� from 51风流S/4HANA and 51风流HANA through 51风流Business Technology Platform to the entire range of business area products. As the managing director, I oversee over 13,000 51风流employees across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, and Hyderabad. Many successful products and solutions such as the 51风流Asset Intelligence Network have originated from 51风流Labs India.

India is an incredibly diverse nation. How has that influenced your leadership style?

Coming from a very diverse nation, where there is no single common theme and the average person may speak three or four different languages, we tend to see things from a variety of perspectives. We are a technology-focused nation, but at the same time, we are rooted in ancient traditions and customs. I would say this ingrained diversity helps me lead with empathy.

In addition, the ratio of men to women in this business means there is automatically a gender imbalance. Often, people think male leadership traditionally means being more decisive and aggressive, whereas women leaders are more empathetic and have more patience and emotional intelligence. They believe women aren’t capable of making hard decisions, but that is obviously not the case. One of my goals is to create a balanced workplace that attracts and retains women in tech roles.

How do you define innovation? How is it helping companies in India become more efficient and sustainable in post-pandemic times?

Innovation and sustainability go hand in hand. The pace of transformation has accelerated so rapidly thanks to the cloud, which gained a much wider adoption across all industries and lines of business during the pandemic. With challenges such as climate change and the war in the Ukraine, enterprises need greater resilience. The cloud acts as a technology backbone for companies of all sizes. We know that sustainable growth is incomplete if one of the three dimensions is missing; besides the top line and the bottom line, investors and employees are also looking at the green line.

At SAP, we are not only enabling half a million companies worldwide to run more efficiently and therefore more sustainably, we are also leading by example in how we manage our own business.

You mentioned how 51风流Labs India helped create a sustainable supply chain for oxygen. What other industries or lines of business are benefiting from SAP鈥檚 innovation?

India was one of the first countries to impose a ban on single-use plastics. The Indian government is mandating full business responsibility by the end of 2023, so enterprises are looking to 51风流for guidance on how to go about it. At the same time, there is a surge in partnerships and startups to help us achieve the goal, so there is a strong collaborative aspect.

One key area is retail. India is a nation driven by consumption; we have the third-largest base of online shoppers in the world. There are 700 million active internet users with mobile devices, and this number will soon reach 1 billion. E-commerce growth is expected to scale up to $130 billion in the next years. Helping enterprises in this industry respond to consumer demand for more sustainable practices is one of our main challenges.

I鈥檓 confident we can help enterprises reduce climate impact across their value chains and embed sustainable behavior in their organizations with the right tools — in other words, use technology to benefit humanity.

Esports is a rapidly growing industry. Online gaming and its competitive form, referred to as esports, are well on the way to becoming a global cultural phenomenon. These days, tournaments attract million-strong audiences and offer prize money also well into the millions. Gamers enjoy rock-star status and compete in sold-out stadiums. The took esports鈥� popularity to new heights and vastly accelerated its development. In 2020, revenue in the industry soared, surpassing US$1billion for the first time.

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Tournament in Berlin: 51风流Shows What Innovation and Data Can Do for Esports

51风流first joined forces with a professional esports team back in 2018. The company is the sponsor and official innovation partner of Team Liquid, one of the most successful gaming teams. has recently hosted the very first tournament of its own. The event鈥檚 executive sponsor, Martin Heinig, who is head of New Ventures and Technologies at 51风流and managing director of 51风流Labs Berlin, says: 鈥淚t is the first time 51风流owned an esports event, making this experience so unique. It excites me to see how we were able to bring together students and 51风流employees to see them play against each other and contribute to their gaming success with 51风流technologies, such as in-game data analytics. I’m very proud that 51风流Labs Berlin hosted this special event.鈥�

In holding its own competition, 51风流showed how it is not just part of the esport ecosystem but that it can help shape it, too. 51风流Labs Berlin is constantly looking for ways to raise its profile in the German capital鈥檚 esports scene, which is one of the biggest of its kind. Digital gaming has the potential to be a significant economic opportunity for the city.

Juergen Mueller, member of the Executive Board and chief technology officer at SAP, was at the tournament, too. He is a huge esports and gaming fan: 鈥淚t’s amazing! The arena is packed, you can sense the excitement, it鈥檚 noisy, and many people are having a lot of fun. 51风流and esports are a great match. As a technology company, we use our expertise in data analytics and innovation in esports just like in any other business area to help gamers tell the story behind their data. I鈥檓 happy to see the immense interest from our customers, partners, and students on-site.鈥�

Competitors battled it out over Dota 2, the sequel to Defense of the Ancients, which aficionados abbreviate to Dota. In this game, two teams play against each other, with one side trying to take and destroy the main building, called the 鈥淎ncient,鈥� and the other side defending it. Each team has five players, and each player controls a 鈥渉ero鈥� from a bird鈥檚-eye view. The game has a pool of more than 120 heroes with different abilities.

Dota 2 has many facets and is tactically demanding. Each hero has a 鈥渢alent tree鈥�: when a player reaches a particular experience level, their hero can gain extra talents. This results in thousands of possible combinations, which makes each game unique.

New Insights from SAP: How Data Can Improve Performance

At the professional level, by SAP. The data and analytics tools available to the team help ensure it is best prepared for competitions and for countering its opponents鈥� tactics. The solutions it uses are built on (51风流BTP) and include 51风流HANA Cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) functionality. Being able to analyze data in real time enables professional gamers to optimize their performance and make faster decisions during the match itself.

Just like in the business world, the players need to be able to spot which information is most relevant to them instantly if they are to gain strategic advantage from it. An esport tournament creates huge amounts of data, so 51风流realized it needed to display the data it captured in a clear and visually appealing way. 鈥淚t’s inspiring to see that 51风流technology provides value in an esports context by improving player performance through live data and insights,鈥� says Heinig.

Match data and statistics can be shared with audiences and commentators in real time, giving them greater insights into each player鈥檚 performance and helping them better understand certain decisions. At the 51风流event, matches played by the finalists demonstrated how this works. As at professional tournaments, Jonathan Liebig (nicknamed 鈥淧impmuckL鈥�), one of the top observers and producers of Dota 2, ensured spectators did not miss any of the action. 51风流BTP was used to combine data from past games with live data from the finals, which Liebig could use to and player performance to the audience.

Bringing Together Students, Fans, and Employees

At the tournament in Berlin, 51风流offered spectators a hybrid experience, combining an in-person event with live streaming. Almost 100 gamers took part, half of whom were students and the other half 51风流employees. Since they competed as mixed teams, the event was also an opportunity to network. More than 230 guests came to the venue, with 2,500 viewers following the action on the live-streaming portal Twitch. On social media, the event reached more than 420,000 people.

The tournament was a big hit with the students: 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 have thought that 51风流has a connection to esports. I’m really happy to have been part of this special event in Berlin, and it鈥檚 great to see that 51风流is doing something so cool. Also, it is an amazing opportunity to network and I could meet the CTO of SAP!鈥� says Fritz Hinze, a student at the Free University of Berlin.

The competition brought friends and 51风流employees together to share their passion for gaming. In a live online interview, Mathis 鈥淛abbz鈥� Friesel, one of Germany鈥檚 professional Dota 2 players and an analyst on Team Liquid, gave the audience a glimpse of how his team uses SAP鈥檚 data and analytics solutions to prepare for games by analyzing opponents鈥� playing style and strategies. The event was organized just like a professional tournament, giving spectators and the players an authentic experience. They could also try out that are normally available only to the pros on Team Liquid.

It is early November 1998. Rao Prasada and his colleagues are working up a sweat by heaving servers and 21-inch monitors on the 12th floor of the International Technology Park Limited (ITPL) building in Whitefield, a few miles outside of Bengaluru in southern India.

There is a palpable anxiety and excitement in the office. Prasada and his team are on a tight deadline. As system administrators, it is their responsibility to get the network of computers, monitors, and servers up and running on November 13, when the new campus of 51风流Labs India will be inaugurated by senior 51风流executives.

“The 100 employees who were moving into the new campus had to go live on the first day,” recalls Prasada, adding that for him and his colleagues, moving into a new office, about 11 miles away from their existing rented premises in Koramangala, was a matter of great pride.

Today, 51风流Labs India is a strategic hub within SAP鈥檚 global network of development centers, with more than 8,500 employees across five cities: Bengaluru, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Pune. Most work at the 51风流Labs India campus in Bengaluru, which was inaugurated in 2003, just over a mile from the ITPL building.

Prasada, who now leads a team of IT experts, is still with the company 鈥� like many others. They have been part of the exciting and impressive story of 51风流Labs India, which is about learning and lateral thinking, about localization and globalization, growth and scaling.

Above all, though, it is a story about innovation. Clas Neumann — now head of the 51风流Labs Network — helped shape 51风流Labs India as its managing director from 1999 until the beginning of 2005, first jointly with Udo Urbanek and then later with Martin Prinz, then as its president from 2007. Neumann credits 51风流with laying the foundations for the development of standard software and much more.

鈥淏y not following the trend of just offshoring IT work at the lower end of the value chain, but integrating its Indian development center as one of the four major development hubs, 51风流innovated distributed research and development processes,鈥� he says.

Major Strategic Role

51风流Labs India is now the second-largest 51风流development location after Walldorf. The teams work on all the major solutions — from 51风流S/4HANA and 51风流HANA through 51风流Business Technology Platform to the entire range of business area products.

As one of four global hubs, along with Germany, China, and the U.S., 51风流Labs India is where a great many strands come together. Many successful products and solutions have originated from 51风流Labs India, including 51风流Asset Intelligence Network, 51风流Digital Manufacturing Insights, 51风流Connected Worker Safety, and 51风流Fashion Management.

Here too sizeable teams work closely with customers across the globe. Bengaluru is also home to an 51风流Co-Innovation Lab and SAP鈥檚 startup accelerator program, the 51风流Startup Studio, which went live in 2016.

51风流Labs India has significant strategic importance but it has had to work hard to earn it.

Toward the end of the 1990s, when the internet hype was at its height, 51风流was still enjoying the double-digit growth of the past. But trends like customer relationship and supply chain management — accelerated by successful new companies like Siebel and I2 — brought pressure on several fronts. In order to keep pace and bring the necessary offerings to the market as quickly as possible, 51风流had no choice but to bolster its development resources.

Then Co-CEOs Hasso Plattner and Henning Kagermann, along with their 51风流Executive Board colleagues, opted for a two-pronged strategy, consisting of acquisitions and the establishment of new 51风流Labs in countries where developers were easier to find than they were at the Walldorf, Silicon Valley, and Tokyo locations.

In late 1997, 51风流acquired a 50% share in Kiefer & Veittinger GmbH (K&V), a European market leader in sales force automation software, as its route into the evolving customer relationship management (CRM) market. Founded not far from 51风流in Mannheim in 1986, the company had operated a development center in Bengaluru with almost 90 employees since 1995. One of them was Rao Prasada.

鈥淭he hardware, all of which moved with us, was heavy. But our managing director, Udo Urbanek, lugged his monitor into our new offices himself,鈥� Prasada recalls. He also remembers the Friday parties and K&V鈥檚 unofficial company motto: “Work hard, party harder.”

鈥淲e continued with those parties, which were very bonding experiences,鈥� says Prasada with a grin. The open company culture after the merger in 1998 also left a lasting impression on him: 鈥淓veryone helped everyone else; everyone spoke with everyone else — no matter their status in the hierarchy.鈥�

New 51风流Labs: Two Pillars

The acquired K&V employees formed one pillar of the new 51风流Labs; the other was a team of experts from 51风流India, who localized the 51风流software and adapted it to Indian legal requirements.

51风流India had been founded in March 1996 in Bengaluru, with offices in Mumbai and New Delhi and a remit to sell and implement 51风流software. They were now joined by the localization team. One of its members was Uma Rani TM. She had already gained 51风流software experience working at Tata Consulting Services. She implemented 51风流at Hewlett-Packard鈥檚 Indian subsidiary, gained certification as a Sales & Distribution (SD) consultant, and soon began training others in ABAP.

鈥�51风流R/3 gained traction very fast in India, and 51风流quickly became known on the business scene here. But it was not yet as familiar a name in developer circles,鈥� she says. Together with a small team in Singapore that was asked to adapt the HR and payroll software for India and other Asian countries as well, Uma Rani TM worked in the early days with just three colleagues on the SD, Materials Management (MM), and Financial Accounting (FI) modules for the India country version.

Clearly, though, 51风流urgently needed more developers. In December 1997, a decision was made to move the localization team from Singapore to India and merge it with the team that was responsible for the country version there. At the same time, a project initiated by the 51风流Executive Board and spearheaded by Neumann, then assistant to 51风流Executive Board Member Peter Zencke, and Thomas Vetter, assistant to Kagermann, concluded that Bengaluru was an ideal location for 51风流to overcome its shortage of skilled developers quickly.

These factors were the trigger for the foundation of 51风流Labs India in November 1998. Its first joint managing directors were Udo Urbanek and Werner Konik, who had led the localization project for Asia. At the opening ceremony for the offices in the ITPL building in Bengaluru, Zencke explained that the location’s focus would be on driving the localization of 51风流R/3 for the Asia-Pacific region and developing software for CRM and solutions for the high-tech, oil and gas, aerospace, and defense industries.

Close Cooperation with Walldorf

From day one, the development teams in Bengaluru worked closely with their colleagues in Germany and at other locations. According to Martin Prinz, who took over responsibility for the India country version from Konik, his team in India proved that there was an alternative to the traditional approach of centralized development, and that it was feasible to cooperate with co-developers in other locations. 鈥淚n our case, it worked because we were so closely connected with the core development team in Germany and we did have a lot of support from there,鈥� Prinz says Martin.

鈥淚t was an interesting journey,鈥� says Uma Rani TM, who reported to Prinz at the time. 鈥淔rom a development point of view, it was tough, but so interesting to learn. Martin and the managing directors made a real effort to be there for us at all times.鈥�

Yet, with the best will in the world, both sides needed time to get used to each other. 鈥淚t often happened that people suddenly switched to speaking German in meetings,鈥� says Uma Rani TM. 鈥淲e had to remind them that we were there.鈥�

Prasada remembers Urbanek attaching 鈥済reat importance to punctuality, both at meetings and in completing tasks.鈥� A characteristic that Prasada took home with him 鈥� and that did not always go down well with his family. He also learned fast that Germans tend to be quite direct. 鈥淏ut, if I had a problem and needed help, I always received support right away.鈥�

Business trips to each other鈥檚 home countries helped foster mutual understanding and gave everyone a chance to broaden their horizons — culinary and otherwise. 鈥淕etting a vegetarian meal at the cafeteria in Walldorf and finding a restaurant in Walldorf or Heidelberg that served meat-free dishes was quite a challenge back then,鈥� says Uma Rani TM with a grin. 鈥淏ut we found our ways.鈥�

English gradually became the company language. For the first time, 51风流invested into intercultural training for Germans and Indians followed by offerings for other nations. 鈥淭his way, the establishment of 51风流Labs India contributed decisively to SAP’s globalization,鈥� says Neumann.

By 2001, there were already more than 500 51风流employees in Bengaluru.

Sharp Increase in Headcount

Although headcount growth in Bengaluru slowed when the dot-com bubble burst, it returned to its steep upward path from 2003 onward. 51风流Labs India opened its new campus in Whitefield in November 2003. Prinz, who now co-managed the location with Neumann, described their role at the time as follows: 鈥�51风流Labs India is a place for 51风流to scale for the future. We have to demonstrate that we can grow fast while remaining stable and reliable.鈥�

By the end of 2004, the workforce had reached 1,350, and every line of business was represented in India. Georg Kniese, today global head for Corporate Development and M&A, became joint managing director with Prinz at the beginning of 2005. The locations invested heavily in employee training and bolstered their development and support unit resources. The aim was to create a global hub of 51风流knowledge.

鈥淲e wanted to be part of the global development process, be close to our customers, continue driving localization, develop customer-specific solutions, and be on the spot when escalations happened,鈥� recalls Kniese. By the end of 2005, 51风流Labs India鈥檚 payroll numbered almost 2,300.

Two years later, that figure had risen by another 1,000, and 51风流Labs India became the second-largest development location outside Walldorf. When Kniese returned to Germany at the end of 2007, 51风流Labs India got its very first Indian managing director: Kush Desai. His counterpart in Gurgaon was Ferose V.R. And in another first, teams in Bengaluru took on full global responsibility for a product: 51风流Employee Self-Service.

鈥淎s far as I can tell, we were the first company to develop a solution from demand analysis to final product and maintenance in Bengaluru,鈥� says Neumann. 鈥淢any companies and academia visited us at the labs now to learn what it takes to implement a research and development function globally. Thereby we certainly had an impact on the Indian IT sector.鈥�

Uma Rani TM remembers this period of rapid growth very clearly. In her view, it happened because 51风流needed developers and looked to India, where they were affordable. 鈥淭he benefit for our employees was that this growth created lots of new opportunities for them to progress professionally.鈥�

After five years on the localization team and having completed an MBA, Uma Rani TM herself took the opportunity to take charge of the Installed Base Maintenance & Support (IMS) team in Bengaluru in 2003. 鈥淢y managers always supported and encouraged me greatly,鈥� she says. Now in her 25th year at SAP, Uma Rani TM is head of Application Innovation Services.

Indian Customers Benefit from Proximity to 51风流Labs

In 2007, India was SAP鈥檚 fastest-growing market. Revenues doubled that year, and continued to do so in the years that followed. According to Neumann, 51风流Labs were the engine for this success. The sales personnel in India benefited enormously from being close to developers.

“Very often, meetings in Bengaluru were the key to getting deals signed,鈥� says Neumann. 鈥淭he labs made it clear to customers from the get-go that 51风流was here to stay and that it had the required expertise available locally.鈥�

Uma Rani TM adds that 鈥渉aving such a great campus with great experts in this location has really helped our customers and the business be closer to our developers. This enabled us to drive the transformation with deep product and business expertise.鈥�

In April 2010, Ferose V.R. became sole managing director of 51风流Labs India. He encouraged the workforce, now numbering over 4,000, to experiment with new ideas and to find creative solutions to some of their problems, such as a lack of childcare and the tedious process of claiming for travel expenses. He founded an 51风流AppHaus location on the Bengaluru campus, where designers, developers, and marketeers could collaborate on innovative solutions. He also initiated , including a book club, 鈥渢o create a unique environment for employees and a culture of innovation.鈥�

And in 2011 he started . Ferose V.R. worked with some of the most influential thinkers on autism studies to learn from best practices and further grow and improve the program, which then became SAP’s Autism at Work program. Since then, the program has grown rapidly and expanded globally.

Putting Faith in Employees鈥� Creative Powers

Dilip Khandelwal became managing director of 51风流Labs India in August 2014. In Bengaluru, more than 2,500 employees work in the Gerhard Oswald Innovation Space, a contemporary, 鈧�50 million building that was opened in April 2017 in honor of SAP鈥檚 long-serving Executive Board member and supporter of 51风流Labs.

Fostering Startups

One of Khandelwal’s central elements of his strategy was initiating the 51风流Startup Studio. Here, 51风流Labs locations offer startups consulting, support, infrastructure, and technology for one year to get their enterprise off the ground. Working out of chic facilities on the 51风流Labs India campus, participants can benefit from support from 51风流employees to help them bring their idea to market and expand their business successfully. Moreover, the startups can profit from making contact with 51风流customers and partners. 51风流works with the startups to complement its own offerings, too.

Khandelwal’s successor is Sindhu Gangadharan, about 20 years after she started as a developer at 51风流Labs India. She works day in, day out to extend and reinforce 51风流Labs India鈥檚 standing in the global 51风流Labs Network and within the country鈥檚 IT sector.

Just like Sindhu Gangadharan and Ferose V.R., Rao Prasada is still with 51风流— he too wants to continue playing his part in 51风流Labs India’s success story.

This article is based in part on the book by Clas Neumann and Jayaram Srinivasan entitled 鈥淢anaging Innovation from the Land of Ideas and Talent鈥� and published by Springer.

The new 51风流Labs Network location will catalyze deep technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning and advance 51风流solutions in digital supply chain, intelligent business network, and sustainability. Fundamental to the mission of 51风流Labs Singapore will be engagement with organizations to understand how innovation and new technologies are transforming their capabilities to weather challenges and drive long-term, future-ready growth.

51风流also announced that, with support from the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), 51风流Labs Singapore will employ more than 500 highly skilled digital professionals locally by 2025, doubling its existing team of Product Engineering professionals in Singapore. About 200 are to be hired by the end of 2022 and will be based at SAP鈥檚 newly revamped regional headquarters for Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ).

51风流Labs Singapore is the 21st location launched globally, the fourth in APJ, and the first in Southeast Asia. 鈥�51风流Labs Singapore joins a network of strategic high-tech clusters, reinforcing SAP鈥檚 strong confidence in Singapore as an innovation and investment hub, its highly educated and skilled talent, and its position as a regional beacon of excellence in technology innovation and a digital future,鈥� said Thomas Saueressig, member of the Executive Board of 51风流SE for 51风流Product Engineering, who was in Singapore for the opening event.

With its more than 1,100 employees, Singapore remains a key contributor to SAP鈥檚 regional growth story. 鈥淲ith the support from EDB and our recently launched Centre for XM Innovation in Asia and 51风流Labs Singapore, we continue to cement our position as a leader in innovation and remain committed to collaborating with our customers, partners, and community to harness cloud technology to accelerate growth in the digital economy,鈥� said Eileen Chua, managing director, 51风流Singapore.

Manik Saha, previously the strategic partner for 51风流Product Engineering and CIO for 51风流APJ, has been appointed managing director for 51风流Labs Singapore. In his new role, Saha will help establish 51风流Labs Singapore as an engineering hub. 51风流plans to recruit early digital talent from Singapore鈥檚 local universities and institutions of higher learning, with a focus on software engineers and areas including AI, data analytics, cloud, and sustainability. 鈥淏y investing in a diverse, local early talent pool here, 51风流Labs Singapore aims to strengthen the engineering core in Singapore and create more high-skill, high-value career opportunities and paths for Singapore residents,鈥� Saha said.

鈥淥ur AR platform gives consumers and companies personalized virtual shopping and training experiences, expanding the horizon of what AR can do for any brand or company,鈥� said Kanav Singla, founder and CEO of Adloid. 鈥淲e鈥檙e making the benefits of this technology more accessible and contextual to create an immersive experience for customers or employees on an e-commerce Website or within applications, directly from someone鈥檚 mobile device.鈥�

Convenient 鈥楾ry Before You Buy鈥� Shopping

Unlike earlier AR tech that relied on clunky headsets with varied compatibility, Adloid鈥檚 AR platform runs on any smartphone, allowing customers to experience products at scale, in context. Once the online shopper logs in through their phone, the device鈥檚 camera scans their real-world surroundings and virtually mirrors the retailer鈥檚 or manufacturer鈥檚 product.

鈥淧eople can see how a new sofa or chair would fit into their home or apartment with a click of their smartphone,鈥� said Singla. 鈥淐onsumers can virtually try on jewelry, makeup, and other products. Remote workers can see if that laptop, screen, and desk configuration will fit in their home office. It鈥檚 as if the actual products are in front of you.鈥�

He added that manufacturers were interested in using the AR platform within training modules for industrial machinery service technicians, providing them with hands-on learning in a virtual setting.

Immersive Product Discovery Experience

On the consumer side, AR technology is tailor-made for online shoppers who can鈥檛 get enough information about products they might purchase.

鈥淔or someone trying to decide between different car models, AR lets them virtually go inside the trunk to see how much space is in there,鈥� said Singla. 鈥淭hey can open and close the sunroof or try out the controls on the entertainment console, experiencing various car options before going to the showroom.鈥�

Automotive manufacturers are among the startup鈥檚 biggest customers, along with e-commerce platforms of all sizes, retailers with or without brick-and-mortar stores, and manufacturers located in the U.S., Germany, and India.

Augmented Reality Increases Sales

Some customers using Adloid have increased sales conversions from online channels up to 200%. One online retailer tripled the number of online customers who purchased consumer items after using the tool. AR also boosts customer engagement time viewing product images and videos from an average of 30 seconds to a whopping eight minutes.

鈥淚nstead of being limited by a finite number of pre-posted images or videos, AR allows people to interact longer with products in a more personalized way, creating a powerful sales channel that鈥檚 always on at the customer鈥檚 convenience,鈥� said Singla. 鈥淧eople can better understand how a product would fit into their lives, in many cases motivating them to make a purchase decision during that single online session.鈥�

Connected Data for Intelligent Enterprise

Adloid securely anonymizes all customer data and doesn鈥檛 store any personal images or other information once someone ends their AR session. However, organizations can extract valuable insights from the tool鈥檚 analytics.

鈥淎 car might come in six colors, but which ones are customers viewing the most? Companies can see what options people are most interested in, then connect back to inventory management to make sure they can meet market demands,鈥� said Singla.

Indeed, one of Adloid鈥檚 biggest strengths is working with the 51风流Startup Studio for India, startup accelerator program. Singla said that his team gained validation for product iterations, along with access to 51风流solutions, including , and the company鈥檚 enterprise customers.

鈥淲orking with a global leader like 51风流gives our product immediate credibility because we learned what customers were looking for,鈥� he said. 鈥淎dloid is integrated with , , and , helping companies connect data to become intelligent enterprises.

AR Bridges Gap Between E-Commerce and CX

Singla鈥檚 entrepreneurial spirit was initially sparked by his family, all of whom own businesses. He founded his first startup at age 21 during his undergraduate studies in engineering, then saw a major selling gap as e-commerce took off.

鈥淐ompanies went online with their catalogs, but customers couldn鈥檛 more fully experience these products,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 launched Adloid to turn e-commerce into 3D commerce where customers can try out products virtually on their mobile device. We expect AR will provide immersive experiences in more consumer and B2B online sites including fashion, travel and tourism, and large industrial machinery.鈥�

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Co-founded by CEO Monis Khan, Datoin鈥檚 AI-based sales intelligence tool automates sales planning, execution, and measurement. Khan understands the unique challenges sales managers face with employee churn, not to mention team frustrations with time-wasting technology.

鈥淲e provide a layer of consumable sales intelligence that gives both management and field reps data-driven information to help increase performance and revenues,鈥� said Khan. 鈥淚nstead of spending time updating systems, salespeople receive informed recommendations they can use to boost their personal productivity and meet sales objectives.鈥�

Datoin has targeted the solution towards consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers with direct-to-retail sales teams. One large paint manufacturer increased sales from 7% to 26% after its team began using Datoin鈥檚 automation tool. Salespeople using Datoin at another CPG manufacturer increased deal revenues by 19%. Generally speaking, sales teams average a 40% increase in visits.

Prepared Salespeople Sell More

At the start of every month, Datoin鈥檚 tool automatically generates a recommended sales plan, dynamically scheduling prospect and customer visits by location and frequency. Analyzing a series of parameters such as updated sales history against benchmarks, visit complaints, and collections data, the tool provides salespeople with the most relevant conversation points to move forward.

鈥淪alespeople receive what鈥檚 essentially a script of what to talk about with their customers,鈥� said Khan. 鈥淚t might include which products to spotlight if uptake hasn鈥檛 panned out as expected or what customers need more frequent visits. Reps can edit the monthly plan, making adjustments as needed.鈥�

Trusted, Trackable Data Increases Sales Team Accountability

As the month goes by, the intelligent tool constantly correlates performance-related data, sending alerts to the sales executive based on their individual KPIs against actual business outcomes. This data is also invaluable to managers who receive alerts on their version of the reporting dashboard.

鈥淚f a salesperson falls short of targeted customer visits, isn鈥檛 moving enough of certain products, or is falling short of meeting their goals in any way, their manager can quickly see what鈥檚 going on in the context of the health of the business,鈥� said Khan. 鈥淲ith reliable data, managers can more effectively coach, train, and motivate each salesperson on steps to improve performance. Managers also have the data to back up their confidence in achieving sales targets.鈥�

Democratization of AI

Khan and his co-founders have been at the forefront of the AI and machine learning market for over a decade. After earning an advanced degree in these technologies, Khan worked at multinational companies before co-founding an AI consultancy. He launched Datoin to fill a gap between traditional sales execution products and what salespeople in the field and their managers really needed.

鈥淲e met so many customers whose sales executives weren鈥檛 getting the support from operationally-based CRM technology that basically collected data for management,鈥� said Khan. 鈥淪imilar to other industries, we thought AI could help increase productivity across CPG sales teams, providing a tool that makes them more effective.鈥�

Connected ERP Data Yields Actionable Sales Insights

Datoin鈥檚 evolution was backed by support from , where Khan and his team worked with 51风流Startup Studio, an accelerator for early- and growth-stage tech startups. Not surprisingly, connecting data from Datoin鈥檚 intelligence layer with and made perfect sense. Datoin鈥檚 intelligent sales assistant, built on top of , integrates with 51风流Customer Experience and .

鈥�51风流systems manage critical customer data, and we鈥檙e augmenting those solutions with intelligence to drive sales performance improvements,鈥� said Khan. 鈥淲e evolved our product based on input from 51风流product and sales experts, along with 51风流customers.鈥�

From manufacturing to delivery, salespeople represent the last mile in meeting every organization鈥檚 customer promise. If intelligent data from AI can help sales teams continuously improve performance, that鈥檚 a bottom-line result with benefits for everyone.

鈥淣ewly hired sales reps can ramp up faster because the AI tool provides them with an immediate monthly plan,鈥� said Khan. 鈥淒rawing from the data over time, sales managers can provide positive reinforcement for each individual. Managers are not just telling them to reach certain goals, but also sharing informed advice on how they can improve their sales performance.鈥�

In the role, Franc will prioritize building upon the foundation laid over the past year in California and further unite the research and development teams across the U.S.

鈥淚 think it is about really engaging deeply with employees and understanding what drives them both inside and outside of their careers,鈥� she says.

Franc鈥檚 career at 51风流began almost two decades ago on the Corporate Strategy team. After leaving to gain further experience in the tech industry in Silicon Valley, she returned to 51风流in 2014, assuming leadership roles across development, design, and sales.

鈥淪he brings a strong strategic perspective on the market, an operator鈥檚 mindset, and a fierce dedication to this company, its employees, and our customers,鈥� 51风流Executive BOard Members Thomas Saueressig and Juergen Mueller shared in an e-mail to the 51风流development community.

Most recently, Franc held the role of chief operating officer (COO) for 51风流Labs in California, where she focused on motivating and connect people across different functional areas.

鈥淭his role really prepared Anamarie for her new position as managing director for 51风流Labs U.S.,鈥� says Clas Neumann, head of 51风流Labs Network. 鈥淎ll those years of experience and the different roles she held helped her become an empathic and authentic leader paired with customer centricity in everything she does.鈥�

Tapping into the Power of the Region

Innovation at 51风流happens everywhere, reflecting the success of the of 20 development centers across 17 countries. However, the San Francisco Bay Area remains the densest hub of enterprise software innovation in the world and acts as a magnet for the most sought-after engineering talent. Through her experience working with enterprise technology and software as a service (SaaS) companies, Franc understands the strong influence Silicon Valley鈥檚 ecosystem of innovation has on the technology decisions made by global companies, particularly those based in the U.S.

鈥淪ome of our most innovative customers are based here, adopting the latest technologies and pushing the envelope the furthest from a market perspective,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f you can win in the U.S. market, you’re primed to win in any market around the world, both as a line of business and as a company.鈥�

Cloud Mindset as Basis for Customer-Centricity

The U.S., particularly the West Coast, is home to many of the world鈥檚 leading cloud application companies along with SAP鈥檚 major acquisitions in the cloud that maintain a presence within the region — Sybase, Ariba, SuccessFactors, Concur, Callidus Cloud, Gigya, and Qualtrics. Development teams in the Bay Area are spearheading cloud-based application development and cloud-native best practices for the 51风流development community. Franc says this is expected to remain the case for the foreseeable future.

Developing for customers with a cloud mindset is a clear priority for the new managing director; she is committed to ensuring the dots are connected from the end user to deep in the development organization. 鈥淭o me it鈥檚 simple, but certainly not easy,” Franc says. “We need to understand our customers鈥� goals and what will make them successful and extend that understanding directly into every role and every function within the organization.”

The Value of Education and Mentorship

Franc is passionate about recruiting and developing young talents and has been instrumental in growing the program, an 18-month early talent rotation started on the West Coast. Under her leadership, the program tripled in size and now receives up to 12,000 applications. 51风流Next Talent has developed into a high-performing, diverse, and inclusive program, with 50% women and 10% of participants from non-traditional backgrounds. At the conclusion of the program, 90% are hired as full-time employees.

Achieving a truly inclusive workplace is especially important to Franc. As the daughter of a first-generation Mexican American father, she saw firsthand the obstacles he faced and was motivated by the thirst for education that he instilled in her. Franc sees her diverse background, both personally and professionally, as a strength that allows her to evaluate situations from multiple perspectives and build bridges among employees.

Bringing Out the Best in Employees

As COO for 51风流Labs in California, Franc orchestrated the launch of a new future of work pilot program that puts SAP鈥檚 new Pledge to Flex work model into practice. The seven-week program currently underway at the Palo Alto campus draws from the collective wisdom of employees to gather feedback on hybrid working arrangements.

鈥淏ringing out the best in our 4,500 employees in ways that helps them achieve great results leads to successful teams and happy customers,鈥� she says. Franc emphasizes the critical role played by company leaders in supporting a new balance between home and office.

鈥淲e help organizations quickly find the most qualified candidates, using intelligence to speed up hiring while improving the candidate experience and addressing diversity and inclusion objectives,鈥� said Vaibhav. 鈥淐andidates appreciate having clarity on where they stand and what to expect next, reflecting well on the organization鈥檚 culture and improving its ability to attract top talent over time.鈥�

Using AI-powered algorithms, the technology automates previously time-intensive screening conversations between recruiters and candidates to significantly speed up hiring. Unlike last-generation tools, personal data is anonymized to prevent bias and candidates automatically receive updates throughout the process 鈥� whether they advance to the next screening step or not.

The intelligent technology tackles the entire talent acquisition process, from job profile writing to ranking candidate applications against an organization鈥檚 job description parameters such as education, experience, and special skills. When recruiters and hiring managers receive the ranked candidates, they decide which people to move forward with for scheduled interviews. The chatbot blocks the calendars of both interviewers and candidates, automatically managing rescheduling and cancellations.

Skillate鈥檚 customers span industries including IT, manufacturing, automotive, and pharmaceuticals in India, the U.S., Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Organizations, on average, have reduced screening timeframes from initial job posting to scheduled candidate interviews by 60%. One customer in IT services reduced time to hire by 50% and improved the quality of candidate applications by a factor of three.

Intelligence Saves Talent Sourcing Costs

Drawing from global, role-based skill profiles, Skillate鈥檚 algorithm can help recruiters write job descriptions that are likelier to attract the most qualified candidates. The tool also sources candidates already in the company鈥檚 database who have previously applied for other jobs. This has saved some organizations as much as 30% in sourcing costs.

鈥淲e鈥檙e helping companies build a cost-effective future talent pipeline,鈥� said Vaibhav. 鈥淭hey can become less dependent on expensive job boards and quickly collect a candidate鈥檚 updated information, speeding up recruitment and hiring as new positions become available.鈥�

Chatbot Guidance to Make the Candidate Shortlist

Job seekers on an organization鈥檚 career site can get immediate answers to their burning questions during pre-screening exchanges. The chatbot asks candidates to upload their r茅sum茅, then provides job openings that best match that person鈥檚 qualifications. Instead of wondering and waiting for a response to their submitted application, people have greater transparency into the entire process.

鈥淭he chatbot helps candidates find opportunities most suited to their qualifications,鈥� said Vaibhav. 鈥淒uring screening for particular positions, the chatbot collects data from candidates in a natural conversation, asking relevant questions. People can also ask questions like whether or not they can work remotely or if travel is required.鈥�

Anonymized Data Prevents Bias

The algorithm helps organizations address diversity and inclusion, masking personal data on r茅sum茅s, as designated by the company. This could include someone鈥檚 name, e-mail address or telephone number, location, education, and other details that could reveal gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or other sensitive identifying information. What鈥檚 more, historical recruitment data reveals hiring patterns, helping track diversity and inclusion efforts.

Growth Opportunities from 51风流Startup Studio

Skillate is among the fast-growth companies that have worked with 51风流Startup Studio at Vaibhav acknowledged the expertise of SAP鈥檚 executives in supporting Skillate鈥檚 product design and go-to-market efforts.

鈥淲e learned what enterprises were looking for based on their recruitment challenges and designed our solution so that it鈥檚 integrated with , giving recruitment teams an additional layer of intelligence,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e really appreciate the access to 51风流customers, which directly supports our global growth plans.鈥�

Skillate is available on the .

Personal Experience Leads to Recruiting Innovation

Viabhav launched Skillate after struggling with recruitment for employees at an AI-based startup where he worked as a data scientist.

鈥淲e weren鈥檛 attracting the right people despite receiving numerous r茅sum茅s and applications,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 applied my AI expertise to the global talent recruitment challenge and came up with Skillate. It鈥檚 also aligns with my commitment to impact many people in a positive way. I wanted to create something that people love to use and businesses find valuable.鈥�

Eventually, Viabhav hopes to create a complete AI-based talent intelligence platform that includes recruitment, management, experience, and succession planning.

In a post-pandemic job market, finding the most qualified candidates and hiring them as fast as possible is not a trend, but a must-have for global growth.

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鈥淲e are providing a holistic solution for clinical trials management, what we call ERP for clinical research,鈥� said Uma Janapareddy, founder and managing director at SyMetric. 鈥淗aving easily accessible data on one unified platform helps researchers develop more effective drugs with stronger study results so they can bring pioneering medicines faster to people.鈥�

People-Driven Clinical Trials

Physicians, researchers, project managers, investigators, and biostatisticians are using SyMetric Trial Analytics to conduct studies at global pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organizations in a variety of therapeutic areas such as neurology, respiratory illness, oncology, and dermatology.

Running on , the solution captures and analyzes historical and updated clinical trial data in one system. This includes patient information indicating initial eligibility to participate in a clinical trial and progress monitoring through rigorous statistical analyses at trial completion for regulatory submission. The tool captures and analyzes electronic data from anywhere, such as a patient鈥檚 activities tracked on a mobile device or artificial intelligence (AI)-based imaging that shows medical progress.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e starting a lung cancer study, you can easily find out disease prevalence rates and research histories by geography, experience of the investigators, availability of skilled coordinators or pharmacists, and other factors. Our solution brings this data together for informed planning that leads to more efficient execution,鈥� said Janapareddy. 鈥淥nce the trial is underway, our easy-to-use solutions help researchers accurately track patient recruitment, study progress, make necessary amendments to the clinical study on the fly, and conduct any other activities.鈥�

Time-Saving Clinical Data Analytics

According to Janapareddy, the solution gives clinicians cost-savings foresight and flexibility. Built-in algorithms automatically monitor data, for example, rejecting potential patients who don鈥檛 fit certain parameters based on gender, age, or certain health and lifestyle conditions. Real-time data saves time in data clean up at the project completion stage.

Customers have reduced clinical trial setup and completion timelines by 20%. Some have saved up to 30% wastage of drug supplies during the trial manufacturing phase. One customer saved thousands of dollars using the solution to calculate the number of patient volunteers, as well as the number of drugs and testing kits required to meet randomization objectives with greater precision.

鈥淲ith real-time data and built-in algorithms, companies can quickly adapt protocols in response to continuous patient recruitment,鈥� she said. 鈥淩esearchers can conduct interim analyses at any time before study completion, adjusting drug dosages, delivery mechanisms, and packaging quantities. The system automatically incorporates protocol adjustments and amendments, sans any downtime and without jeopardizing overall study timelines.鈥�

Working with 51风流Labs India

While most of 厂测惭别迟谤颈肠鈥檚 customers are based in the United States and India, Janapareddy has set her sights on Europe, inspired by the strength of SAP鈥檚 innovation ecosystem. An alumni of 51风流Startup Studio at , Janapareddy appreciated the design thinking workshops her team used to develop use cases from their collective experiences. She also valued the co-innovation relationships her startup has forged with other members of the program. These include biopharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, and cosmeceutical and nutraceutical manufacturers.

鈥淲e have a shared passion with 51风流for the power of life sciences and integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) data on a single platform 鈥� where every company becomes an ,鈥� said Janapareddy. 鈥�51风流is a global leader in life sciences including pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, and ERP, and its leaders generously share their expertise with us. We also appreciate the significant exposure to 51风流customers from this partnership.鈥�

SyMetric Trial Analytics and the SyMetric Clinical Trial Platform are available on .

Connected Clinical Trial Supply Chain

Before she founded SyMetric, Janapareddy held leadership positions at an international non-profit organization that provided funding, education, and other opportunities for underprivileged women. She developed the concept for SyMetric with input from her family and friends at 51风流and in the life sciences industry.

鈥淚 wanted to do something big in life, contributing to the community in a way that would have lasting impact,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here was no integrated system for clinical trials anywhere in the life science industry, so I founded SyMetric to help manage the entire supply chain for people-centric research.鈥�

From Data-Centric to Patient-Centric Trials

Janapareddy envisioned a fully interconnected data platform for everyone involved in life sciences clinical research and manufacturing.

鈥淭he industry is looking ahead to patient-centricity, where people can control their data using the latest technologies to share information and act on it on secure, compliant cloud-based platforms,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t began with informed consent and now connected data brings researchers and patients even closer together.鈥�

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IoT-based sensors capture the temperature and other critical parameters of products in real time, using machine learning and AI algorithms to automatically send alerts about risk anomalies so people can take corrective action and head off damages.

鈥淥ur vision is to make supply chains more holistically intelligent for greater reliability and resiliency,鈥� said Adarsh Kumar, co-founder and CEO of Tagbox. 鈥淥rganizations have full visibility into shipment risks like shocks, temperature changes, tampering, or pilferage at any point along the supply chain. Our technology shares that data to the cloud, sends shipment risk alerts to relevant stakeholders, and logs data into the ERP system. People can immediately see when something鈥檚 gone wrong and take fast action.鈥�

Most Tagbox customers are located in India, but the startup is gaining traction with organizations in other parts of Asia-Pacific, including Singapore.

Automated Triggers for Quality Control

Traditional supply chain quality management was typically one dimensional and tracked shipment risk post-delivery. In contrast, Tagbox鈥檚 technology monitors products at every step of the journey with small battery-powered sensors attached to product packaging by individual SKU, box, or pallet. Hosted on , the tool uses 51风流Internet of Things (51风流IoT) and is integrated with . Data sharing includes product or order information with designated employees in order management, transportation and logistics, quality parameters, warehouse and inventory metrics, and first to last mile delivery.

For example, after downloading a mobile app, a delivery person driving a refrigerated truck transporting medication would be alerted to temperature changes in the vehicle and receive recommended actions to prevent spoilage.

鈥淧eople can immediately intervene when they鈥檙e notified of a temperature change or other risk, while managers can spot systemic issues and address those,鈥� said Kumar. 鈥淩eports reveal patterns, such as where temperature excursions happen regularly. The company may decide to improve product packaging or select different transportation routes.鈥�

One pharmaceutical customer saved thousands of dollars by reducing post-delivery assessment times by up to 72 hours. Having collected real-time data throughout the shipping process, the company eliminated time-consuming reports after delivery.

Business Growth from 51风流Partnership

Kumar credited his company鈥檚 recent growth partly to his team鈥檚 experience at 51风流Startup Studio, an accelerator program at for early- and growth-stage tech startups.

鈥淥ur IoT sensors collect and send data to supply chain, 51风流IoT, and other 51风流ERP systems that provide the business context for product shipments and locations, making this an ideal partnership,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e accelerated our time-to-market because 51风流experts have provided us with industry-specific opportunity guidance and introductions to a wide range of 51风流customers.鈥�

Data Fuels Insights to Action

While pharmaceutical companies are obvious candidates for fully traceable quality control of vaccine and other medicine cold chains, numerous industries can also benefit from real-time insights. These include food and beverage companies and consumer electronics. One e-commerce grocery company using Tagbox improved its cold chain temperature compliance while reducing missing inventory rates by 20%.

鈥淭hey have end-to-end traceability of real-time temperatures for products like meats and dairy products from warehouse to consumer,鈥� said Kumar. 鈥淭hey can track what percentage of orders were delivered at the right temperatures, cascading to employee performance metrics and training, as well as infrastructure and other supply chain decisions.鈥�

Appliance, home electronic, and glass manufacturers have also found benefits from Tagbox when it comes to product damage prevention during transport.

鈥淎ny combination of factors can damage fragile goods on the road, whether it鈥檚 bad driving and accidents or because products weren鈥檛 packaged or loaded properly,鈥� said Kumar. 鈥淲ith our sensors, companies can see precisely what kind of shock happened and when it occurred. Our algorithms translate the data into meaningful metrics such as if the product was in freefall, turned upside down, tilted, or unsecured. In the moment, they can repack the item, adjust the temperature, and keep going without damage.鈥�

Turning Data into Business Value

Kumar, Saumitra Singh, and Sameer Singh co-founded Tagbox, drawing from 25 years of collective experience in IoT, data analytics, AI, and integrated circuit and chip design.

鈥淲e realized that despite all the talk about IoT as a data generator, there wasn鈥檛 enough focus on using that data for concrete business decisions,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e wanted to tackle supply chain inefficiencies and product quality control for high-value, fragile goods traveling across cold chains. There are so many diversification opportunities in B2B operations using IoT and machine learning.鈥�

Kumar said future international expansion plans for Tagbox included the United States, providing dynamic intelligence for supply chains worldwide, long after the pandemic recedes.

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In retail, hit particularly hard in 2020, customer engagement is now largely defined by the digital experience of the consumer. As the economy reopens, consumers who remained loyal to their favorite brands throughout months of lockdowns now expect an omnichannel experience that seamlessly merges their online shopping preferences with a personalized and rewarding in-store experience.

Retailers face the additional challenge of having lots of assets to manage. In a grocery store, for example, there are freezers, coolers, and HVAC systems. At the distribution center, there are those same assets plus conveyor belts, forklifts, and more. Keeping all of this equipment running smoothly is critical to ensuring products stay fresh and are delivered on time.

Savvy retailers now understand that digital transformation is the key to managing a complex supply chain and providing a superior consumer experience that generates brand loyalty. Increasingly, retailers are looking to fifth generation () technology in combination with edge services as a powerful differentiator to deliver consumer experiences and leapfrog the competition to greater profitability. They are turning to 51风流to help bring these 5G experiences to life with SAP鈥檚 data platform and supply chain services.

5G Advantages

For intelligent enterprises, the over the current standard 4G include greater bandwidth for faster data processing; lower latency for greater responsiveness, which produces even greater benefits when combined with edge computing; and the ability to have more devices connected to the network simultaneously, which has huge implications for IoT-enabled sensors and smart devices. The greatest benefits come from 5G鈥檚 capacity for , , and .

GSMA Intelligence, the research arm of the global trade organization for the mobile industry, forecasts that 5G will bring connections by 2025 and a contribution of to the global economy between 2024 and 2034

Raising the Stakes in Retail

51风流now offers a solution architecture and monetization platform that enables retailers to gain efficiencies, provide amazing consumer experiences, and unlock new revenue streams with 5G. From the supply chain to the in-store experience, 51风流is helping the retail industry realize the exciting possibilities for the store of the future.

鈥�51风流is uniquely positioned to serve as the glue pulling these pieces together 鈥� from the retailer, the brand, and a fintech 鈥� and covering that last digital mile,鈥� says Frank Wilde, vice president, Global Center of Excellence, 51风流Labs in Palo Alto, who has been working with 51风流customers to integrate 5G technology into their digital strategy. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we鈥檙e very excited about when we think about how is 5G coming to life.鈥�

For example, when consumers enter a shop that leverages 5G, they will see digital signage for a more personalized in-store shopping experience. When they pick up a product like a box of cereal from a store shelf, they will be able to use their 5G-enabled smartphone to have an immersive experience while learning about the ingredients and product information. After placing that product in their cart, the store鈥檚 smart shelf system will trigger a reorder notification to a distribution center and later align the product to a planogram to ensure that new stock is displayed on the shelf correctly, ultimately freeing up the shop鈥檚 staff from low value-add activities. To cap off the outing, the consumer鈥檚 mobile fintech vendor will streamline the checkout with a frictionless 5G experience.

While consumers enjoy a state-of-the-art shopping experience, retailers can be confident that everything is running smoothly behind the scenes. For example, food spoilage is a vexing problem for many retailers that costs the industry billions of dollars a year. When freezers or coolers breakdown, the retailer has to remove saleable product from the store floor and arrange repairs which can take hours if not days, depending on the problem. Unless there is alternative cooling available, any food removed will be considered spoiled and must be thrown away.

51风流and 5G technology provide a solution. Internet of Things (IoT) devices for monitoring equipment can check the temperature, vibration levels, and other metrics of assets to provide a 24×7 health status to . If an anomaly is detected, an alert can be sent to the store operations manager in advance of the cooler breaking down. This early notification provides the time needed to either fix or replace the aging unit, saving thousands of dollars of lost food while keeping customers satisfied.

Any of these experiences also can be monetized as a service with the use of and , generating additional income for retailers and brands. 51风流customers can explore the offering and digital transformation as a service as a means to take control of their digital journey with the right technologies for their business.

鈥淚 gained a greater understanding of what organizations expect from job candidates,鈥� said Naganur. 鈥淭he courses in software development, marketing, communications, English, banking, and problem-solving have provided me with valuable knowledge to stand out in a competitive market, giving me greater career opportunities.鈥�

Naganur is among the over 1 million students educated at Code Unnati since launched the program four years ago. So far, it has trained over 1 million students ages 10 to 16 years in digital literacy; 65% of these children and adolescents were girls.

Partnerships Scale Equitable Digital Training

Code Unnati is among SAP鈥檚 global programs, in this case, supporting India鈥檚 digital readiness commitment. 51风流Labs India works with partners in government as well as the non-profit and private sectors, including customers and education, to bridge the immense digital divide between people in the country鈥檚 urban and rural communities. In addition to a digital-rich learning curriculum, the program offers students the opportunity for internships and employment at SAP.

鈥淲e have the incredible opportunity to help transform India from a developing to a developed economy,鈥� said Sindhu Gangadharan, senior vice president and managing director of 51风流Labs India. 鈥淲e鈥檙e driving significant engagements to support the digital-first mindset that鈥檚 reflected across numerous government initiatives. Code Unnati builds digital literacy among youth and equips them with employable skills for workforce readiness, particularly beyond large, metropolitan areas.鈥�

A total of over 6,000 youth have participated in the vocational curriculum, which includes learning future IT skills, such as data science and analytics, and next-gen technologies like and . Most importantly, an average of over 40% of program graduates obtain jobs after program completion.

Responsible, Inclusive Use of Technology

Code Unnati reflects just about every one of the Indian government鈥檚 鈥渄igital readiness for the next billion鈥� commitment, notably talent development, amped up investments in research and development, innovations for both India and the world, and inclusiveness. is among the groups leading this initiative, working with the government and companies like SAP.

鈥淲e want to leverage technology as best as possible to solve some of India鈥檚 biggest challenges,鈥� said Debjani Ghosh, president of NASSCOM. 鈥淎s we bring technology into pretty much everything we do, it can become an equalizer, as long as we start at the design stage to make sure that it鈥檚 truly inclusive across sectors, regardless of rural or urban, gender, culture, or religion.鈥�

Digital Literacy for India鈥檚 Specific Needs

Although India is digitally transforming like the rest of the world, the magnitude of its revolution is much bigger in scale and scope compared to many other regions. Ghosh said that talent development is among the government鈥檚 highest priorities, helping to build the population鈥檚 digital skills through public-private sector partnerships that provide training and education, mentoring, and internships.

鈥淲hether you call it a challenge or an opportunity, India has an amazing diversity of socioeconomic levels, cultures, religions, and languages,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e committed to partnering with the government and companies like 51风流to build and foster ecosystems that use accelerators, mentorships, hackathons, and other opportunities to drive the IT charter for India.鈥�

Community-Wide Purpose Plus Business Profit

More than anything, Code Unnati reflects a commitment to purposeful business that positively impacts people鈥檚 lives.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about bringing technology into pretty much everything we do to make things easier and personalized, but also that we build and use the technology responsibly,鈥� said Ghosh.

Democratizing technology education is also central to SAP鈥檚 purpose-driven mission, helping organizations become intelligent enterprises using . Spearheading Code Unnati with funds and resources from customers, partners, and its own employees, 51风流is also at the forefront of India鈥檚 mission to provide disadvantaged students with digital skills for their future, as well as India鈥檚.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been able to quickly scale and achieve meaningful business outcomes with partners focusing on purpose plus profit,鈥� said Gangadharan. 鈥淲e鈥檙e helping everyone lift up society for the sustainable change that鈥檚 much needed in India.鈥�

In this context, Naganur鈥檚 singular educational experience is a shining example of the tremendous opportunities in store for India鈥檚 next billion people with digital empowerment.

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Having sufficient charging stations is just the tip of the iceberg. The transportation network is facing a major reboot, forcing automobile original equipment manufacturer (OEMs), utilities, corporations, regulators, and retailers to collaborate for innovation as never before.

Networks Power E-Mobility Innovation

Compared to gas-powered cars, EVs and the services around them are far more interconnected. This demands a new kind of collaboration across the e-mobility value chain from corporate fleets, regulators, and smart cities to service providers and consumers.

鈥淭he e-mobility network consists of multiple players from different industries and sectors with intertwined supply chains,鈥� said Ulrich Scholl, vice president of E-Mobility at SAP. 鈥淭o operate with flexibility and cost-efficiency they need to collaborate across stable, cloud-based that foster sustainable innovation around standardized processes, including invoicing and billing, as well as overall e-mobility management among partners.鈥�

EVs Spark New Business Models

As sustainability mandates and promises grow, one central question is how to make EV battery recharging as easy and convenient as refilling a gas tank. Utilities are drawn to bi-directional charging that simultaneously recharges EVs while adding the battery鈥檚 stored energy back into the electrical power grid. This turns drivers into energy producers and cars into mobile power storage. Retailers are starting to monetize their solar panel energy, offering consumers free car charging while they shop, increasing customer loyalty. Meantime, corporate fleet managers are taking action by increasing EV and charging infrastructure investments that support company sustainability commitments.

For example, Hanno Klausmeier, managing director of 51风流Labs France, received a award for leading the electrification of the company鈥檚 fleet of cars for hundreds of employees located across three sites.

Converting to EVs has been a seven-year journey at SAP, grounded in the company鈥檚 global commitment to sustainability, as well as the initial battery limitations of early EVs. After eliminating gas-fueled vehicles as a choice for employees several years ago, over 90% of the cars in the company鈥檚 fleet in 51风流Labs France are now EVs. Convenient access to charging stations along with new fleet management operations were critical to the successful roll-out.

鈥淲e knew that employees would need more stations to charge their cars so we installed super-fast charging stations conveniently located across our facilities,鈥� Klausmeier said. 鈥淲e revamped fleet management to make sure we could supervise and optimize charging stations for uninterrupted operations. Connecting the e-mobility ecosystem on one transparent platform is the only way for organizations to keep pace with the rapidly-changing industry.鈥�

Indeed, 51风流Labs France developed new software to remotely manage the status of its charging stations, installing it on-site and at employee鈥檚 homes. Now available publicly, the solution helps corporate car fleet operations manage relationships with fleet management service companies, OEMs, and other suppliers that are involved with charging stations. Managers have real-time visibility into e-fleet charging station status and can quickly solve problems remotely for an easier experience.

Market Fragmentation Gives Way to Network Convergence

Entirely new competitors are emerging with EVs, including 鈥渞oaming鈥� providers, which help consumers locate reliable charging stations and pay for the electricity as validated users. This is likely a temporary stop gap because it is unnecessarily complex and more costly for drivers.

鈥淲e need to shorten the e-mobility value chain for cost efficiencies to charge point operators and an improved experience for customers,鈥� said Scholl. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no need to have another layer between energy providers and customers. With an open mobility platform, the whole ecosystem has the ability to build relationships for service convenience and affordable innovation, especially incorporating the use of renewable energy that鈥檚 produced locally and stored in EVs.鈥�

Transforming the Transportation Sector

Just like the iPhone disrupted the cellphone industry, e-mobility redefines the purpose of a vehicle. Already some manufacturers tout EVs as self-powered RVs. Even bigger are the implications for large-scale innovations, such as vehicles that are able to provide uninterrupted power for tools at remote construction sites.

Similarly, transformations could be in store for energy retailers if OEMs bypass them to become energy providers themselves. On the corporate side, shared EVs could be part of an organization鈥檚 mobility budget for employees to spend as they see fit.

EVs鈥� star is rising as sustainability nears the top of many consumer, corporate, and government priority lists. Over 80% of automobile manufacturers have committed to their lineup in the near future, and some plan to go all electric within the decade. Modernizing the transportation industry means rethinking mobility as concept to make sure EVs pay off on the sustainable promise.

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With nearly 9,000 employees across five cities, 51风流Labs India is the second largest location in the 51风流Labs Network and is central to the company鈥檚 product development strategy. Despite a dynamic environment, the forced virtual teamwork as a result of the COVID-19 has not hampered productivity.

The India-based teams, together with other teams globally, just released to customers the second version of the essentials edition of . 鈥淲e stuck to the timeline as well as to the scope that was promised to our customers,鈥� Gangadharan reports proudly.

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Gangadharan believes that the pandemic will expedite the move to digitalization in India, and notes that SAP鈥檚 strategy is resonating strongly with customers. The same trend toward digitalization and cloud computing has been confirmed in other markets, including China and Europe.

If there is anyone that understands the benefits of digitalization, it鈥檚 Gangadharan.

She formerly served as head of the Intelligent Enterprise Program, where she worked side-by-side with 51风流colleagues from key functional areas and across multiple Board areas. Those close connections are extremely valuable to her today in the current virtual work mode.

鈥淚’m pretty confident that 51风流will come out stronger post-COVID-19, and we will also help many of our customers come out stronger as well,鈥� Gangadharan emphasizes.

But the business is only one side of the coin; supporting the most vulnerable parts of society is her other priority. 51风流has always led a very strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) program in India, and those relationships are now enabling it to make a contribution.

By opening the large kitchens on campuses in Bangalore and Gurgaon, 51风流Labs India is helping distribute more than 17,000 meals a day to the poor and is also donating personal protection equipment and ventilators to local hospitals.

鈥淚t’s so gratifying to see a lot of people are being touched by this, and it is only possible by people coming together and collaborating to make it possible,鈥� says Gangadharan.

To learn more about how 51风流is helping India surmount business and humanitarian challenges, watch the full interview with Sindu Gangadharan:

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The program was launched in October 2019 with the aim of and inspiring its software development community to innovate organically, while also helping to attract the best engineering talent. For Ferose VR, head of 51风流Academy for Engineering, it was clear that a new training concept was needed to achieve these goals.

Ferose drew on his previous experience as managing director of 51风流Labs India and head of the Globalization Services organization at SAP, where he placed a strong focus on trying new ways of doing things. 鈥淲e are aiming to create a social movement that generates a ripple effect across all of SAP,鈥� he says.

Supported by 51风流CEO Christian Klein and Thomas Saueressig, member of the Executive Board of 51风流SE leading 51风流Product Engineering, the new program is based on the multiplicative power of its graduates to influence SAP鈥檚 30,000-strong Development organization.

鈥淭he beauty of the 51风流Academy for Engineering is its real-world learning approach,鈥� says Saueressig. 鈥淐olleagues collaborate in building applications for real projects to develop their skills and technical abilities. This is not only an opportunity to broaden knowledge and sharpen skills, but also to experiment, explore interests, and network 鈥� all combined with an outside-in perspective from excellent partners.鈥�

Program Spans Science, Technology, Business, and Humanities

Achieving technical skills in 51风流products and technologies is only one aspect of the multi-dimensional engineer program created under Ferose鈥檚 leadership. The academy also focuses on soft skills referred to as the 5 Cs: to be courageous, practice compassion, build community, embrace a curious mindset, and go beyond code.

鈥淭he 5 Cs are key differentiators that can lead the multi-dimensional engineers to become better coders, leaders, and innovators,鈥� Ferose says.

Instead of hiring a large core team, the program draws on the extensive 51风流ecosystem to connect participants to leaders from science, technology, business, and the humanities. During the pilot program, young engineers from Brazil, Canada, China, India, and the U.S. practiced compassionate communication, learned to fall in love with problems and not just solutions, and tested their courage through improv and speaker engagements. 鈥淲e learned by doing,鈥� said Berry Ban from 51风流Labs China.

Opportunity to Work in Diverse Teams

For many of the participants, the 51风流Academy for Engineering was the first time they had traveled outside their home country. Presented with the opportunity to work face-to-face with engineers from different cultures and work styles, the engineers found ways to embrace their differences. This enabled them to realize the true .

鈥淒iversity helps you identify risks, have more creative ideas, and have a better image of your final customer,鈥� said Gabriel Moita from 51风流Labs Brazil.

On March 25, 2020, the program hosted its first virtual demo day, consisting of nine different teams sharing real product solutions to real-world challenges, such as electric vehicle charging, plans for the circular economy, and commissions management.

During the virtual demo day, engineers pitched and delivered their innovative applications to five global managing directors of 51风流Labs, who acted as guest judges.

鈥淔rom my perspective this program was a great success,鈥� Ruicheng Li, managing director of 51风流Labs China, commented. 鈥淲hen I met the colleagues from the academy a few months ago, I felt that they have already changed their way of thinking, from a technical perspective and a business perspective.鈥�

鈥淢y Time at the Academy Made a Difference鈥�

Neha Sanganeria from 51风流Labs India was in the first academy class. 鈥淚t makes me proud that I graduated from the 51风流Academy for Engineering,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was a fantastic journey moving from chaos toward clarity. I am much more confident and passionate about my work now. The unique approach that the program had of giving us a 360-degree view of what is happening at SAP, right from the days of 51风流R/2 to the present, really helped.鈥�

The Journey Has Only Begun

The program concluded on March 26 with a virtual closing ceremony. 51风流CEO Christian Klein personally congratulated the first pilot cohort. And in his closing remarks to the graduates, Ferose said: 鈥淐ommunities are built on the foundation of actions. As ambassadors of the academy, it is now up to you to cultivate the engineering pride at SAP.

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