SUGTalks

In the latest episode of SUGTalks, Craig is joined by Rebecca Hodson, ERP Programme Director at Penguin Random House.With UKISUG Connect returning to the ICC in Birmingham at the end of November, Rebecca shares how to get the most from the conference. She explains why she plans her agenda before arriving, why teams should split up across sessions and how sitting with new people leads to the best conversations. She also covers what her team hopes to learn about RISE and where AI is delivering real value today.Craig and Rebecca also discuss looking after yourself over a busy event and how to turn your notes into something useful afterwards. Craig gives a preview of this year’s programme, from hands-on workshops building AI agents with Joule to the return of SUGFest.To learn more about the UKISUG referral scheme, visit: https://www.sapusers.org/community-referral-scheme

In this episode of SUGTalks, Craig is joined by Russell Smith, Vice President, ERX Transformation Technology at AstraZeneca, and Martin Taylor, ERP Implementation Lead at NATS, to discuss how organisations can get the most value from their UKISUG membership.Russell and Martin explain how their teams engage with the User Group, including its symposia, executive events and the annual Connect conference. They also highlight why access to a network of peers at other organisations is often the most lasting benefit. Martin describes how conversations with fellow members helped NATS when it came to on RISE with SAP. While Russell outlines why business functions, not just IT, need to be engaged as SAP moves towards the autonomous enterprise.The discussion also covers the challenge of keeping pace with SAP’s expanding portfolio, the importance of consumption observability for AI credits, and the role UKISUG plays in giving members a collective voice with SAP through SUGEN and the licensing charter. Listen to the full episode to learn how to maximise your UKISUG membership.To learn more about the UKISUG referral scheme, visit: https://www.sapusers.org/community-referral-scheme

In the latest episode of SUGTalks, Craig is joined once again by Stuart Beadle, IT Director at Pitney Bowes.Together they take a closer look at Pitney Bowes' move to SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud.. He shares how public cloud acted as the driver for simplification and what the business chose to give up. Craig and Stuart also discuss governance, data migration and managing releases every six months. Stuart shares the lessons learned during the transition process of working with a systems integrator to running rollouts entirely in-house, offering  advice for anyone starting their own move to public cloud.To learn more about the UKISUG referral scheme, visit: https://www.sapusers.org/community-referral-scheme

In our latest senior leader interview, Craig is joined by Stuart Beadle, IT Director at Pitney Bowes.Stuart shares his 30-year journey in SAP. It started with an accidental foray in Johannesburg,  consulting at IBM and independent contracting, before eventually led him to leading enterprise applications at Pitney Bowes. He reflects on what a varied career taught him about working with consultancies, contractors and end users.Craig and Stuart also discuss Pitney Bowes' move to SAP Public Cloud. Stuart explains why they chose public over private, how it acted as a forcing function for simplification and why staying standard has been their key to success. He also shares his views on the 2027 maintenance deadline, the role of AI in future implementations and his advice for those moving from delivery into leadership.To learn more about the UKISUG referral scheme, visit: https://www.sapusers.org/community-referral-scheme

In the latest episode of SUGTalks, Craig is joined once again by Simon Nichols, Founder and CEO of Thrive.Together they discuss the mental health impact of delivering IT projects. Simon explains why the duration of a project matters less than the demand it places on people. He covers what happens when 18-month projects overrun to 24 or 36 months and how that shifts people from challenge to endurance to cynicism.Craig and Simon also explore the very different pressures of shorter cloud projects and the risks when one project rolls into the next. Simon closes with practical advice on project landing and what individuals can do to recover once the project is over.To learn more about the UKISUG referral scheme, visit: https://www.sapusers.org/community-referral-scheme

In this episode Craig is joined by Oliver Gutzeit, Vice President, Experience Technology at SAP, to explore how SAP runs its own business on SAP.Oliver explains what it means to be customer zero, testing new products internally before they reach customers. He shares how SAP tackled its own 50-year history of custom code on the journey to a clean core. The conversation moves on to experience and why boring software fails, the importance of closing the feedback loop, and why data is the real prerequisite for AI. Oliver also shares how SAP treats data as a product, where Joule is used internally alongside practical advice for organisations looking to start their own AI journey.To learn more about the UKISUG referral scheme, visit: https://www.sapusers.org/community-referral-scheme

In our latest episode, Craig is joined once again by Uwe Grigoleit, Senior Vice President and Head of Customer Evolution and Portfolio at SAP, to discuss the recent changes to SAP's customer service and delivery portfolio.Uwe explains why the new Customer Value Group brings sales, support and services together, and what that means for customers. He covers the simplification of professional services, how sovereign cloud offerings are expanding, and how to choose between the Foundational, Advanced and Max Success Plans. He also explains the support now available for systems in transit, and why proactivity is built into the new plans rather than left to chance.To learn more about the UKISUG referral scheme, visit: https://www.sapusers.org/community-referral-scheme 

In our latest episode, Craig is joined by Uma Rani, President and Chief Product Officer for Cloud ERP Private at SAP. Uma sets out how SAP Cloud ERP Private has evolved since 2020 and the strategy shaping it today. She explains where Sovereign Cloud fits, and the differences between private and public cloud.Craig and Uma then turn to the autonomous enterprise. They discuss AI agents available across SAP’s environments, and how a clean core approach can help minimise customisations. To learn more about the UKISUG referral scheme, visit: https://www.sapusers.org/community-referral-scheme 

In our latest episode, Craig is joined by Uma Rani, President and Chief Product Officer for Cloud ERP Private at SAP. Uma sets out how Cloud ERP Private has evolved since 2020 and the strategy shaping it today. She explains where Sovereign Cloud fits, and why private and public cloud will not reach feature parity.Craig and Uma then turn to the autonomous enterprise. They discuss the AI agents now live across SAP's domains, and how a clean core approach keeps customisations upgrade safe. Uma closes on why this is as much a people transformation as a technology one.To learn more about the UKISUG referral scheme, visit: https://www.sapusers.org/community-referral-scheme

In this episode of SUGTalks, Craig is joined by Yasmin Awad, Senior Vice President and Head of SAP's Global User Group Organisation, and Philip Adams, UKISUG board member and member of the SUGEN Core Leadership Team.Together they discuss SUGEN, (SAP User Group Executive Network), exploring how the global network of more than 40 user groups helps to shape SAP's roadmap on behalf of customers.Yasmin shares why SAP invests so heavily in its user group community, while Philip offers the UKISUG perspective on how themes raised by UK and Ireland members feed into the global conversation.To learn more about the UKISUG referral scheme, visit: https://www.sapusers.org/community-referral-scheme