Reflections on Transformation NOW! 2025

Now that I’m back in the home office, I’ve had a moment to reflect on what was an incredible day at the NTT DATA Business Solutions UK&I Transformation NOW! 2025 conference in London.

From the moment the doors opened, the energy was electric. With nearly 700 delegates, 48+ sessions across 8 content streams, and a packed agenda of keynotes, demos, and customer stories, this year’s event was our most ambitious yet, and I truly believe, our best.

One of the standout moments for me was hosting the morning plenary sessions. A highlight was the Customer AI co-innovation panel. Huge thanks to Simon Pennington (Amey), Jon Curtis (Aspen Pumps), and Steve Harrison (Evergreen) for joining the customer panel and sharing how AI is already transforming their businesses. Their stories made it clear: AI isn’t just a future consideration, it’s foundational to ERP transformation from day one.

I’m also grateful to Justin Brading (NTT DATA Business Solutions) and Celine Cazali (SAP) for their honesty and insight during the plenary. Their perspectives grounded the conversation in real-world leadership and strategy. It was good for the customers present to hear Justin talk about the investments we are making to improve our business.

The plenary also featured a brilliant session from Chris Gabriel, who challenged us to Abolish the Innovation Tax. It was a thought-provoking and energising way to open the day.

If you were lucky enough to be there and caught Mark Wheeler’s Shoreditch vinyl AI mash-up demo, you’ll know what I mean when I say it was unforgettable.

It was creative, clever, and a brilliant example of how we can bring innovation to life. Hats off to Mark and the team who helped him build it.

Our TECHZONE was buzzing all day. From SAP Cloud ERP and Intelligent Supply Chain to our own SAP IP, the demos were world-class. To every colleague who delivered a session or supported the TECHZONE, thank you. You were absolute superstars.

Also thanks is also extended to all our presenters who worked tirelessly to deliver our sessions showcasing the latest technologies.

We were privileged to close the day with Professor Brian Cox as our keynote speaker. He stretched our minds with his insights on the universe, time, and the future of humanity.

I’ll admit that trying to come up with an intelligent question to ask him was probably the toughest part of my day! Thankfully he mentioned Interstellar, so I had an in!

A big thanks to our sponsors whose support makes the event possible.
Special mention for Shola Sullivan and the ladies from our 2025 charity Cancer Research UK (CRUK), thanks to everyone who donated.

Finally a MASSIVE thanks to all of our wonderful delegates, thanks for giving us your time, attention, patience, questions, and of course that all important feedback.

We’re already reviewing delegate feedback and thinking about how we can make future events even better.

Transformation NOW! 2025 reminded me why I love what we do. It was a celebration of innovation, collaboration, and the power of people coming together to shape the future.

Thank you.

Andy