Read the blog from Andy Steer as he reflects on Transformation NOW! 2024 and highlights from the day.
Reflections on Transformation NOW! 2024
Reflections on Transformation NOW! 2024
On 25th September 2024, we saw the return of Transformation NOW the NTT DATA Business Solutions conference once again held in central London.
This year’s conference attracted over 1000 registrations, a post COVID record, and we were pleased to see this translate into 700 attendees on the day. Delegates were drawn from a wide range of industries and interestingly we saw a roughly 50-50 split between existing customers and organisations from the SAP community.
Thanks to our Sponsors
It was also our pleasure to welcome several members of the NTT DATA G1T SAP team including Nicolaj Vang Jassen.
The sponsor marketplace and our signature TechZone were open from 8:30 to welcome early registrants. This year we were pleased to have the support of 15 different sponsors including our global event partners SAP and Microsoft. In the TechZone, delegates could see demonstrations of the latest SAP solutions, including SAP S/4HANA, SAP SuccessFactors, and the full suite of SAP Data and Analytics solutions. Additionally, delegates could explore a variety of our own IP solutions ranging from Makira, Glasswing, Vendor Collaboration Simplified, and Parsonii through to our latest Digital Twin solutions using Apple Vision Pro. A huge thanks to all of our colleagues both local and global for their support on the day.
Forging a path to your future ERP
I kicked off the morning plenary session at 9:30 with a brief welcome before handing over to our first guest Tom Seal, Senior Research Director from Analyst Firm, IDC. Tom’s session entitled “Forging a path to your future ERP” outlined the decisions ahead for ERP customers as they plan their journey to the cloud. He touched on the opportunities for business transformation through innovations such as generative AI. The session was very well received and set us up well for the conversations to follow.
40 Years of Technology Innovation
Next up was my fellow member of the UK executive management team Chris Gabriel. Chris took the audience on a suitably entertaining and whirlwind journey over the last 40 years of technology innovation, bringing us right up to date with the advent of generative AI.
Chris then built on the themes established by Tom Seal to launch 3 compelling new initiatives; Grow with Confidence, Evolve with Assurance, and Rise to Innovation. It is fair to say that these 3 offerings, and in particular Rise to Innovation powered by our zero-cost move offer created a huge amount of interest amongst existing customers running SAP ECC, and also amongst fans of Van Halen (you had to be there).
Fireside Chat
Next it was my pleasure to host a fireside chat with SAP UK&I MD Leila Romane, and NTT DATA Business Solutions EVP and UK&I MD, Justin Brading.
Over the course of the conversation Leila and Justin covered a wide range of topics including SAP’s endorsement of our Sapphire acquisition, SAP’s Cloud momentum, the potential impact of the skills shortage on customer plans for S/4 adoption, the rise of practical AI, and Justin’s warning of the potential for Oasis Ticket style dynamic pricing for consultants time, again one you needed to be there to fully appreciate.
Practical AI and Automation
The final session of the morning came from NTT DATA Business Solutions Head of Product, Mark Wheeler. As lead for the practical AI and Automation conference stream, we challenged Mark to bring some real-world examples to the stage and he certainly did. Mark took the opportunity to not only provide an excellent overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the leading Gen AI solutions, but also to demonstrate and publicly launch our SAP validated generative AI connector. This breakthrough development enables rapid deployment of LLM agnostic generative AI capabilities and has already been experienced by a number of SAP customers.
A Choice of 48 Sessions
With the plenary complete there was time for a refreshing coffee break before the audience made their choices of 48 sessions spread across 8 breakout streams:
- The Journey to S/4HANA & Cloud ERP
- Innovations in Data and Analytics
- Practical AI & Automation
- Strategy
- Spotlight Sessions
- Taking SAP Development to the Cloud
- Line of Business Solutions
- Focus on B1 & ByDesign
Customer Journeys
We were once again very proud to see the number of customers prepared to stand up and present sessions highlighting work that we have done together. Aston Manor, Smyths Toys, Britvic, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Aspen Pumps, University of Leeds, Monzo, Warburtons, and Southwestern Rail, were a few of the customers sharing their experiences.
“The Rest is Politics” - Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell
After the breakouts we all came back together for the eagerly anticipated celebrity keynote. This year featuring the hosts of chart topping “The Rest is Politics” podcast Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell. We were treated to a wide-ranging and very interactive discussion addressing topics such as the Labour Party conference, Donald Trump and the upcoming US election, the role of women in politics, the impact of social media, and of course the rise and potential threat of AI.
Networking - Meeting Friends Old and New
During the networking drinks reception that followed it was clear that the day had succeeded in both informing and entertaining.
A huge thanks from me to the entire team who helped to plan and deliver our best ever conference.
We look forward to seeing you next year.