3 days ago
SAP urges unified AI & data approach for ANZ business growth
SAP is calling on Australian and New Zealand organisations to rethink their approach to AI, data and application landscapes, marking a shift from future-looking speculation to real-world execution.
Held at the Centrepiece on 7 August, the event brought together more than 700 attendees and over 70 speakers to explore strategies for embedding AI across core business functions.
Angela Colantuono, Managing Director and President of SAP Australia and New Zealand, highlighted the urgency for agility and productivity amid ongoing disruption.
"Agility is no longer optional, and productivity, well, it's front page news here in Australia," Colantuono said.
"The Australian Government is working with business leaders on a productivity challenge over the next few weeks."
She also highlighted SAP's investments in sovereign cloud capabilities and a Centre of Excellence in Canberra, underscoring the company's commitment to local innovation.
"Our applications manage the heartbeat of local business, with SAP underpinning 92% of the ASX 200," she noted. "And of course, SAP Business AI is embedded directly into our suite."
Colantuono stressed the importance of a solid data foundation to unlock AI's true potential. "While everyone's talking about AI, not enough people are talking about how to do AI well," she said. "We know you can't unlock AI without fixing your data landscape."
At the event, SAP unveiled the top five AI use cases currently adopted by customers in Australia and New Zealand, based on customer data between May 2024 and May 2025: Automated expense generation using receipt images
Automated invoice processing
Expense verification and compliance checks
Real-time alerts for supply chain disruptions
Sales demand forecasting powered by predictive analytics
"My conversations with CEOs are increasingly revealing how they are looking to embed AI into some of the most fundamental parts of their business," said Colantuono.
"These applications are helping Australian organisations make faster, smarter decisions, reduce risk and unlock new value. But to fully realise AI's potential, we need to invest just as much in people as we do in technology."
SAP's commitment to responsible AI was echoed by keynote speaker Dr Catriona Wallace, Founder of the Responsible Metaverse Alliance.
"AI is the number one existential risk we face today. Yet only a small fraction of Australian organisations are equipped to use it responsibly," she said.
"If we want AI to drive innovation, productivity and public trust, we must move beyond ambition to action."
SAP Business Suite President Stefan De Barse used his keynote to explain SAP's "flywheel" concept, where applications, data and AI are unified to increase enterprise value.
"The flywheel is all about apps, data and AI coming together to provide more value to all of you - our customers and partners," he said. "It starts with apps that run your end-to-end business processes. Those apps also provide valuable data."
That data forms the basis of SAP's Business Data Cloud, in partnership with Databricks, which enables real-time integration between business systems and AI-powered decision-making.
"You spend 80% of your time managing this fragile balance between data and apps," De Barse said. "That means only 20% of the time is invested in generating value."
He argued that in the AI era, this disconnect is unsustainable. "For AI to deliver exponential value, it is extremely important that the end-to-end business process context is connected with the data," he said.
Demonstrating SAP's AI co-pilot Joule, De Barse walked the audience through a scenario where finance, operations, procurement, HR and sales teams collaborate using shared data and embedded AI to resolve rising inventory, back orders and liquidity gaps.
Lion, a leading beverage company in Australia and New Zealand, was cited as a live example of SAP's AI capabilities in action. After adopting SAP's Business Technology Platform and a clean core ERP model, Lion accelerated its order-to-cash cycles and developed an AI-powered beer recommendation app, 'Joey', in under 10 days.
"AI is helping us move faster, make smarter decisions, and deliver better customer experiences," said Ram Kalyanasundaram, Group Technology and Digital Transformation Director at Lion. "SAP's AI capabilities have been a game-changer in how we think, operate and grow."
In higher education, La Trobe University became the first in the ANZ region to go live with SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition as part of its GROW with SAP journey.
The transformation is streamlining the university's operations across finance, logistics, real estate and procurement, while laying a foundation for future AI-driven insights.
"This transformation is a major step forward in how we operate," said Shainal Kavar, Chief Information Officer at La Trobe University.
"It sets us up to embrace innovation and unlock the potential of AI in the years ahead."
In addition to showcasing customer success stories, SAP announced the return of its SAP Intrepid Women AI Tour in January 2026.
The four-day study programme will support senior female leaders in advancing AI literacy and leadership, building on the momentum of the 2025 edition.
"Less than 15% of senior AI executives are women today," said Colantuono. "Last year's programme proved that when you bring female leaders together to build AI literacy and share experiences, the impact is extraordinary."
"This is what we believe is the future of the business suite," he said. "And we would love to embark on this business suite journey with many of you."
