Latest news with #McGibbon
Techday NZ
2 days ago
- Business
- Techday NZ
Exclusive: SAP's Ashley McGibbon on AI, data and the future of partner innovation
SAP is betting big on artificial intelligence, but only if it's built on a solid foundation of accurate data. Speaking to TechDay at the SAP NOW AI Tour in Melbourne, Chief Partner Officer for SAP Australia and New Zealand, Ashley McGibbon, said partners in the region were "pivoting to meet fast-growing demand for AI solutions". "In ANZ we have about 800 partners – from those building applications, to services partners, to those helping us sell and position our cloud solutions," she said. "The focus is no longer just on go-live. It's about continuous adoption." This vision is captured in SAP's "flywheel" model, which combines applications, data and AI to build momentum for ongoing innovation. Introduced this year, the concept draws on the physics principle where connected components generate increasing energy. For McGibbon, it's not just about clever technology – it's about feeding AI the right inputs. "We run mission-critical business processes, and those processes hold a treasure trove of business-critical data," she explained. "Our Business Data Cloud allows customers to harmonise SAP and non-SAP data, structured and unstructured, to feed AI with accurate business data." Without that accuracy, she warned, AI can go badly wrong. "If they can't trust the data feeding the AI, then the decisions will ultimately be wrong," she said. "It's far easier to achieve a harmonised platform with Business Data Cloud." McGibbon said SAP values partners who work quickly and with purpose, adopting a "minimum viable product" mindset to deliver rapid returns for customers. She noted a surge of AI interest at board level, with directors eager to explore how it can boost productivity, in line with the Australian Government's focus on data-driven efficiency. The response to Business Data Cloud since its February launch has been "the most reception to a new product" SAP has ever had in the region. The momentum is already visible in real-world deployments. SA Power Networks has built a generative AI app on SAP's Business Technology Platform that delivers mobile repair instructions directly to technicians in the field, saving the utility a million Australian dollars in its first year. Beverage company Lion built an app in just 10 days, a sign of how diverse industries are embracing AI. McGibbon pointed to Deloitte's recent CFO study, which found 80 per cent of CFOs in APAC prioritise automation through AI. "Everybody's talking about it," she said. For partners still making the shift to cloud and AI, McGibbon said enablement is key. SAP has opened its AI demo systems to partners, rolled out a new business AI certification, and launched "Joule for consultants" to speed up software build and implementation. She's also watching the market evolve through moves like DyFlex's acquisition of Bluetree, which expands into New Zealand and strengthens analytics capability. "It's a combination of a cloud-native partner with an analytics partner," she said. "I think they will bring AI strategy to life across all their existing cloud customers." Central to McGibbon's message is a change in how success is measured. "In the past we celebrated go-lives. For me, it's now go-begin – get the platform right, then continue that cycle of innovation," she said. Quarterly cloud updates mean partners must be ready to help customers adopt new capabilities quickly. "That's how we make the flywheel spin." She believes AI is also prompting customers to rethink design from the outset. "Customers are demanding we look at AI as part of the design, not just copying what was done before," she said. "This is the time to do it better." Early wins, she added, are often found in human capital management. "In SuccessFactors, you can use Joule to write your performance review and it makes you sound amazing," she said. "There's a lot of low-hanging fruit for existing customers." Her advice to organisations exploring AI in the SAP ecosystem is simple but firm: talk to your partners, identify the easy use cases, and above all, get your data strategy right. "You have to get that right first," she said. "Once you've done that, the world is your oyster."
.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Miami Herald
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Wildlife photographer captures ‘rare' behavior in Australia. Watch the creature
To be successful, wildlife photographers need more than the right kind of lens on their cameras and great editing software. Often, it's about being in the right place at the right time. For Ross McGibbon, a wildlife photographer specializing in reptiles and based in Australia, the place was arid Western Australia, and the time was about three weeks ago when he stumbled upon a little gecko. 'While exploring the remote Kimberley region of (Western Australia), I came across a juvenile Northern knob-tailed gecko (Nephrurus sheai), displaying a rarely documented behavior — sand bathing (flicking dirt all over itself),' McGibbon wrote in an April 14 Instagram post. His camera narrowed in on the small creature, and he recorded a video that was then posted on social media. 'Flying ants were occasionally landing on the young gecko, and it appeared to respond by tossing dirt across its body,' McGibbon wrote. The small animal digs its back feet into the sediment, then uses its front feet like scoops to pick up dirt and small rocks and launch it over its shoulder and across its body, its small, knobby tail lifting from the ground, according to the video. 'This could be a grooming response or a defensive reaction to irritation caused by the insects,' McGibbon wrote. 'It's also possible the gecko was trying to better camouflage itself after being disturbed — using dirt as natural cover.' There are still a lot of unknowns about the ecology and behavior of the knob-tailed geckos in this area because they are significantly understudied, McGibbon told Yahoo News Australia. The Kimberley region is 'extremely isolated,' he told the outlet, and the geckos are typically found in dry caves and rocky areas. 'Capturing this kind of behavior in the wild is quite rare, especially in such a young individual,' McGibbon wrote in his Instagram post. 'These moments are a reminder of how much there is still to uncover about the lives of Australia's lesser-seen nocturnal reptiles.' Nephrurus sheai, commonly known as the Northern knob-tailed gecko or the Kimberley rough knob-tail, is found north of the Great Sandy Desert in Western Australia and across the northwestern part of the Northern Territory, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Aussie photographer captures gecko's ‘rarely documented' behaviour
Ross McGibbon's footage shows the juvenile gecko flicking dirt onto its back in what appears to be an attempt to defend itself from flying ants. An Aussie photographer has captured a gecko's rarely documented behaviour. Ross McGibbon's footage shows the juvenile gecko flicking dirt onto its back in what appears to be an attempt to defend itself from flying ants. According to McGibbon, the behaviour known as sand bathing is rarely captured on camera due to the extremely isolated area the northern knob-tailed gecko calls home. The photographer said moments like this are a good reminder of how much there is still to uncover about the lives of Australia's lesser seen nocturnal reptiles.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Aussie thrilled to capture gecko's 'rarely documented' act: 'Very little is known'
A longtime wildlife photographer was exploring a remote region of Western Australia earlier this month when he came across a native creature performing a 'rarely documented' behaviour. Although Ross McGibbon was hoping to find a northern knob-tailed gecko (Nephrurus sheai), and a few other species he had yet to film in the east Kimberley region, he was not expecting the reptile to put on such a performance. Footage he captured shows the juvenile gecko flicking dirt onto its back in what appears to be an attempt to defend itself from flying ants that can be seen repeatedly landing on its tiny frame. The behaviour, known as sand bathing, is rarely captured on camera, McGibbon told Yahoo News Australia this week, largely due to the 'extremely isolated' area the northern knob-tailed gecko calls home. 'This species is very understudied — very little is known about it,' he said. The species, otherwise known as Kimberley rough knob-tailed gecko, can also be found in the Northern Territory and prefer to live in dry caves and rocky areas. Thrilled by the 'amazing' scene, McGibbon posted the clip online, exciting thousands of other curious Aussies. 'My best guess is that it was a defensive reaction to the irritation caused by the insects— maybe this is how they deal with mosquitoes and other annoying flying bugs,' he told Yahoo. 'Another theory is that it could be a form of camouflage, but I'd expect the gecko to stay still if that were the case. If it were lying in one spot and covering itself with dirt, that would make more sense as cryptic behaviour.' The photographer, who has been documenting wildlife for over 10 years, said such moments are a good reminder 'of how much there is still to uncover about the lives of Australia's lesser-seen nocturnal reptiles'. 🏝️ Incredible encounter of rare shark filmed near Aussie island 🏕️ Ancient discovery near popular camping spot sparks delight 📸 Aussie photographer has discovered 'new species' hidden in backyard McGibbon said he's been lucky enough to observe several fascinating encounters while travelling around the country with his camera in hand. 'Also in the Kimberley, I once saw a Mertens' water monitor lizard dive into a pond and come up with a freshwater crayfish in its jaws,' he said. 'I watched, filmed, and photographed as the goanna subdued the crayfish and swallowed it whole. It had to brace against a tree root to force it down, which was fascinating behaviour to witness.' He's also photographed an Asian house gecko shredding and eating its own skin, as well an Eyrean earless dragon in outback Queensland, 'waiting to catch flies on the corpse of a feral dog'. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton defeat plans for 29-storey tower over Chelsea
Sir Mick Jagger once complained he 'can't get no satisfaction' but he has been able to gain some in the end after helping to block controversial plans for a 29-storey tower near his Chelsea home. Wandsworth Council has unanimously rejected plans for a tower next to Battersea Bridge on the southern bank of the River Thames after locals raised concerns it would have loomed over its surroundings. The outcome is a victory for Sir Mick who was among a host of celebrities backing a petition against the tower, which would have loomed over luxury properties owned by the Rolling Stones frontman and others on the Chelsea side of the river. The planned One Battersea Bridge tower would have measured nearly 100 metres tall, almost equalling the height of the smoke stacks at nearby Battersea Power Station. Other celebrities who campaigned against the building include Eric Clapton, actress Felicity Kendal, TV host Anthea Turner and comedian Harry Hill. Lord Browne of Madingley, the former chief executive of BP, also opposed the construction. All signed the Stop One Battersea Bridge petition, which amassed more than 5,000 signatures calling for development of the 'vast and vulgar property development' to be stopped. The petition claimed the tower would 'destroy a precious, historical riverside vista' to 'line the pockets of a super rich company'. Rob McGibbon, the petition's founder, wrote: 'Its scale and density for such a location is ridiculous on so many levels, not least the chaos it will cause during and AFTER its construction ... This is not a silly sob story – this is serious.' The development also attracted than 2,005 letters of objection, compared with 1,892 in support. Councillors roundly criticised the size of the tower during a vote on the plans on Thursday. Finna Ayres, a Labour councillor, said: 'It's so enormous, it's almost a joke'. Paul White, another Labour councillor, said the development 'would stand out like a sore thumb', and called the project a 'Trojan horse' that could lead to far more towers in the area. Mr McGibbon, editor of local news site The Chelsea Citizen, said the plans had 'more flaws than floors'. He said he hoped the council's decision would prompt the developers to scrap the scheme altogether. Mr McGibbon said: 'This was the wrong scheme, in the wrong area, and they took on the wrong community. 'Just because an architect's computer software says that a tower can be built on a piece of land, it does not make it sensible, viable or morally right.' The decision is a blow for Cerberus Capital Management, the US private equity firm founded by Steve Feinberg, Donald Trump's deputy secretary of defence, which had teamed up with developer Rockwell on the proposals. Nicholas Mee, managing director at Rockwell, said: 'Wandsworth Council has made the wrong call, one that shuts the door on urgently needed homes. It's blocked 110 new properties, half at social rent, far exceeding the borough's own affordable housing targets. 'Meanwhile, 11,000 people in Wandsworth are still waiting for a secure place to live. Across London, 80,000 children don't have a permanent home. 'The Spring Statement made it clear: housebuilding is a national priority and a route to growth. Wandsworth hasn't just turned its back on the Labour Government – it's turned its back on the people who need help the most.' The tower would also have replaced an empty office building, known as the Glassmill. The developer is now considering whether to appeal the council's decision. Rockwell had already slashed 10 storeys from the tower after an initial backlash. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
