SAP demonstrates power of digital transformation to Lankan businesses

From left: S/4HANA, SAP APJ Vice President Shyam Prasad Baddepudi, Hemas Holdings Chief Digital Officer Chandima Cooray, E.B Creasy Group of Companies Director/CFO Ashok Sirimane, John Keells Vice President Isuru Gunasekera, Rockland Distilleries IT Head Amila Bandara and Midas Safety CIO Arjuna Jayasinghe

SAP SE organized ‘Digital Transformation Forum’ and ‘Design Thinking Workshop’ for Sri Lanka’s leading corporates in Colombo  respectively showcasing the power of SAP solutions including SAP S/4HANA and introducing the philosophy of  Design Thinking.

In today’s digital economy, it is crucial for businesses to leverage technology and digitally transform business processes to meet the challenges of the hyper-connected future. The ‘Digital Transformation Forum’ showcased how SAP S/4HANA and Cloud Solutions can help Sri Lankan organizations tackle the challenges of the digital economy and obtain real-time value to the businesses. By providing a strong digital core and an easy-to-use system that supports innovations, SAP delivers tangible progress towards organizations’ transformation strategy without jeopardizing daily business operations. Furthermore, SAP solutions work in tandem to make the entire business of the organization more immediate, intelligent, and seamlessly integrated, irrespective of the size or industry.

The event also witnessed a panel discussion on ‘Running a ‘Live Business’ in the Digital Economy with SAP’ by senior executives at Sri Lanka’s top companies including: Hemas Holdings, Rockland Distilleries, John Keells, E.B Creasy Group of Companies and Midas Safety.

Other segments of the event dug deeper into the different facets of going digital, its impact and effect and as well as on driving success, especially in the domains of workforce management with SAP SuccessFactors, strategic sourcing with SAP Ariba and customer experiences and relationships with SAP Hybris.

The Design Thinking Workshop introduced how to begin incorporating the principles of Design Thinking into Sri Lanka’s corporate culture and understand how technology can enable business success through empathy and customer centricity. The participants of the workshop included C-level executives from the Sri Lanka SAP User Group (SLSUG) — a not-for-profit, independent industry association made up of SAP customers and partners, dedicated to facilitating customer involvement and influencing SAP’s products and strategy.

Design Thinking is a new, fresh way of thinking to find human meaning and use for technology. With a focus on customers and the value propositions offered to them, Design Thinking is a powerful tool for uncovering insights and igniting innovation in companies – where the right solutions to drive business models are found through a holistic question approach. With more than 13-years strong history with Design Thinking, SAP believes that focusing on the needs of people will unlock potential and create new value so you can lead in your industry and stay relevant in a changing market.

“Competing in today’s digital economy requires speed, agility as well as the ability to constantly innovate,” said SAP Indian Subcontinent Chief Customer Office Sunil Kharbanda. “SAP solutions as well as our Design Thinking philosophy can help our customers manoeuvre through the disruptive technology changes and set the course for successful digital transformation.”