In this episode of SUGTalks, Craig is joined by Mark Raben, former SAP EMEA CTO, keynote speaker and leadership coach, to examine the role of trust, culture and leadership in the era of AI.

Recorded at UKISUG Connect following Mark’s keynote, the conversation looks beyond technology to focus on human behaviour, trust and culture in transformation programmes. Mark explains how the brain works as a prediction machine, why structure alone isn’t enough for successful SAP projects, and how leaders can reduce anxiety by being transparent about intent.

Learn more about Mark Raben here: https://www.markraben.com/

🔗 Learn more about the UKISUG referral scheme: https://www.sapusers.org/community-referral-scheme

In this episode of SUGTalks, Craig is joined by Phil Creek, Intake Demand Lead at the SAP Centre of Expertise at Boots, and Rohan Parikh, SAP Platform Architect at Maersk, to explore the value of building an SAP Customer Centre of Expertise (COE).

The conversation builds on the UKISUG SAP Customer Centre of Expertise Insights paper, covering why COEs matter, the importance of senior sponsorship, what effective governance looks like, and the skills a modern COE needs. Phil and Rohan share practical perspectives on balancing internal capability with partners, supporting a clean core, and how COEs need to evolve as SAP customers move further into the cloud.

📄 Click Here to download the UKISUG SAP Customer Centre of Expertise Insights paper
💬 Join the UKISUG ALM Community to continue the discussion with fellow SAP users
🔗 Learn more about the UKISUG referral scheme: https://www.sapusers.org/community-referral-scheme

Recorded live at UKISUG Connect 2025 at the ICC in Birmingham, Craig Dale is joined by Cliff Saran, Technology Editor at Computer Weekly, and Gerren Maine, host of SAPCHAT, to unpack the keynotes and what they mean for SAP users.

They discuss the key points raised, including the need for balance between AI ambition and practical delivery, why “foundations first” keeps coming up, and how looming maintenance timelines are still shaping transformation plans. They also explore cloud adoption blockers, from security and cost to customisation and clean core, plus the role BTP and partners can play in helping customers move forward.

To learn more about the UKISUG referral scheme, visit: https://www.sapusers.org/community-referral-scheme

You can read Cliff Saran’s Enterprise blog here: https://www.computerweekly.com/blog/Cliff-Sarans-Enterprise-blog

In this episode of SUGTalks, Craig is joined by Russell Smith, Vice President of ERP Transformation Technology at AstraZeneca.

Together, they unpack SAP’s newly announced partnership with Snowflake and what it really means for SAP customers in practice. Russell shares why AstraZeneca was involved early, how the collaboration supports large-scale S/4HANA transformation, and where zero-copy data sharing can remove complexity and accelerate timelines.

The conversation explores semantically rich data, real-time analytics, AI readiness, and the cultural shift required to bring analytics and AI to the data rather than moving data between platforms. Russell also reflects on governance, data trust, and why strong foundations matter before scaling AI across the enterprise.

To learn more about the UKISUG referral scheme, visit: https://www.sapusers.org/community-referral-scheme

In this episode of SUGTalks, Craig continues the conversation with Ian Mallinson, UKISUG Board Member, and David Yawalkar, Head of Solution Management, RISE with SAP, to unpack SAP’s cloud roadmap and what that means for customers planning their next steps.

They explore the increasing functionality gap between S/4HANA on-prem and cloud editions, including cloud-only AI, sustainability tools, central finance, and new Business Data Cloud apps, as well as the shift to the dedicated S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition product version. The discussion also covers clean core as an ongoing journey, how tools like Signavio, LinaX and BTP support modernisation, and the incentives and support SAP is offering to help customers transition.

To learn more about the UKISUG referral scheme, visit: https://www.sapusers.org/community-referral-scheme

You can find the UKISUG blog on SAP ERP, private edition, transition option here: https://www.sapusers.org/resource/sap-s-cloud-subscription-transition-option.html

UKISUG Members can access the SAP S/4HANA and RISE Report 2024 here: https://www.sapusers.org/resource/sap-s-4hana-and-rise-report-2024.html

In this episode of SUGTalks, Craig is joined by Ian Mallinson, UKISUG Board Member, and David Yawalkar, Head of Solution Management, RISE with SAP, to explore the real cost of “doing nothing” when it comes to SAP roadmaps and cloud transformation.

They break down the key maintenance deadlines and look at the evolving SAP landscape, from on-premise and private cloud to public cloud, and how the SUGEN Transformation Charter is helping users navigate timelines, Clean Core, and cloud-only innovation.

To learn more about the UKISUG referral scheme, visit: https://www.sapusers.org/community-referral-scheme

You can find the UKISUG blog on SAP ERP, private edition, transition option here: https://www.sapusers.org/resource/sap-s-cloud-subscription-transition-option.html

UKISUG Members can access the SAP S/4HANA and RISE Report 2024 here: https://www.sapusers.org/resource/sap-s-4hana-and-rise-report-2024.html

In this episode of SUGTalks, Craig Dale is joined by UKISUG Chair Conor Riordan and board members Dipti Jakhodia and Emma Chambers to take a look back at SAP Sapphire in Orlando and Madrid. They unpack SAP’s “apps, data and AI” flywheel, the rise of agentic AI and Joule, and what the new RISE and GROW messaging really means for existing SAP customers.

In addiyition they delve into Sapphire’s innovation narrative and the reality for ECC and S/4HANA users dealing with technical debt, cloud business cases and licensing complexity.

To learn more about the UKISUG referral scheme, visit: https://www.sapusers.org/community-referral-scheme

In this episode of SUGTalks, Craig sits down with Costa Petrosellini, SAP Technical Services Manager at Dunelm and the new Vice Chair of UKISUG. Costa shares his 15-year journey through the user group – from volunteer to board member and now Vice Chair – reflecting on the confidence, connections, and career growth that came from being part of the community.

They discuss lessons from Costa’s’ different SAP implementations over the years and what makes for a successful project. Costa also talks about his goals as Vice Chair, his excitement for UKISUG Connect, and why anyone thinking of getting involved should “get stuck in”.

To learn more about the UKISUG referral scheme, visit: https://www.sapusers.org/community-referral-scheme