Rise with SAP Leadership Forum held in Belgrade

On Tuesday, September 19, in Belgrade, the SAP company held an annual forum for users and partners from the Western Balkan region called ‘Rise with SAP’, where the latest technologies and ideas were presented, thanks to which business becomes sustainable, responsible, and profitable. 

The forum was attended by users who learned from the most eminent SAP experts from Serbia and the region what ’RISE with SAP’ enables. It is a secure migration of current ERP data and processes to the Cloud. Appropriate ERP software, transformation services, business analytics, and partner expertise will be available to each of the companies in a personalized way in order to safely migrate their business to the Cloud. 

The panel ’Build your business case in cloud’ aroused special interest among visitors to the ’Rise with SAP Leadership Forum’, during which representatives of the companies Galenika, Sport Vision Group, and United Group, which already use SAP Cloud solutions: SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Customer Data Cloud, CX portfolio, shared experiences and helped future users to more easily make a decision on the transformation of their business. All panel participants agreed that once it was imaginable to implement SAP solutions in a year, which is the case today, and that SAP helped them eliminate the technical and organizational challenges they encountered in business, and that there is no dilemma about whether to switch to the Cloud. For that process, only a good internal analysis of when to do it, which of the solutions to integrate, and how is necessary, and the conclusion is that the Cloud brings access to all data with one click, which simplifies and speeds up the processes. 

’“RISE with SAP Leadership Forum“ was the first major event in several years. The number of attendees and the attention with which they followed the conference prove the relevance of the topics offered by SAP as a partner for digital transformation. In times like this, organizations are constantly faced with change – whether internally or externally, and I am proud to see users such as Galenika, Sport Vision, or United Group emphasizing the importance of innovation and being future-oriented.’ said Josephin Galla, director of SAP for the Southeast Europe region. 

’I am extremely glad that after a break of several years, we organized a meeting dedicated to SAP users in our region. The theme of this year's meeting was RISE with SAP, that is, the offer of software and services for moving to the SAP Cloud, which we see as an important part of our users' strategy.’ said Branislav Sekulović, director of SAP Western Balkans. 

Data has long become extremely important for every company, and the success of a business depends on the way of applying the data available. Therefore, one of the topics was the real value of the data that companies have and the possibilities of combining that data for thorough analysis and making optimal business decisions. 

Sustainability in business is more relevant than ever. Companies are under pressure to be transparent with their data and processes. SAP has sustainability management solutions for ESG reporting, climate action, circular economy, and social responsibility. 

SAP sustainability solutions have industry-specific functionality and features that help companies create a sustainable business through operations, experiences, and financial insights into their core business processes. 

The importance of this topic is shown by a recent survey conducted by Oxford Economics and SAP. More than 2,000 top management respondents from companies operating around the world took part in the research, and the common conclusion was that sustainability is recognized as a driver of more efficient business, that it contributes to a better brand reputation, and that users and employees expect companies to be committed to sustainability goals and in the end in this case, it is sustainability that increases profits. As many as 63% of respondents answered that their companies already have a defined plan when it comes to sustainability. That plan usually focuses on waste management, carbon dioxide emissions, and the use of energy from renewable sources. What is extremely important to respondents is the creation of a safe, diverse, and inclusive work environment. As many as 91% of respondents prioritize companies that promote diversity and an inclusive work environment, while 76% claim that a diverse work environment is the key to the success of sustainability initiatives. Respondents also focused on the development of workers' skills and abilities (89%), with the majority saying that their companies practice retraining or upskilling opportunities for existing employees. 

The partners of this year's Rise with SAP Leadership Forum were Axians, B4B, Coming, Eviden, ITBO, M&I Systems Group, Nites, Planetsoft, Sapiens Solutions, Sinfon, Wireless Media. 

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