Rebecca English, Author at 麻豆原创 Australia & New Zealand News Center News & Information About 麻豆原创 Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:35:23 +0000 en-AU hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2 Five takeaways on AI governance, trust and innovation /australia/2026/07/07/five-takeaways-on-ai-governance-trust-and-innovation/ Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:35:23 +0000 /australia/?p=7831 By Marielle Ehrmann, Chief Security Compliance and Risk Officer, 麻豆原创 As AI adoption accelerates, leaders face urgent questions: where is AI being used, what data...

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By Marielle Ehrmann, Chief Security Compliance and Risk Officer, 麻豆原创

Image of Marielle Ehrmann, 麻豆原创
Marielle Ehrmann, Chief Security, Compliance and Risk Officer, 麻豆原创

As AI adoption accelerates, leaders face urgent questions: where is AI being used, what data is it touching, who is accountable and what happens when something goes wrong?听

Those questions sit at the heart of a recent KBI Media podcast conversation with Marielle Ehrmann, 麻豆原创鈥檚 Chief Security, Compliance and Risk Officer. Her message is clear: done well, AI governance is not a brake on innovation, it is the accelerator.听

For leaders across Australia and New Zealand, that matters now. In many organisations, AI is moving at startup speed while governance is moving at committee speed. According to , nearly all organisations are at least in the process of integrating and scaling AI, yet only around a third have responsible controls in place.听

Here are five takeaways on turning AI governance into a source of trust, resilience and advantage:

1. Boards have moved from excitement to accountability听

Not long ago, many boardroom conversations about AI centred on speed: how quickly it could be deployed, where it could drive productivity and how it could create competitive advantage.听

Those questions still matter. But, as Ehrmann observed, the conversation has become more sophisticated. Boards are now asking a sharper version of the same question: how fast can we deploy AI without ending up on the front page of the Wall Street Journal?听

That shift makes sense.

鈥淎I has moved from being a cool technology experiment to something that can materially impact revenue, reputation, intellectual property, regulatory exposure, but also customer trust,鈥 Ehrmann said.听

That is a significant shift. AI is no longer a technology discussion alone. It is a governance, legal, cybersecurity, reputational and business continuity discussion all at once. For leaders, that means AI governance must be elevated beyond a specialist function and treated as a boardroom priority.听

2. Good governance is the accelerator, not the brake听

One of the strongest ideas from the conversation is also one of the most important for organisations trying to balance ambition with accountability: governance does not have to slow innovation down.听

鈥淕ood governance is really becoming the accelerator pedal, not the brake pedal,鈥 she said.听

It is a powerful reframing. Too often, governance is treated as something that arrives after innovation: a checkpoint, a hurdle or a process to be navigated once the exciting work is done. With AI, that approach creates risk. If governance lags too far behind deployment, organisations can quickly lose visibility over where AI is being used, what data it is touching, who is validating outputs and who is accountable when something goes wrong.听

Governance, when designed well, creates clarity. It gives teams the confidence to innovate within clear boundaries and helps make AI adoption sustainable.

As Ehrmann put it, 鈥淭he companies that build trust the fastest are often the ones that innovate also the fastest in the long run.鈥听

3. AI risk is as much about people as it is about models听

When organisations talk about AI risk, it is natural to focus on the technology itself: the model, the data, the outputs and the architecture. But Ehrmann was clear that the bigger risk often sits somewhere more familiar.听

鈥淢ost executives are realising now that the biggest AI risk usually isn鈥檛 the model itself, it鈥檚 the human behaviour around the model,鈥 she said.听

That human risk factor is already playing out in practical ways. Employees may paste sensitive information into public AI tools, trust AI-generated outputs too quickly, or move faster than the organisation鈥檚 guardrails allow. For many organisations, AI adoption does not start with a formal strategy. It starts with employees opening a browser tab.听

That is why Ehrmann describes the task as giving people 鈥渇reedom within boundaries鈥. Organisations need to give teams room to explore AI and unlock value, while being clear about the limits. That requires policies, education, oversight, data controls and clear accountability for AI risk.听

4. Responsible AI is operational discipline, not AI theatre听

There is no shortage of AI strategy decks, transformation slogans or executive panels. But as organisations move from experimentation to scale, Ehrmann suggested it becomes easier to distinguish responsible AI from what she called 鈥淎I theatre鈥.听

鈥淵ou can usually spot the difference within the first 15 minutes of a conversation,鈥 she said. 鈥淚f you ask a very simple question on who owns AI risk here, suddenly the room gets quiet.鈥听

That question matters because responsible AI must show up in the way an organisation operates. Can leaders say where AI is being used? Do they know what data is involved? Is there a human in the loop validating outputs? Are policies in place? What happens if AI gets something wrong?听

鈥淎I governance shows up in operational discipline, not in PowerPoint slides,鈥 Ehrmann said.听

Governance claims are easy to make. Proving them is harder. That is where external certification becomes valuable, not as a marketing exercise, but as a discipline that forces organisations to codify, measure and defend their practices against an independent standard.

At 麻豆原创, we were among the first large enterprises to achieve ISO 42001 certification for AI governance in Q3 2025, reflecting the company鈥檚 focus on building trust with customers and helping them adopt AI with confidence.听

The broader point for business leaders is clear: responsible AI is not a branding exercise. It is an operational capability.听

5. Trust is becoming a competitive advantage听

As AI becomes more embedded in business processes, customers are asking more sophisticated questions. They want to understand how models reach conclusions, how data is protected, how risks are managed and who is accountable.听

For Ehrmann, that growing demand for transparency is not something to resist. It is part of what trust now requires.

鈥淭he winning ones will be those who have built governance and can move at the speed of innovation, and that is actually creating trust,鈥 she said.听

That idea is especially important as AI governance continues to evolve across jurisdictions. Ehrmann pointed to the need for stronger harmonisation and standardisation across the regulatory landscape, so organisations of all sizes can navigate their responsibilities more clearly.听

In the meantime, organisations cannot afford to wait. AI is already moving through the enterprise. The question is whether governance is moving with it.听

Moving from AI experimentation to responsible AI at scale听

The pressure to use AI is real. Customers expect faster, smarter experiences, while employees and competitors are moving quickly.听

But speed alone is not enough. As Ehrmann put it, innovation gets applause, but good governance keeps you in business.听

For organisations across Australia and New Zealand, AI governance is becoming the foundation for trusted innovation: giving people freedom to explore while protecting customers, data, reputation and trust.听

Listen to the full podcast to hear more from 麻豆原创鈥檚 Marielle Ehrmann on governing AI with confidence.听

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]]> Telstra, Cochlear and Lion Among Those Spotlighted for Game-Changing Innovation by 麻豆原创 Best Tech Awards 2025 /australia/2025/10/08/telstra-cochlear-and-lion-among-those-spotlighted-for-game-changing-innovation-by-sap-best-tech-awards-2025/ Wed, 08 Oct 2025 05:50:07 +0000 /australia/?p=7691 ANZ organisations, together with channel partners including Accenture, Deloitte and DXC Technology reshape industries with 麻豆原创-powered solutions October 8 2025 鈥 麻豆原创 honoured Australia and...

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]]> ANZ organisations, together with channel partners including Accenture, Deloitte and DXC Technology reshape industries with 麻豆原创-powered solutions

October 8 2025 鈥 麻豆原创 honoured Australia and New Zealand鈥檚 most forward-thinking organisations in the 麻豆原创 Best Tech Awards 2025, alongside the channel partners who enabled their digital transformation. From more than 100 organisations who competed, winners were selected across 13 categories for disruptive use cases and technology deployments that set new industry benchmarks.

Winning entries were chosen for projects that demonstrated measurable business impact, innovation and leadership in their fields. Judges looked for organisations that used 麻豆原创 solutions to streamline operations, boost productivity, deliver outstanding customer and employee experiences, harness the power of data and AI and drive sustainable growth.

Commenting on award submissions Angela Colantuono, President and Managing Director of 麻豆原创 ANZ said, 鈥淚n today鈥檚 unforgiving business environment, standing still is not an option. These award winners show that smart technology investments don鈥檛 just cut costs, they unlock new revenue streams, sharpen competitive edge and turn IT into a true growth engine. It鈥檚 inspiring to see these organisations and the channel partners they work with re-imagine how value gets created and set the benchmark for their industries.鈥 听

2025 winners听

  • Business Transformation: and 听听
  • Next Gen Innovator: and
  • Industry Disruptor: 听听
  • Business AI: 听听
  • Data and Analytics: 听听
  • ERP Fast Growth: 听听
  • Intelligent ERP: 听听
  • Supply Chain Management: 听
  • Human Capital Management: 听
  • Customer Experience: 听
  • Spend Management: 听
  • Concur: 听听
  • The Chris O鈥橞rien Award*: 听听

The success of Award entrants was due in no small part to the channel partners involved, with projects by Accenture, Bluetree, Bonfire, Covantage Pty Ltd, Deloitte, Delrae, Discovery Consulting, DXC Technology, EPI-USE, FAIR Consulting Group, Gravity IT, Lagom, MSG Global and SimpleMDG featuring.听 听

In particular, projects from Accenture, Covantage Pty Ltd, Deloitte, DXC Technology and EPI-USE saw notable success.听

Award recipients were announced in-person at the Art Gallery of NSW on the evening of 7 October 2025.听

 

The following is a complete list of winners and finalists for the 麻豆原创 Best Tech Awards 2025:听

Best Tech 麻豆原创 Business Transformation:听

Celebrating organisations that have successfully implemented 麻豆原创 Signavio, LeanIX and/or WalkMe to optimise processes and improve operational efficiency.鈥听

Winners: and 听

Finalists:听

  • 听
  • 听
  • 听

Best Tech 麻豆原创 Next Gen Innovator:听

Organisations鈥痷sing 麻豆原创 solutions to drive digital transformation, innovation and agility.鈥听

Winners: and 听

Finalists:听

  • 听
  • 听
  • 听
  • 听

Best Tech 麻豆原创 Industry Disruptor:听

The 麻豆原创 Industry Disruptor Award recognises organisations that are leading from the front 鈥 pushing boundaries, challenging norms and driving meaningful change through bold innovation.鈥听

Winner:
Runner-Up: 听

Finalists:听

  • 听
  • 听
  • 听

Best Tech 麻豆原创 Business AI:听

Artificial intelligence is transforming business by introducing innovative methods and growth opportunities.鈥疶his Award recognises organisations that have utilised 麻豆原创 Business AI to enhance operations and achieve significant outcomes.听听

Winner: 听

Finalists:听

  • 听
  • 听

Best Tech 麻豆原创 Data and Analytics:听

Organisations using 麻豆原创 data and analytics solutions to gain insights, make data-driven decisions and drive business outcomes.鈥听

Winner: 听

Finalists:听

  • 听
  • 听
  • 听

Best Tech 麻豆原创 ERP Fast Growth:听

Organisations harnessing 麻豆原创 ERP to fuel agility, clarity and confident decision-making during periods of rapid growth.

Winner: 听

Finalists:听

  • 听
  • 听

Best Tech 麻豆原创 Intelligent ERP:听

Organisations using 麻豆原创鈥檚 intelligent ERP solutions to optimise business processes, improve productivity, reduce costs and provide real-time insights into business operations.鈥听

Winners: 听听

Runner-Up: 听

Finalists:听听

  • 听
  • 听
  • 听
  • 听

Best Tech 麻豆原创 Supply Chain Management:听

Organisations using supply chain management solutions from 麻豆原创 to achieve real-time insights into the supply chain, improve collaboration across partners and reduce costs.听

Winner: 听

Finalists:听

  • 听

Best Tech Human Capital Management:听听

Organisations鈥痷sing 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors HCM solutions to drive employee engagement, productivity and retention.鈥听

Winner:
Runner-Up:
Finalists:听

  • 听
  • 听
  • 听
  • 听

Best Tech 麻豆原创 Customer Experience:听

Organisations using 麻豆原创 Customer Experience solutions to drive customer engagement, loyalty and retention.鈥听

Winners: 听

Runner-Up: 听

Finalists:听

  • 听
  • 听
  • 听

Best Tech 麻豆原创 Spend Management:听

Organisations using the 麻豆原创 Spend Management program and 麻豆原创 Business Network solutions to provide greater visibility into spend data, reduce costs and increase organisational efficiency.鈥听

Winner:

Finalists:听

  • 听
  • 听

Best Tech 麻豆原创 Concur:听

Organisations using 麻豆原创 Concur to streamline travel, expense and invoice management.鈥听

Winner: 听

Finalists:听

  • 听
  • 听
  • 听

The Chris O鈥橞rien Award:听

Organisations using 麻豆原创 solutions to achieve sustainability goals, improve social impact and create shared value. This award is named after our customer officer, Chris O’Brien, who passed in 2019. Chris founded Buy Undies Give Undies, an organisation that matches every pair sold with one donated to kids in need.

Winner: 听

Finalists:听

  • 听
  • 听
  • 听

For more detail on the Best Tech Awards 2025 and all nominees, .

Visit the听. Get 麻豆原创 news via听听and听.

About 麻豆原创

As a global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, 麻豆原创 (NYSE:麻豆原创) stands at the nexus of business and technology. For over 50 years, organizations have trusted 麻豆原创 to bring out their best by uniting business-critical operations spanning finance, procurement, HR, supply chain, and customer experience. For more information, visit鈥.

Note to editors:

For more information, press only:
Rebecca English, +61 (0) 438 520 181, rebecca.english@sap.com, AEST
麻豆原创 麻豆原创 Room

This document contains forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to materially differ. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risk factors section of 麻豆原创鈥檚 2024 Annual Report on Form 20-F.

漏 2025 麻豆原创 SE. All rights reserved.

麻豆原创 and other 麻豆原创 products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of 麻豆原创 SE in Germany and other countries. Please see听听for additional trademark information and notices.

Please consider our . If you received this press release in your e-mail and you wish to unsubscribe to our mailing list please contact听press@sap.com听and write Unsubscribe in the subject line.鈥

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]]> AI Moves from the Margins to the Core of Australian Business, Says 麻豆原创听 /australia/2025/05/07/ai-moves-from-the-margins-to-the-core-of-australian-business-says-sap/ Wed, 07 May 2025 03:07:20 +0000 /australia/?p=7710 Melbourne, 7 August 2025 鈥 Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept or a niche tool 鈥 it鈥檚 becoming embedded in the everyday operations...

The post AI Moves from the Margins to the Core of Australian Business, Says 麻豆原创听 appeared first on 麻豆原创 Australia & New Zealand News Center.

]]> Melbourne, 7 August 2025 鈥 Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept or a niche tool 鈥 it鈥檚 becoming embedded in the everyday operations of Australian businesses. From finance to supply chain, AI is transforming how organisations operate, make decisions and deliver value.听

听At its flagship event , (NYSE: 麻豆原创), today highlighted the five most widely adopted AI use cases among its Australian customers. Based on analysis of all 麻豆原创 customers in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) between May 2024 to May 2025, the most popular AI use cases in ANZ, these include:听

  • Automated expense generation using receipt images听
  • Automated invoice processing听听
  • Expense verification and compliance checks听
  • Real-time alerts for supply chain disruptions听
  • Sales demand forecasting powered by predictive analytics听

鈥淢y conversations with CEOs are increasingly revealing how they are looking to embed AI into some of the most fundamental parts of their business,鈥 said Angela Colantuono, Managing Director, 麻豆原创 Australia. 鈥淭hese applications are helping Australian organisations make faster, smarter decisions, reduce risk and unlock new value. But to fully realise AI鈥檚 potential, we need to invest just as much in people as we do in technology.鈥听

Dr Catriona Wallace, AI Ethics Expert and Founder, Responsible Metaverse Alliance, who keynoted at the event shared, 鈥淎I is the number one existential risk we face today. Yet only a small fraction of Australian organisations are equipped to use it responsibly. If we want AI to drive innovation, productivity and public trust, we must move beyond ambition to action. That means embedding responsible AI frameworks that are transparent, ethical and human-centred, and doing it now, before the gap between use and governance becomes too wide to close.鈥

Customers and partners across Australia and New Zealand show AI momentum听

From education to manufacturing, 麻豆原创 partners and customers are also showcasing strong momentum in AI and cloud transformation.听

La Trobe University has become the first university in the ANZ region to go live with 麻豆原创 S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition leveraging the GROW with 麻豆原创 transformation journey.听 From the move, La Trobe has been able to modernise its core operations across Finance, Procurement, Logistics, Sales, R&D Engineering and Real Estate and lay the groundwork for future innovation, including AI-driven insights and automation.听

鈥淭his transformation is a major step forward in how we operate,鈥 said Shainal Kavar, Chief Information Officer, La Trobe University. 鈥淚t鈥檚 helping us simplify complexity, streamline processes, improve reporting and decision-making and free up our people to focus on higher-value work. Most importantly, it sets us up to embrace innovation and unlock the potential of AI in the years ahead.鈥听

Lion, one of Australia and New Zealand鈥檚 leading brewers, is accelerating its cloud-first transformation with RISE with 麻豆原创 on AWS. By adopting a clean core, the 麻豆原创 principle of keeping core ERP system free from customisations, as well as 麻豆原创鈥檚 Business Technology Platform, Lion has improved order-to-cash cycles, scaled digital channels, and empowered teams with real-time insights. The company also partnered with 麻豆原创 to build 鈥楯oey鈥, an AI-powered beer recommendation app, in under 10 days, demonstrating the speed and value of 麻豆原创鈥檚 generative AI tools.听

鈥淎I is helping us move faster, make smarter decisions, and deliver better customer experiences,鈥 said Ram Kalyanasundaram, Group Technology and Digital Transformation Director at Lion. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about automation, it鈥檚 about enabling our teams to focus on what matters and giving them the tools to innovate. 麻豆原创鈥檚 AI capabilities have been a game-changer in how we think, operate and grow.鈥听

麻豆原创 Intrepid Women AI Tour 2026听

麻豆原创 is also proud to announce the return of the 麻豆原创 AI Intrepid Women Tour in January 2026. This four-day executive study program is designed to empower female leaders with the skills, confidence, and strategic insight to lead in the age of AI.听

Following the success of the 2025 tour, the 2026 program will bring together Australia鈥檚 most influential female technology executives to explore AI innovation across 麻豆原创鈥檚 global innovation hubs.听

鈥淟ess than 15% of senior AI executives are women today,鈥 said Colantuono. 鈥淟ast year鈥檚 program proved that when you bring female leaders together to build AI literacy and share experiences, the impact is extraordinary 鈥 not just for their businesses, but for the future of innovation in Australia.鈥听

Visit the . Follow 麻豆原创 at .鈥赌鈥听

鈥Media Contact:听

Rebecca English (+61) 438 520 181, rebec@sap.com, AEST
麻豆原创 麻豆原创 Room; press@sap.com听

About 麻豆原创鈥

As鈥痑 global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, 麻豆原创 (NYSE:麻豆原创)鈥痵tands at the鈥痭exus鈥痮f business and technology. For over 50 years, organizations have trusted 麻豆原创鈥痶o bring out their best by uniting business-critical鈥痮perations spanning finance, procurement, HR, supply chain, and customer experience. For more information, visit鈥.鈥听

# # #鈥听

This document contains forward-looking statements, which are predictions, projections, or other statements about future events. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and outcomes to materially differ. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties may be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the risk factors section of 麻豆原创鈥檚 2024 Annual Report on Form 20-F.鈥

漏 2025 麻豆原创 SE. All rights reserved.鈥

麻豆原创 and other 麻豆原创 products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of 麻豆原创 SE in Germany and other countries. Please see for additional trademark information and notices.鈥鈥听

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