SUGTalks

In this episode of SUGTalks, Craig is joined by Yasmin Awad, Senior Vice President and Head of SAP's Global User Group Organisation, and Philip Adams, UKISUG board member and member of the SUGEN Core Leadership Team. Together they discuss SUGEN, (SAP User Group Executive Network), exploring how the global network of more than 40 user groups helps to shape SAP's roadmap on behalf of custo...

In our latest episode, Craig is joined by Stefan Steinle, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Customer Support at SAP.   Stefan reflects on his 26 years at SAP and how customer support has evolved from a reactive, ticket-based model to a much more proactive, personalised and global approach. He explains the thinking behind SAP's three support pillars: invisible support, the work done...

In our latest episode of SUGTalks, Craig is joined by Conor Riordan and Ian Mallinson to discuss the main announcements and their experiences at this year's Sapphire conferences in Orlando and Madrid. Conor and Ian reflect on SAP framing itself as a business AI company and its vision for the  autonomous enterprise. They also share their honest opinion on SAP’s new suite of AI agents. In addit...

In our latest episode, Craig is joined by Conor Riordan, Chair of UKISUG, and Philip Adams, UKISUG Board Member and SUGEN Core Leadership Team member. Together they address some of the questions from UKISUG Connect that we didn't get to on the keynote stage. Conor and Philip share an update on the SUGEN licensing charter, including progress being made on consumption-based licensing. They also...

In the latest episode of SUGTalks, Craig is joined by David Yawalkar, Head of Solution Management, RISE with SAP. David shares an update on SAP’s involvement with the SUGEN Transformation Charter, what SAP has learned from charter members and how customer feedback is shaping the company’s Cloud ERP messaging. He explains why SAP has committed to both private and public cloud as long-term strategic...

In our latest senior leader interview, Craig is joined by Sonia Nash, Head of Business AI at SAP UK and Ireland. Sonia shares her unconventional career journey - from accounts payable into automation, solution advisory and now leading SAP's Business AI focus. She reflects on the mentors who shaped her path, the importance of curiosity, and why you don't need to be a developer to build a...

In part two of the conversation, Craig is once again joined by Sandeep Seeripat, Global Business Transformation and Technology Officer at Twinings, to answer questions posed by the audience at his UKISUG Connect keynote. Together they explore the practical realities of Twinings’ transformation journey. This includes how to build a one-program mentality across teams and partners, and how to align a...

In part one of this two-part SUGTalks conversation, Craig is joined by Sandeep Seeripat, Global Business Transformation and Technology Officer at Twinings.  Together they discuss career growth, leadership and business transformation. Sandeep shares how he moved from engineering into technology, why he sees himself as a business problem solver first, and what senior leaders need to do to make trans...

In our latest SUGTalks episode, Craig is joined by UKISUG Women in SAP Community Leads Emma Chambers and Fiona Warburg. Together they discuss the progress made by the Women in SAP community over the past year and some of the equality challenges that still persist across the tech sector. In addition, they outline how practical initiatives such as mentoring, networking and allyship are helping to su...

In our latest senior leader interview, Craig is joined by Emel Morris, CIO at Central Bedfordshire Council. Emel shares her journey from corporate communications into IT leadership and the skills that helped her transition into the role. She also outlines why today’s CIO must focus on stakeholder engagement, change, and aligning technology to real service outcomes. Craig and Emel also discuss pres...

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...

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, w...

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...

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 sha...

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 discuss SAP’s cloud roadmap and what that means for customers. They explore the differences between S/4HANA on-prem and cloud editions, including cloud-only AI, sustainability tools, central finance, and new Business Data Cloud ap...

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 SUG...

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 innov...

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’ diffe...

In this episode of SUGTalks, Craig is joined by Pip Plah, Head of Sovereign Cloud, SAP UK, and Chris Soden, Head of UK Delivery, SAP Sovereign Cloud Services. Together they explore how SAP Sovereign Cloud is helping organisations in highly regulated industries maintain control over their data while embracing cloud innovation. They discuss what “sovereign” really means in practice, from data reside...

In this episode of SUGTalks, Craig is joined by Neil Gardner, Head of Cloud ERP, RISE with SAP. Together they unpack SAP ERP, private edition, transition option and discuss what it means for organisations on their journey to S/4HANA. Neil explains why SAP introduced the Transition Option, who it’s aimed at and how it can help complex organisations manage their move to the cloud. Craig and Neil als...

In this episode of SUGTalks, Craig welcomes back Simon Nichols, Founder and CEO of Thrive, to explore “all or nothing thinking” and how it impacts our daily lives. They discuss cognitive distortions, perfectionism, and why our brains often default to black-and-white thinking. Simon shares practical strategies to regulate thought processes, find balance, and reframe situations in healthier ways. Fr...

In this episode of SUGTalks, Craig is joined by Simon Bacon, SAP Operations Manager at QD Group, to discuss how strong partner relationships can make or break SAP projects.   Simon shares how QD Group delivered a six-month brownfield migration from ECC to SAP S/4HANA on RISE with zero business disruption, clear cost control and a roadmap to clean core. They discuss selecting a partner for culture...

In this episode of SUGTalks, guest host Gerren Mayne (regular host of the SAPCHAT podcast) takes the chair with Craig Dale moving to the role of guest. Joining them is Simon Bacon, SAP Operations Manager at QD Group. Together, they provide a preview of UKISUG Connect 2025, exploring what attendees can expect.  Simon also shares how Connect delivers value to QD Group year after year, including hand...

In this episode of SUGTalks, Craig welcomes back Simon Nichols, Founder and CEO of Thrive, to discuss negativity bias and the importance of taking a positive mindset to overcome it.  They explore why our brains are wired to focus on the negative, how this shows up in our daily experiences, and what practical strategies we can use to reframe our thoughts in a more positive light. From mindfulness a...

In this second episode of a two-part series, Craig is joined by Steffen Schad (Head of Outbound Product Management, SAP BTP), Richard Henry (Commercial Director, Bluestonex), and Glenn van der Meijden (Senior Director, SAP Platform, AstraZeneca) to explore the key findings of UKISUG’s latest SAP BTP Research Paper. In this episode, they delve into the evolving BTP skills landscape, the importance...