NEWSROOM

The SAP Transformation Awards, presented annually by SAP Turkey to the most successful digital transformation projects in the country, were distributed at a special event. The agenda of the event, attended by senior executives from SAP’s EMEA region, focused on cloud technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and the power of data.

SAP Turkey recently brought together leading business representatives and technology leaders at the SAP Executive Summit. As part of the "SAP Transformation Awards 2024," which recognizes the most innovative and successful technology transformation projects, a total of 25 awards were distributed. Six organizations received the "SAP Digital Transformation of the Year Award," while 14 organizations were recognized with sectoral awards. Additionally, four organizations were honored with the "SAP Digital Transformation Ambassador Award," and a special "Global Pioneer and Innovation Award" was presented.

The event, hosted by SAP Turkey General Manager Uğur Candan, featured speeches from SAP EMEA Regional President Manos Raptopoulos, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Southern Europe Carlos Lacerda, SAP EMEA AI Lead Jesper Schleimann, and SAP EMEA Business Technology Platform Director Vivien Boche. The speakers emphasized the importance of speed, innovation, integrated solutions, and the power of data in adapting to transformation.

Key Discussions and Panels

The event began with Uğur Candan’s opening remarks and included panels such as:

"Transformation Stories of Future-Ready Companies"
"Pioneering Transformation Stories from Leaders’ Perspectives"
"Take Your Company into the Future with SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud"
"Turning Employee Experiences into Customer Journeys"
"The Power of AI and Data with Google in Digital Transformation"
The day concluded with an awards ceremony.

Key Highlights

"Fast Wins in AI"

In his opening speech, SAP Turkey General Manager Uğur Candan remarked:
“The whole world is talking about artificial intelligence, and these discussions are deep enough to spark debates. Even if we implemented two generative AI scenarios every week, we would not exhaust the ready-to-use AI scenarios within SAP. Those who act fast in AI will win. You must have ready data in the cloud to benefit from AI. At SAP Turkey, we work with 84% of the largest 100 industrial enterprises in our country, with 61% of them already operating in the cloud. This figure is striking, but even more important is the speed of growth. Turkey’s SAP ecosystem always stands out as a leader and innovator in the region.”

"Turkey: A Hub of Innovation and Young Talent"

Carlos Lacerda, Senior Vice President for Southern Europe, began his remarks by highlighting the participation of three female managers from Turkey in SAP’s Southern Europe division:
“Turkey is a fascinating country because it is a crossroads of innovation, young talent, and potential. The competencies of its workforce stand out, as does their modest attitude. The Young Professionals Program and university collaborations implemented here have a strong social impact.”

Referring to adoption rates for platforms like Netflix, X (formerly Twitter), ChatGPT, and Meta, Lacerda stated: “The number of users is growing exponentially. This is not a matter of one or two years. The sense of timing is shifting rapidly. This is why we are encouraging those investing in SAP to migrate to the cloud, as the cloud always brings innovation, offering cost-efficiency, a secure environment, better cybersecurity infrastructure, and faster results than ever before. In today’s fast-moving market, as in the case of the fastest fish, those who act swiftly will win.”

"Creating Collective Intelligence Through Cloud and AI"

SAP EMEA Regional President Manos Raptopoulos compared the pace of AI development to the speed of light, noting: “It is estimated that generative AI alone will create over $4 trillion in added value within the next three years, an amount comparable to Germany’s GDP.” He continued: “We ask our customers to migrate to the cloud so we can anonymize data and train AI models, creating collective intelligence. Turkish companies are very agile, value speed and competition, and have a practical perspective on innovation.”

"Successful AI Requires Purpose, Trust, and Responsibility"

SAP EMEA AI Lead Jesper Schleimann highlighted three essentials for successful AI: AI must be purposeful, trustworthy, and responsible. He added: “Tasks that once took weeks or months can now be completed in minutes, enabling efficiency gains of up to 25%.”

"Seamless Integration Between SAP and Microsoft Digital Assistants"

SAP EMEA Business Technology Platform Director Vivien Boche introduced Joule, SAP’s digital assistant, and announced that 100 new AI scenarios had been launched:
“By year-end, Joule will be in use for 80% of the most common tasks. Additionally, we are integrating SAP and Microsoft digital assistants for two-way communication.”

Testimonials and Use Cases

FLO Group:

Yenal Gökyıldırım, CEO of FLO Group, shared: “We operate in 25 countries with over 800 stores. Our focus on technology enables us to manage operations efficiently across geographies. Our partnership with SAP has helped us optimize processes, with 1.5 million daily data messages processed on SAP systems.”

NG Kütahya Ceramic:

Erkan Güral, Chairman of NG Kütahya Ceramic, remarked: “Our production capacity grew from 9 million square meters in 2004 to 60 million today. This scale cannot be managed manually; systems must lead the way, and for us, that is SAP.”

Martur Fompak International:

Halil Demirdağ, Chairman, highlighted: “AI is indispensable for us. SAP’s cloud transformation has been vital for scaling and sustainability.”

Google Cloud:

Regional Sales Leader Berkay Alper emphasized: “Digital transformation is no longer optional. Google Cloud ensures uninterrupted operation of SAP applications, leveraging AI to enhance business decisions.”

The event concluded with the SAP Transformation Awards 2024 gala, celebrating winners across various categories.