FOKUSTAG UND WORKSHOPS - Dienstag 18. November 2025

Opening

8:30 am - 9:30 am Registrierung Fokustag

9:30 am - 9:35 am Welcome to the Focusday - Conference Opening by IQPC

Ballroom, EN

9:35 am - 9:40 am Welcome Speech by Chairperson – Reserved for Partner

9:40 am - 10:05 am GBS in the Age of AgenticAI: Zero Employees, Infinite Possibilities?

Matthias Egelhaaf - Global Head of Digital Solutions, Siemens Business Services

Room:

From workforce to workflows: Why AI Agents will replace, not assist – The shift from human-driven operations to fully autonomous AI agents is redefining productivity and cost structures

AI-Enhanced customer engagement: Transforming GBS client interactions – AI agents are revolutionizing customer service within GBS by providing personalized, efficient, and proactive client interactions

New rivals, new rules: Your next competitor is already around – Traditional GBS providers face disruption from digital-native competitors leveraging AI as well as existing software providers

The fastest wins: How AI-Driven GBS will outpace business needs – AI accelerates decision-making and service delivery, making agility the new currency of success. This requires a cleaned house!

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Matthias Egelhaaf

Global Head of Digital Solutions
Siemens Business Services

10:10 am - 10:45 am Panel Discussion: Technology as a Backbone – Navigating the intersection of IT and business operations - A CIO and GBS Discussion

Room:

·    Developing a successful collaboration between GBS-CIO teams

·    Balance between innovation, cost control and strategic alignment

·    The importance of inhouse competency centers in digital transformation initiative

·    Integrating business and tech, fostering mutual understanding for better results

·    The impact of combining legacy technology with modern AI

·    Future GBS: driven by technology, leading to more companies integrating GBS and IT by merging the CIO/ CTO function with Business Services

10:45 am - 11:15 am Touchless Finance Process with Advance Automation and AI – Reserved for Partner with Client

11:15 am - 11:45 am Coffee Break and Networking

AI / GenAI/ Agentic AI/ Data

11:45 am - 11:45 am Chairperson

AI / GenAI/ Agentic AI/ Data

11:45 am - 12:10 pm Agentic AI – Reserved for Partner with Client

Raum

  • Revolution of automation: LLM boost our process efficiency
  • Specific use cases and their impact
  • From Robots to Agents: automation strategy
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Benjamin Oberste-Berghaus

SVP Digitalization Services
Deutsche Telekom Service Europe GmbH

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Benjamin Oberste-Berghaus

Senior Vice President of Technology and Digitalization
Deutsche Telekom Ag

AI / GenAI/ Agentic AI/ Data

12:35 pm - 1:00 pm AI for HR: Predict. Upskill. Evolve.
Antonio Labruzzo - Global Head, Human Resources, Global Clients & Solutions, Takeda

Raum:

  • Identify the Top 5 Skills for the Future Workforce: Learn which capabilities will be most critical and how to align your talent strategy accordingly
  • Leverage AI to Detect and Bridge Skill Gaps: Understand how AI tools can map current capabilities and guide targeted upskilling initiatives
  • Redefining the Future of Work: Explore the role of AI in building a culture of adaptability, continuous learning, and long-term talent resilience

 

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Antonio Labruzzo

Global Head, Human Resources, Global Clients & Solutions
Takeda

GPO - E2E

11:45 am - 11:45 am Chairperson

GPO - E2E

11:45 am - 12:15 pm Piloting Gen AI in Processes – Challenges and lessons learnt – Reserved for Partner with Client

GPO - E2E

12:10 pm - 12:35 pm It´s still a people´s business: Keeping HR human in the age of AI & Digital Innovation

Raum

  • Find the right balance between efficiency and empathy in the constantly changing landscape of HR to ensure employee experience
  • Improve employee retention rates by implementing practices that prioritise human connection, even in automated workflows
  • Enhancing decision-making, streamlining processes, and driving productivity while empowering people 

GPO - E2E

12:35 pm - 1:00 pm Process Optimisation with Process Mining: Business cases and examples

1:00 pm - 1:05 pm 5 min Roundtable Pitch on stage & Find your Roundtable

Roundtable 1

1:05 pm - 1:30 pm Reserved for Automation Anywhere

Roundtable 2

1:05 pm - 1:30 pm LLM-powered document processing – deliver data to staff
Sabine Hetzel - Shared Services Accounting, Privacy & Compliance, Deutsche Bahn AG

Raum

· Exchange practical use cases of LLMs in Intelligent Document Processing IDP

· Discuss challenges, solutions and process improvements

· Experiences in getting started with GenAI

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Sabine Hetzel

Shared Services Accounting, Privacy & Compliance
Deutsche Bahn AG

Roundtable 3

1:05 pm - 1:30 pm Fostering a Culture of Continuous Improvement
Dorota Antosiewicz - Head of P2P (SSC), Jones Lang LaSalle

Raum

· Difference between leading a continuous improvement and driving continuous improvement culture

· Approach: Bottom-up-sustainable change comes from employees driving improvements

· Sharing ideas on how to build continuous improvement culture in the organisation

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Dorota Antosiewicz

Head of P2P (SSC)
Jones Lang LaSalle

Keynote and Panel

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm Lunch and Networking

AI, GenAI, Data

2:30 pm - 2:30 pm Chairperson

AI, GenAI, Data

2:30 pm - 2:55 pm Unlocking AI Potential: Why Standardizing Your Processes Is Essential for Strategic Success
Samir Kazi - Head of Transformation & Transitions I Global Process Owner - Source to Pay, Clariant

Room

· Ensure data quality and standardized processes as the foundation for reliable AI outcomes

· Gain leadership buy-in by aligning AI investment with business priorities

· Develop a targeted AI strategy focused on tangible value generation

Samir Kazi

Head of Transformation & Transitions I Global Process Owner - Source to Pay
Clariant

Room

·     Interpret and Classify your Data

·     Investing in the Quality of your Data to achieve the best results with your AI

·     Taking responsibility for data in the core business: checking data quality, data accuracy in E2E processes;

·     Data governance

·     The right time to start and scaling effect

·     Build AI-ready Data Products to enable scalable AI solutions

·     How to navigate data readiness and shape AI solutions to maximize value generated

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Ramon Knetsch

Head of Operational Excellence
Danish Crown

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Stefan Gamp

Head of Center of Excellence for Lean and BPM
F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG

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Monika Grzeczyńska

Director of Data & AI Product Delivery and Development, Orange Innovation Poland
Orange

AI, GenAI, Data

3:30 pm - 3:55 pm Centre of Excellence for Agentic AI?
Malgorzata Figaszewska - Chief Value Officer | Director Finance & Transformation, Franklin Templeton

Room

·     Adopting automation, AI and other digital technologies through business-led initiatives

·     Agentic AI in Finance – Proof of Concept

·     Balanced approach to data quality, compliance, governance and talent.

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Malgorzata Figaszewska

Chief Value Officer | Director Finance & Transformation
Franklin Templeton

AI, GenAI, Data

3:55 pm - 4:20 pm V.A.U.L.T. – Leveraging Data to prevent financial fraud
Mauro Portela - Managing Director GLobal MDM Operations, Danone

Room

· Global Fraud context: Fraud is no longer an "if" but a "when" – how can GBS’s spearhead the intervention to mitigate the risk and threats of fraud  

· Data is Your Shield: Moving from reactive to proactive fraud prevention through multi-layered data verification and real-time monitoring

· Zero Fraud Objective: Implementing a V.A.U.L.T. defense system - where every transaction passes through multiple defense lines before execution

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Mauro Portela

Managing Director GLobal MDM Operations
Danone

GPO - E2E

2:30 pm - 2:30 pm Chairperson

GPO - E2E

2:30 pm - 2:55 pm Achieving Excellence in Order to Cash
Rafal Duda - Director, Smith+Nephew Sp. z o.o.

Room

In the highly competitive landscape of global healthcare, Smith+Nephew’s O2C Excellence Program has become a gold standard in process transformation. By integrating Lean Six Sigma methodologies, robust change management, and cutting-edge technology, this initiative revolutionized the company’s O2C process and ultimately won SSON's Business Transformation Impact Award 2024. 

· Process Innovation: Learn how the program leveraged over 200 improvement ideas and unified global operations through targeted workstreams.

· Continuous Improvement Best Practices: Discover how structured methodologies such as Lean Six Sigma and data-driven governance were instrumental.

· Customer-Centric Transformation: See how transitioning from anecdotal feedback to systematic customer satisfaction measurement impacted the process. 

· Overcoming Challenges: Explore real-world strategies for addressing resistance, resource constraints, and IT complexity during large-scale transformation efforts.

 

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Rafal Duda

Director
Smith+Nephew Sp. z o.o.

Room

·       Emphasising the partnership between business and IT to achieve successful outcomes

·       Tactics for managing complex change across multiple business units and international boundaries

·       Best practices for seamlessly integrating processes and technologies to ensure business continuity and growth

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Michael Hofmann

Team Lead subledger Accounting Finance Systems Process & Infrastructure
Schaeffler

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Katrin Bergsteiner

EU Lead Finance Transformation - Reporting
Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH

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Katrin Bergsteiner

EU Lead Finance Transformation - Reporting | Accounting | Tax | Treasury
Daiichi Sankyo Deutschland GmbH

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Robert Károly

S4HANA Europe and HQ Finance Regional FP&T Functional Head
Syngenta

GPO - E2E

3:30 pm - 3:55 pm Increasing P2P efficiency with Data Analytics & AI - challenges, opportunities and practical applications
Carlos Diaz - Head of Data Analytics & AI, Lufthansa Group Business Services

Room

·     Revenue Integrity: Optimizing refund processing for faster handling

·     End-To-End Process Automation: Improving accounting efficiency with automatic supplier communication

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Carlos Diaz

Head of Data Analytics & AI
Lufthansa Group Business Services

Room

·    What key strategies or methodologies are essential for ensuring that R2R operations remain adaptable and resilient in the face of future challenges?

·    Identifying and overcoming key challenges in R2R processes such as data integrity, lengthy timelines and process complexities

·    How is S4/HANA driving the maturity of R2R processes?

·    What is essential to manage knowledge properly in R2R (practices, processes, tools, SOPs, people strategy aspect)

Dorota Babuchowska

Head of R2R Department, General Ledger and Intercompany
Jones Lang Lasalle Inc (JLL)

Gunashela Arumugam

Head of Record to Report
Frieslandcampina

Innovation Pavilion - 20 min discussions on Level 1

2:30 pm - 2:50 pm How do MDAX GBS keep up with the transformation given their limited ressources and budget?

Innovation Pavilion - 20 min discussions on Level 1

2:55 pm - 3:15 pm Eastern Europe GBS Experts – Challenges and Opportinities

Innovation Pavilion - 20 min discussions on Level 1

3:30 pm - 3:50 pm Start-ups Innovation

Innovation Pavilion - 20 min discussions on Level 1

3:55 pm - 4:15 pm Building a culture of trust and collaboration

Level 1

  • Culture project at Körber - how we approached it - discovery phase & culture journey
  • Our Culture Core
  • Bringing culture into the organisation - how do we activate the Culture Core and bring it into the organisation

4:25 pm - 4:30 pm 5 min Break & Start of Workshops

Workshops

Workshop A

4:30 pm - 5:50 pm Achieving the Touchless Close: How Leading Enterprises are Transforming Record to Report
Shak Akhtar - Executive Director, Finance Automation, Redwood Software

Room tbc, Redwood, EN

Join us for an exclusive, expert-led workshop hosted by Redwood, featuring insights from organizations who have successfully implemented R2R automation.

In this session, you’ll get a look at how various enterprises are achieving finance transformation and learn how they are building autonomy, reducing manual effort, and accelerating the close across various processes.

In addition to Redwood's expertise, this workshop will provide a unique opportunity to learn from guest customers, who will openly discuss their challenges, successes, and practical strategies for R2R automation.

You’ll also gain access to fresh research findings from SSON Research & Analytics, revealing what’s still holding back R2R automation in large enterprises—and where the biggest opportunities now lie. These insights will help you benchmark your automation maturity and sharpen your roadmap.

Redwood will then show how to go further—demonstrating how forward-thinking organizations are bringing to life the vision of a fully orchestrated, fully automated Touchless Close. With native SAP integration and modular, end-to-end automation, you’ll see what’s possible—and how to get there faster.

This is a must-attend session for global process owners, heads of shared services, and finance leaders responsible for R2R transformation—those tasked with scaling automation, boosting efficiency, and ensuring control and compliance across complex environments.

Why attend?

  • Learn from leading enterprises – See how organizations are deploying automation to standardize and transform R2R.
  • Benchmark your maturity – Access research from SSON Research & Analytics that highlights where companies are falling short—and what sets leaders apart.
  • Build your automation blueprint – Understand the essential components of a fully orchestrated Touchless Close, including SAP-native integration and modular automation at scale.
  • Leave with a plan – Walk away with actionable insights and practical next steps to eliminate inefficiencies, shorten close cycles, and strengthen compliance.


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Shak Akhtar

Executive Director, Finance Automation
Redwood Software

Workshop B

4:30 pm - 5:50 pm Employee Experience and Engaging – Reserved for Partner

Workshop C

4:30 pm - 4:50 pm Gen AI in HR & Finance – Reserved for Sponsor

5:50 pm - 6:00 pm 10 min Break

Abendworkshops

Workshop D

6:00 pm - 7:20 pm Reserved for Strada

Workshop E

4:30 pm - 5:50 pm Cybersicherheit – Reserved for Ankercloud and PaloAltoNetworks

Workshop F

6:00 pm - 7:20 pm How can we utilize data to create value-added for our internal customers Reserved for Sponsor

Networking

7:30 pm - 7:30 pm EY Drinks Reception - By invitation only.

Join us for an unforgettable evening of networking, innovation, and inspiration during the EY Drinks Reception in the Library. We invite you to connect with other GBS experts, follow-up on earlier discussion, and – of course – enjoy the atmosphere in the Library after a long conference day.

EY invites you to their GBS Innovation & Networking Night!