This case study session will uncover how TE Connectivity is working to restructure finance around transformation leadership, data, and continuous improvement, to transition from a cost-centre towards a value-generating strategic partner. Focused on achieving full end-to-end ownership, this session will explore how TE Connectivity are shifting their focus from process ownership to embedding global transformation leaders with full oversight of the business and the power to implement real change. Driven by the goal to reduce their cost to serve and expand from traditional accounting services, this case study is combing end-to-end transformation with data and analytics for real results.

Jakub Wojdat

VP, Global Head of Finance Shared Services
TE Connectivity

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Shared services leaders are being asked to cut costs and raise control at the same time. AI agents make both possible. In this fireside chat, AppZen CEO Anant Kale describes what an AP and expense operation looks like when agents do the reading, matching, auditing, and follow-up, and where the remaining human roles sit. Marta Duczynska, Global T&E Process Lead at Siemens Energy, shows how it works in practice: one global T&E policy run across 61 countries with local variation intact, and every one of its 700,000 annual expense claims audited, up from a 20% sample. Anant closes with the roadmap for agents in AP and VAT reclaim.

Sponsored by: AppZen

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Anant Kale

CEO
AppZen

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Marta Duczynska

Global T&E Process Lead & Service Owner
Siemens Energy

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In this interactive session, you will be split into mentors and mentees (you choose). This session will start with an overview covering the role of a mentor and how you can make the most out of the right mentor.

• Identify the right mentor by aligning career goals and expertise

• Accelerate development by setting clear, measurable mentoring objectives

• Strengthen relationships by building mutual trust and accountability

• Maximise results by transforming mentorship insights into tangible action

Cathy Gu

SSOW Europe Director
IQPC

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As SSOW shifts focus from cost to value, this session explores how Global Process Ownership can transform P2P and OTC into enterprise-wide value engines. Learn how standardisation, automation, and real-time data visibility enable better decision-making, improved working capital, and measurable business impact across global operations.

Sponsored by: SoftCo

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Killian McCarthy

Global Sales Director
SoftCo

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GBS organisations are under pressure to modernise Accounts Payable while improving accuracy, efficiency, and financial control at scale. Manual invoice capture, exposure to duplicate invoices and payments, and the absence of systematic supplier statement reconciliation create risk, limit visibility, and drive reactive decision making.

Simona Mâțu

Global Service Delivery Lead
Ferring Pharmaceuticals

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Cristiano Ferreira

Head of Global Business Services
Ferring Pharmaceuticals

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Lasting change doesn’t start with a new operating model or strategy; it begins with the people and culture that enable agility to flourish. For leaders in GBS, the challenge is to build environments where colleagues feel equipped and empowered to adapt, learn and contribute to ongoing transformation. This means embedding agility and resilience into the everyday employee experience, not just during moments of change. Outdated structures, legacy ways of working and resistance to change can slow progress and disengage talent. Explore different ways to cultivate a culture driven to unlock agility across shared services, enabling teams to thrive.

· Create the cultural foundations for agility by embedding continuous learning, experimentation and resilience throughout the workforce

· Break through resistance by aligning leaders, communicating openly and helping colleagues understand the purpose behind change

· Empower people at every level by encouraging ownership, enabling collaboration across teams and investing in skills for the future

Charlotte Lester

Deputy Director, Deployment & Partnerships
Department for Work and Pensions, DWP

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Marcin Dębowski

GBS Hub Head, Poland
Barry Callebaut Group

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Xander Berendsen

Head of People EMEA/APAC, International Advisory
CBRE

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Alexander Michalowski

Head of Total Rewards Operations, EMEA
Fresenius Medical Care

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After years of investment in AI, GBS leaders are being asked to prove it moved the cash. That's hard to do when the scoreboard is an average. In a study with a16z across billions of dollars in live B2B receivables, two companies both had a DSO in the 40s. One company's slowest invoices paid the same day. The other's took 599 days.

This session goes to the data from the ledger and the inbox. It shows where overdue money actually concentrates, what AI agents and people each handled across the collections process, and which outcomes to measure so AI's impact holds up in front of the CFO.

Key takeaways

1. Why a single DSO number can hide a stuck receivables book, and the five metrics that show where the cash is and what it costs to collect it

2. What agents and people each owned in collections, from the first ask to the last dispute, with measured results on capacity and automation

3. How to prime your AR book for AI, from white-glove strategic accounts to the long tail, with the governance and audit trail to scale it with confidence

Sponsored by: Stuut Technologies

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Eleni Edon

Director of Product Marketing
Stuut

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SSON Research & Analytics provides the benchmark metrics that guide top-performing SSO/GBS. This session will introduce two of the "Top 20 Most Admired SSO" list and explain how they make decisions based on industry benchmarks. We will also showcase some of the "Top 20" aggregated metrics hosted in SSON's Research & Analytics platform and explain how they are being used day-to-day.

Barbara Hodge

Global Digital Content
SSON Research & Analytics

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Jan Nikus

Vice President KONE Business Services
KONE, Inc.

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Rob Bullen

Global Group Head, BAT Business Services
BAT

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Agentic AI is moving rapidly from experimentation to enterprise reality – but scaling it successfully is proving far more complex than deployment. Without strong foundations, AI agents risk operating in fragmented environments, amplifying inefficiencies and broken processes. As AI takes on greater autonomy, questions of control, governance, and operational context become critical. Join us to explore how leading organisations are using process context foundations to deploy AI safely, efficiently and at scale, to create measurable new business value.

Sean Riley

Industry Lead -Supply Chain & Finance
ARIS

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Yomnh Eldin

Global Process Experience Business Partner
Tesco

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As enterprises face cost pressure, increasing complexity, and higher service expectations, GBS organisations must clearly demonstrate their value to the business. In a landlord model, success depends on consistent delivery, strong stakeholder relationships, and the right talent to support evolving needs. This discussion will explore how GBS leaders build business confidence by proving capability, differentiating from external providers, and delivering reliable, customised services that the business chooses to rely on.

Arnaud Diaz

GBS Site Lead
PPG

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Dorota Zablocka

Head of GBS EMEA
Randstad

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Deborah Kops

Principal
Sourcing Change

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Imagine a future GBS and Shared Services operate end-to-end through AI and agents that don’t just execute tasks, but anticipate demand, adapt processes, and continuously improve outcomes. What is holding you back from achieving this as reality? In a recent poll, GBS leaders said:

Mauro Portela

[Global Business Services] Managing Director Global MDM Operations
Danone Business Services

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Banks today must improve client experience while reducing complexity and cost to serve, yet many shared services remain disconnected from the customer journey. The Société Générale Global Solution Centre is redefining the role of GBS by embedding customer centricity into its operating model. Through private banking process harmonisation, client outreach services and digital onboarding, shared services are moving closer to the customer, reducing friction, accelerating account opening and delivering measurable value for both clients and the bank. 

• Move shared services closer to the customer by aligning operations with the end-to-end client journey

• Reduce service fragmentation by harmonising processes across regions and business lines

• Turn GBS into a value creator by introducing services that directly support customer relationships

Cristina Dobrescu

Head of Transformation, GSC Romania
Societe Generale

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Rapid technological change, evolving business models and accelerating automation are reshaping the profiles organisations need to hire for the future. Traditional role-based hiring approaches are increasingly outdated, often failing to identify the capabilities required for emerging work and leading to misaligned recruitment decisions.

Ines Burmeister

Head of Transition Office, Corporate Business Services
Phoenix Group

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Kim Leandersson

GSBS Transformation & Riga Site Lead
RS Group plc

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Economic pressure, AI, and constant transformation are reshaping what companies want from GBS leaders, and traditional roles are disappearing or evolving fast. Fewer standalone GBS positions, bigger enterprise mandates, and a strong bias toward internal candidates mean past success running large operations is no longer enough. Many experienced leaders are finding the market tougher than expected. This interactive discussion group will openly explore what’s really changing, why strong profiles stall, and how to reposition yourself as a business leader who drives value, not just services.

Deborah Kops

Principal
Sourcing Change

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