This workshop is a perfect 101 guide to the foundational elements required to build a future ready shared services organisation, one that delivers sustained value beyond labour arbitrage and functional cost savings.
• Choosing the right operating model that fits your business needs: a deep dive into various operating models
• Defining scope and identifying responsibilities right from the beginning to have a clear role split between the shared services and retained organisation
• Discover the “need to knows” for location strategy: understand your new market, the talent capabilities and the opportunities for future growth
• Establish a clear roadmap for change, clarity and vision for your transformation
• Navigating the initial technological implementation: where do you start?
• Ensuring capability readiness, including skills mapping, targeted recruitment strategies, strong PMO oversight and structured knowledge transfer
• Focusing on service excellence and customer-centricity to build your competitive edge
Vendor management becomes a critical lever for driving sustainable cost optimisation and long-term competitive advantage. Join this session to hear how you can master vendor management and deliver strategic business outcomes.
• Identifying the vendors most critical to business outcomes and prioritising relationship management accordingly
• Building governance structures that foster transparency, trust and accountability
• Negotiating win–win agreements that incentivise innovation and value creation, not just cost savings
• Defining KPIs and scorecards that reflect strategic objectives, customer impact and operational performance
• Implementing continuous improvement programs with vendors to drive long-term results
Explore the role of Global Business Services (GBS) in Invoice-to-Cash (I2C) digital transformation. Uncover trends, strategies and practical insights to navigate the complexities of this evolution. Industry experts will share best practices, case studies and actionable techniques, providing participants with the tools to optimise finance processes for sustained success.
• Stay ahead of the curve by understanding the latest developments and trends shaping the GBS and I2C landscape
• Learn proven strategies to initiate and manage a successful digital transformation in the Invoice-to-Cash process (within the framework of Global Business Services)
• Explore a curated set of best practices that can be implemented to optimise your finance processes, enhance efficiency and streamline the Invoice-to-Cash workflow
• Walk away with tangible, actionable techniques that you can immediately implement in your organisation to drive positive change and maximise the benefits of digital transformation
As Global Business Services (GBS) organizations expand into broader functional scopes and deliver increasingly complex services, operating models and service management frameworks must evolve. Traditional workflows designed around ticket routing and reactive support are no longer sufficient. The rise of Agentic AI - AI that can act autonomously, make decisions, and execute work on behalf of users - is redefining how services are designed, orchestrated, and continuously improved.
This session explores how leading GBS organisations are harnessing Agentic AI capabilities to elevate service performance, reduce manual workload, and transform the employee experience.
• Redesign the Service Management Framework to connect processes, data, and journeys across a matrixed global organisation
• Establish business partnering roles and a unified “front door” experience enhanced by AI-driven guidance
• Deploy Agentic AI to transition from case handling to case prevention — resolving issues without tickets, anticipating client’s service requests, orchestrating workflows end-to-end, and enforcing policy automatically
• Use predictive insights and autonomous performance steering to optimize SLAs, drive continuous improvement, and measure value creation in real time
Fausto Grelli, Head of Enterprise Service Management, McDonald’s
Dominik Loerts, Partner, Technology Consulting (Data & Analytics), EY
Maria Saggese, GBS Solution Lead Partner Global & EMEIA, EY
As the boundaries between human and machine intelligence overlap, the potential of Agentic AI to revolutionize Business Operations is becoming increasingly evident. This workshop will explore practical applications of Agentic AI within targeted functions, providing attendees with insights and strategies to harness its power to effect impactful transformation.
• Identify Agentic AI Use Cases: discover specific applications that can deliver tangible benefits within Shared Services organizations, such as automating document generation, improving customer service and optimizing processes.
• Promote security awareness: review privacy pitfalls to avoid with respect to purpose limitations and incorporate robust data governance with systematic reviews.
• Overcome challenges: learn to address common challenges associated with Agentic AI implementation, including data quality, ethical considerations and workforce integration
This workshop will share key challenges and pitfalls encountered during e-invoicing projects. Join the session to hear practical insights on how to overcome key challenges from implementation hurdles to integration complexities.
• Typical challenges of e-invoicing implementation projects
• The obvious and not-so-obvious mistakes in early stages of implementation
• The reasons e-invoicing programs are often more time-consuming than expected
• To what extent companies are employing additional resources (e.g. external advisors, extra staff) to complete implementations
• What to know about integrating with other systems to avoid common pitfalls
Transforming intercompany and transaction matching is becoming essential as finance and GBS organisations face mounting complexity, tighter close timelines and increasing data volumes. Join this session to explore practical insights from a real transformation journey, highlighting challenges, key learnings and the tangible impact of streamlined processes.
• Learn how you could transform your Intercompany and Transaction Matching Process
• Hear about the key challenges and practical learnings from a unique transformation journey
• Meet and discuss with your peers, how reducing the complexity could enhance your own Finance and GBS activities
This workshop showcases how Autonomous Finance capabilities reduce manual effort, increase accuracy and free teams to focus on strategic initiatives. Attendees will see how automation and AI-guided insights work together to drive measurable business value.
• Understand where Automated vs. Assisted AI create the highest value in finance workflows
• Learn practical use cases across order-to-cash, credit, collections and forecasting
• Identify criteria for prioritizing AI opportunities and measuring ROI
• Develop a realistic roadmap for adoption, change management and scaling AI initiatives
Despite access to global talent, robust platforms and transformation programs, most enterprises still face Global Capabilities execution failure, program slippage, unaligned teams, or delivery friction. This session introduces a new approach and showcases how Aokah integrates AI-driven foresight with human orchestration to help organisations build, scale and optimize global capabilities.
• Why global capability programs fail and what can we do about it?
• Introducing the Five Aokah Wisdom Foundations: Program, Geo, Ecosystem, Talent, Delivery
• How Service-as-Software elevates transformation by combining real-time insights, alignment, risk mapping, scaling pathways, and self-healing execution.
• How enterprises can architect multi-center, multi-vendor, and multi-capability models that are inherently resilient, adaptive, and outcome-driven
Speed and agility in planning, forecasting and analysis is a necessity rather than a luxury with the current business environment. When combined with the demands of meeting growth targets, cost reduction initiatives and increasing regulatory oversight, finance functions need to rethink their F&A capabilities urgently. This hands-on workshop will show you exactly the right
approach to develop these capabilities. We will focus our interactive exchange on selected target operating model elements as well as best practices for implementation
· Understanding and overcoming the key challenges when moving FP&A into the GBS environment
· Developing a step-by-step approach and sharing key steps in driving a successful implementation
· Sharing extensive results from recent studies on target operating models, best practices in implementation and performance management
Christian Willenbruch - Director, Finance Transformation Lead, EYAs automation at scale is transforming finance processes and operating models, GBS should play an even more pivotal role to increase service scope and impact in non-transactional disciplines like FP&A. Let’s turn challenges into opportunities and share insights and opinions on how to develop FP&A capabilities in GBS, enable integration and standardisation of services and impress business stakeholder with value-adding services. We will focus our interactive exchange on key elements to increase functional efficiency and impact, including operating model elements and best practices for implementation:
Building on Everest Group’s latest research, this workshop explores the evolving paradigm of the GBS sourcing models. Through a blend of forward-looking provocations and a practical sourcing-portfolio framework, delegates will uncover emerging trends, challenge traditional assumptions, and identify strategic opportunities to reinvent their GBS operating models.
• Learn how to build a balanced sourcing portfolio that integrates location strategy, vendor optimisation, and future-ready talent planning
• Challenge traditional GBS models and examine how shifting market forces are reshaping the value proposition
• Understand the strategic implications of AI, automation, and workforce transformation on sourcing, service delivery, and operating model design
This workshop is designed to provide tangible insights on achieving service and operational excellence for finance shared services through effective performance management metrics
• Understand how KPIs can be used to monitor the efficiency of shared services functions like billing, payroll and accounts payable/receivable
• Developing and defining the most impactful GBS Process KPIs
• How to leverage the metrics to drive positive impact on automation and business outcome?
• How are we leveraging these metrics for strategy and digital transformation?
This keynote explores Merck Group’s bold transformation journey, merging Global Business Services (GBS), Data & Digital, and IT organizations into a unified function: Digital Enterprise Solutions (DES). Join Alessandro and Annette to learn how this strategic integration is redefining expectations for Merck’s 4,000 strong GBS workforce through technology, data, automation and process excellence.
• Breaking down organizational silos: what does it look like when you integrate corporate processes, clean data, AI and innovative technologies under one structure?
• How is Merck DES shifting the GBS focus on customer experience?
• Realigning global process excellence and automation initiatives to deliver the next level efficiency
• A holistic approach to drive change and ensure cross-learning and cultural alignment throughout the merge
• Looking ahead: what’s next for Merck DES and the future of digital enablement
As technology takes centre stage in driving GBS maturity and evolution, CIOs are stepping into a strategic ownership role - architecting connected platforms, integrating AI and automation and unlocking the power of enterprise data to deliver new sources of value. This forward-looking CIO keynote panel will explore:
• How the GBS ownership model is evolving from finance-led to technology-enabled transformation
• The CIO’s perspective on reimagining GBS as a digital, intelligent enterprise backbone
• Evolving the GBS delivery model and scaling AI adoption by reinforcing c critical partnership between CIOs, CFOs and CHROs in
• Building the future-ready operating model to deliver continuous innovation and new sources of enterprise value
• What potential challenges do CIOs face when leading next-generation GBS transformations?
Caroline Basyn, Chief Digital and Information Officer, The Adecco Group
Gunter Van Craen, Chief Digital and Information Officer, Global Shared Services Leader and Member of the ExCo, Bekaert
Service catalogue and portfolios are vital for GBS organisations, enabling them to communicate effectively with customers using a consistent taxonomy and language. This customer-centric approach enhances the perceived value of GBS offerings and improves customer experience. However, many GBS organizations face challenges due to poorly defined and inconsistently structured service catalogues that prioritize internal terminology over customer understanding. Whilst some GBS invest in creating these resources, they often neglect ongoing maintenance.
• The necessity of a well-defined service catalogue - serving as GBS's customer-facing "menu" - and a strategic service portfolio for effective service management
• Explore strategies for developing these resources and transitioning from reactive to proactive service delivery.
• By leveraging AI, GBS can better anticipate business needs, drive innovation and facilitate growth. Join us to discover how to create a more dynamic and responsive GBS
With automation and AI upending global value chains at unprecedented speed, Europe must act now or fall behind mature GCC hubs such as India, where faster technology uptake, deeper talent pools, and stronger cost advantages are shifting the global balance.
• How automation is reshaping traditional cost and productivity advantages—and how the industry must reinvent itself to stay ahead
• Europe’s potential to compete through high-value innovation, sustainability and skilled labour
• The role of policy, infrastructure and education in creating a resilient industrial ecosystem
• Comparative perspectives on how India and Europe are adapting to the automation revolution
• Strategising for change: from legacy challenges to modernization opportunities
• Seamless transition: overcoming migration hurdles with AI and GenAI
• Continuous assessment: driving ongoing optimization
• Boosting cash flow: using automation and data intelligence to accelerate collections
• Scaling with efficiency: leveraging AI to expand operations smoothly
The AI revolution reshapes the art and science of planning and delivering change. Embrace the future of change management by exploring how AI can streamline the execution of initiatives and empower your GBS teams to navigate change with confidence and clarity. This session aims to inspire you to apply the latest technological solutions to the most impactful use cases in the OCM field. Join us and learn practical strategies to accelerate change adoption while maintaining strong employee engagement:
· Leverage historical and real-time data to forecast change impacts and identify potential risks
· Use Natural Language Processing tools to analyse sentiment from surveys and communications, pinpointing areas of resistance and opportunities for more targeted messaging
· Enhance stakeholder engagement by automating routine queries and providing real-time support during transitions
· Using AI-driven insights, develop tailored strategies for different employee groups, ensuring that communications and training align with individual needs
· Streamline routine processes so that change managers can focus on strategic decision-making
· Build a Human-AI Partnership by learning best practices for integrating AI without losing sight of personal interactions
• Key insights on the journey of launching GBS: which factors and elements are crucial for success?
• Developing a true multi-functional solution hub - all from scratch
• Creating value from day one: building service management, project management, operational excellence and other key capabilities
• Getting the culture right from the get-go
From its established centre in Barcelona, Duracell is embarking on a strategic expansion with the launch of a new centre in Costa Rica, integrating additional functions and moving towards an end-to-end service delivery model. Join Christian as he shares the key learnings from this journey, including:
· Overcoming a culture of “abundance” to create a true transformation platform
· How not to lose focus when expanding geographically and functionally, and while maturing the delivery model
· Ensuring transformation success by focusing on knowledge transfer and talent development
· Building a flexible and scalable global service delivery model
Evolving from a traditional back-office function to a value-enabling partner requires redefining service scope, leveraging technology, and aligning closely with business goals to drive measurable impact and strategic growth.
• Explore strategies to transition back-office operations into proactive, value-generating partners supporting core business objectives
• Leverage digital tools and analytics to provide actionable insights and enhance decision-making across the organization
• Align services with business priorities to move beyond transactional support toward strategic influence and measurable outcomes
• Foster cross-functional collaboration and a culture of innovation to expand the service scope and demonstrate value
• Actively engaging with business units to identify their need
With the deadline for S4HANA transformation growing ever closer, organisations are evaluating their transformation strategies and how they can get the most out of this investment. This case study will explore how Syensqo are using this as an opportunity to redesign global processes and reach a new level of standardisation. This session will uncover how their S4HANA journey is tied to the goal of GBS taking on 50% of the organisations business services, ensuring that the whole business is bought into the roadmap.
• Leapfrogging with S4HANA: the journey towards globally standard processes and data - what are the key challenges and best practices?
• Aligning the operating model with standard global processes and enabling standard service management
• Focusing on customer experience and business engagement for a better outcome
• Driving effective change agenda to make go-live easy and frictionless
• Paving the road to digital GBS
Building a truly innovative GBS organization requires reimagining processes, leveraging emerging technologies and fostering a culture of collaboration, agility and continuous improvement to drive measurable business impact.
• Explore how GBS can integrate automation, AI, and analytics to transform service delivery and enhance operational efficiency
• Understand the role of culture, talent development, and leadership in driving innovation across global business services
• Identify strategies to balance standardization with flexibility, enabling responsiveness to evolving business needs
• Examine metrics and governance models that measure innovation success and sustain continuous improvement within GBS
Over the past few years, what began as a small proof of concept with attended finance bots from the Landmark Group has rapidly evolved into an automation ecosystem of more than 500 bots operating across multiple functions.
This session will share how the team scaled, why they diversified their tooling strategy, and how they are repositioning the automation estate for the next generation of digital operations.
• Establish a disciplined and empowered CoE to scale automation rapidly while ensuring enterprise-wide governance
• Design automation intentionally, not as pure-play RPA, but as a layered system where intelligence, orchestration, and integration drive value
• Transition towards agentic workflows by consolidating the bot fleet and re-aligning priorities and capabilities
Finance teams are under increasing pressure to manage ever-expanding data volumes while still delivering accurate, real-time insights. Clean, centralised, and intelligently structured data has become the backbone of modern finance transformation, fuelling automation, accelerating reporting cycles, and enabling more agile, data-driven decision-making. In this panel discussion, discover how live reporting and AI-enabled processes help organisations harness large, complex data sets, scale efficiently, and stay competitive in a rapidly changing environment.
• Unlock faster insights by storing, processing, and instantly accessing massive data sets
• Anticipate business needs by mining historical data to uncover patterns, trends, and predictive signals
• Optimise resources through dynamic, real-time reporting that allows teams to reallocate effort where it’s needed most
• Ensure consistency and control by standardising data practices across systems, regions, and business units
In an anonymous interview, a former GBS leader issues a stark warning: “Global Business Services, as we know it, will cease to exist.” We’ve heard such predictions before - but this time, the threat feels real. The rapid rise of AI, the collapse of labour arbitrage and the shift toward distributed, digital operating models are rewriting the rules of enterprise services.
In this provocative session, we’ll put GBS leaders under the spotlight — and under scrutiny. Senior business executives will challenge them with the hard questions they’re already asking in boardrooms:
• As AI matures, do we still need GBS? Can automation, GenAI and self-service models deliver what shared services once promised?
• If labour arbitrage is gone, what’s left? When talent can work from anywhere, does the delivery centre model still make sense?
• Has GBS delivered transformation (as they have been promising for years) - or just efficiency?
This is not a session for the faint-hearted. Expect uncomfortable truths, challenging dialogue and a forward-looking debate on whether GBS is in demise - or on the verge of its most important transformation yet.
As GBS models expand beyond finance, HR, and IT into supply chain, commercial, and innovation functions, understanding where the industry truly stands has never been more crucial.
In this high-impact session, SSON Research & Analytics unveils brand-new insights from our 2026 Global State of the Industry, GBS, and Location Strategy surveys—offering the most comprehensive, data-driven view of today’s Shared Services and GBS landscape.
We’ll reveal:
Whether you’re building foundational capabilities or leading next-gen operations, this session delivers exclusive benchmarking and fresh market intelligence to help you seize the next wave of GBS value creation.