As businesses push for seamless, end-to-end process ownership, the role of Global Process Owners (GPOs) remains under scrutiny. But what does end-to-end really look like from a strategic perspective? This panel will discuss how to truly deliver an end-to-end strategy, aligning goals and KPIs that strive for real process efficiency and not functional success.

• Drive true process ownership by aligning GPOs with enterprise-wide objectives, not just GBS KPIs

• Break down silos by establishing models that connect GPOs with business stakeholders

• Gain executive buy-in by demonstrating how end-to-end ownership improves efficiency and outcomes

Sponsored by: Ernst & Young

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Monika Miksakova

Finance Director - GPO
Adient

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Andras Kohl

Head of Finance Business Services - CE
Tesco Business Solutions

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Ankit Singla

Director | UK&I Consulting
EY

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Mariana Souza

Head of Budapest Hub
Opella Commercial Healthcare

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Implementing a new ERP system across a multinational organization is one of the most complex transformation journeys a business can undertake. Standardising operations while driving adoption requires thoughtful rollout strategies, strong change management, and consistent executive support. In this session, discover the practical lessons learned from leading a multi-region Oracle ERP migration spanning the UK, Middle East, Canada, and Asia-Pacific.

• Achieve smoother rollouts by phasing deployments regionally

• Drive adoption by tailoring change management to cultural contexts

• Ensure standardisation by aligning global processes early

• Secure buy-in by engaging executives and local leaders

Tracey Bentley

Global Process Owner - Order To Cash
AtkinsRéalis

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Achieving end-to-end process efficiency requires a deep understanding of the impact across the Order to Cash (O2C) cycle and identifying reasons for underperformance. This session will explore how Mars has transformed their GPO role from an operational focus to strategic leadership, aiming to identify and prevent revenue loss both internally and externally.

• Leverage insights from process mining tools to continuously integrate improvements into the organisations GPO framework

• Discover the importance of a holistic view of your organisations processes in identifying areas of lost revenue

• Uncover best practices for developing policy and process frameworks that ensure sustained cash flow improvements

Richard Varga

Former Global Lead to Cash Transformation
Mars Global Services

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Enterprise-wide transformations have become the norm, demanding new levels of agility from HR. Leaders must balance efficiency with employee expectations and requirements through times of change. Traditional HR Shared Services models, centred on cost and process, are no longer sufficient.

Explore CSL's ongoing journey to expand the HR function—building capabilities that fuel business transformation and workforce growth, while progressively moving beyond service delivery toward becoming a strategic partner.

• Laying the groundwork for better employee experiences by increasingly putting people, not processes, first

• Progressively elevating HR’s role by positioning HRSS as a growing partner in enterprise change

• Beginning to leverage synergies within the extended shared services environment to imbed an operational excellence mindset and prepare for scalability

Claudia Petrocchi

Vice President of Employee Experience and Services
CSL

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Global HR is at a crossroads. Organisations dream of seamless, end-to-end processes, but reality is messy, fragmented systems. Local laws, and cultural differences stand in the way. For long, the answer was efficiency. But optimizing for a perfect, predictable world has created fragile systems that break under pressure. The true breakthrough isn't just new technology, it's a new mindset.

In this session, we explore how to move beyond chasing efficiency and instead architect a system that is not only compliant and cost-effective, but truly future-ready. Join us to discover how to build HR processes that are designed to thrive in a world of constant change.

• Achieve scalability by building a strong 'Global Core' that serves as a stable foundation for growth.

• Achieve compliance by architecting a 'Global by Default, Local by Exception' model

• Achieve efficiency by using intelligent automation to build operational resilience

• Achieve transformation by embedding a culture of resilience that empowers your team and makes change stick

Sabine Weihbrecht

Director HR Service Centre Western Europe
Bosch

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Aude Lirzin

Senior Manager HR Shared Services
Robert Bosch

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Ana Luís Pereira

Senior Manager People Acquisition Campus
Bosch Portugal

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The world of work is changing fast. Employees are struggling to stay ahead, career paths are uncertain, and engagement drops when development in unclear. In this discussion group, you’ll explore how to enhance the employee experience through smart, AI-powered solutions that personalise learning, spot skill gaps, and guide people into roles where they can shine.

· Work together to identify skill gaps by leveraging AI-driven analytics

· Personalise learning paths by deploying adaptive AI learning platforms

· Enhance internal planning/ forecasting by matching employees to roles with AI recommendations

· Improve engagement and retention by using AI for real-time insights and recognition

· Forecast future skill needs by analysing trends with predictive AI models

Why finance believes it has automated — and why the close tells a different story

This opening session presents new global research examining the gap between perceived and actual Record-to-Report automation. It reveals where organisations believe automation is embedded, yet still rely on manual intervention, spreadsheets and late adjustments to complete the close. The session surfaces where R2R programmes stall, why fragmentation persists and what this means for leaders responsible for reliability, control and scale.

Presented by: SSON Research & Analytics

In collaboration with: Redwood Software

Sponsored by: Redwood

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What accruals, provisions and reclassifications really reveal about R2R health

This session reframes journals as signals of upstream breakdown, not finance activity to be optimised. It explores why high journal volumes persist even in “automated” environments and how accruals, provisions and reclassifications point to failures in timing, data and control design. The session shows how orchestration and preventative controls inside SAP reduce journals to true exceptions — improving close predictability, audit confidence and finance capacity.

Presented by: Redwood Software

Aaron Veach, Executive Director, Finance Automation, Redwood Software

Chris Kier, Solutions Engineer, Redwood Software

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Sponsored by: Redwood

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Aaron Veach

Executive Director, EMEA Finance Transformation
Redwood

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Chris Kier

Solutions Engineer
Redwood Software

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How BASF and KPMG replaced fragmentation with a governed, SAP-native platform

As its SAP landscape evolved, BASF recognised that the Record-to-Report process had become increasingly fragmented — legacy tools, disconnected spreadsheets and decentralised automation were creating complexity that limited transparency, consistency and scalability. The close delivered, but the underlying architecture was not built to support the next level of performance.

In this session, KPMG will share how they assessed the R2R landscape with BASF, built a practical business-case framework to justify consolidation and quantify ROI, and moved execution onto the Redwood Finance Automation platform — replacing decentralised tools with a governed, SAP-native orchestration layer. KPMG played a crucial advisory role throughout the transformation, configuring the Redwood components, enabling BASF's engineering teams, and helping establish standardised templates and control gates that give local teams accountability within an enterprise-wide framework.

The result: improved close performance, reduced IT run-costs, lower operational risk and a significant reduction in tool sprawl. Critically, the consolidation was positioned from the outset as a measurable cost-reduction and value-creation initiative — not just a technology migration. This transformation simplified BASF's R2R landscape and set the foundation for future enhancements and scalability in financial automation.

Why attend

• Hear how BASF assessed its R2R landscape and built a credible, ROI-driven case for platform consolidation

• Understand how replacing legacy tools with SAP-native orchestration improved close performance and reduced IT run-costs, risk and tool sprawl

• Learn how KPMG provided end-to-end advisory support — from scoping and configuration through to engineering enablement

• See how standardised templates and control gates preserved local accountability while enforcing enterprise-wide consistency

• Take away a practical perspective on positioning R2R consolidation as a measurable value-creation initiative that sets the foundation for future scalability

Sponsored by: Redwood

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The GPO role doesn’t just look at process improvement; a crucial skill is the ability to manage these changes from end-to-end. If you can’t get your teams onside to want to change, then you’ll be facing an uphill battle from the start. Baxter International, recently transitioned from a shared services to a GBS model, with a focus on standardising data for improved financial visibility, enhancing agility, and aligning the global business with organisational goals. A key enabler of this transformation were the GPOs, who provided oversight, managed change effectively, and defended critical decisions. Though transformation is never easy, Baxter’s dynamic and knowledgeable approach has ensured a smooth transition to GBS. This session explores how to effectively manage change globally and ensure that your key stakeholders are bought into these decisions, for a smooth and successful transformation.

• Enhance financial visibility by standardising data and eliminating inconsistencies across global operations

• Ensure a smooth transformation by leveraging GPOs for oversight and decision-making

• Minimise disruption by implementing structured change management strategies and clear communication

• Strengthen credibility in decision-making by equipping leaders with the knowledge and tools to drive transformation effectively

Damilola Atoyegbe

Finance Manager, EMEA Regional Process Owner C2C
Baxter International Inc.

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Creating a GPO role from scratch can feel like stepping into the unknown. In this case study session, hear the practical journey of setting up an efficient and effective GPO function. Learn how to define the role, prioritise early wins, build governance, and embed standards that stick, turning a blank slate into a function that drives clarity, efficiency, and measurable results across your global O2C operations.

• Define the GPO role clearly to set expectations from day one

• Identify and deliver high-impact first-year priorities

• Build governance that supports consistent O2C processes

• Standardise and streamline operations for efficiency

With the pace of change accelerating, the traditional experience-based talent model is no longer sufficient. Future-ready organisations need to base people decisions on skills more than jobs, and having a scalable, manageable, and more equitable way of operating. A skills-based organisation turns talent management on its head, redefining and reimagining every talent practice to be based more on skills than on jobs and setting a new direction for the future of work: agile, tech-enabled and democratised. This is no longer a vision, but a mission and reality set in motion within pioneering GBS organisations.

• Building a skills-based organisation to be able to anticipate and effectively respond to new capability building initiatives

· Shift the focus from jobs to skills – what are the key steps?

· Redeploying resources impacted by the automation of transactional activities and processes

Ioana Mihalache

Chief People Officer
Ephicacy

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Anna Wijatkowska

EMEA HR Business Services Director
PPG

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By 2030, it’s expected that half of today’s entry-level corporate roles could disappear as Agentic AI reshapes the workforce. For shared services and GBS organisations, it’s not just about keeping pace with fast-moving technology; it’s about enabling employees to be agile, adaptive, and ready for the future. Success will depend on embedding continuous learning and reskilling strategies that enable teams to adapt, evolve, and deliver higher-value services in an AI-driven world.

· Design continuous learning pathways that prepare teams to shift into higher-value roles as automation scales

· Harness AI-enabled learning platforms to deliver personalized, fast, and scalable training across global operations

· Engage employees early in the transformation journey to drive adoption, reduce resistance, and build confidence

· Use workforce skills data to guide redeployment, hiring, and career development decisions across shared service

Pete Saunders

Director of People Services
Rolls-Royce

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Leonardo Marinelli

Global Head of HR Services & Solutions / HR Transformation Leader
Clariant

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Laura Pui-Moldovan

Director, Human Resources Operations
Adidas

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How Merck is tackling Record-to-Report complexity by fixing accruals at the source

As part of its Record-to-Report transformation, Merck Group confronted a hard truth: accruals had become one of the most manual, fragmented and effort-intensive parts of the close, driving complexity, rework and operational risk at global scale.

In this session, Merck shares how it assessed its R2R landscape alongside Redwood Finance Automation and implementation partner KPMG, and why accrual-related journal entries emerged as the primary source of close inefficiency. They explain where traditional automation approaches fell short, how balance sheet reconciliation made the true cost of manual accruals visible, and why simplifying accrual execution became the logical starting point for broader R2R transformation.

This is a candid view of real decision-making, sequencing and in-flight progress.

Why attend

• Hear how Merck evaluated its Record-to-Report challenges and set priorities

• Understand why accrual journals drove disproportionate manual effort and complexity

• Learn how balance sheet reconciliation surfaced structural issues such as fragmented ownership and late adjustments

• See why fixing accrual execution came before scaling automation across the close

• Take away practical insight into reducing R2R complexity without over-promising outcomes

Sponsored by: Redwood

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Anke Steffen

FSL Accounting & Finance
Merck KGaA

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Michaela Benner

Global Process Owner R2R General Accounting
Merck Gruppe

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Tanja Scheuermann

Transformation Finance Manager
Merck KGaA

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Preparing the close for what comes next

The closing panel explores how AI and advanced automation can be successfully introduced into Record-to-Report, and why their impact depends on strong foundations across process, control and data. Rather than debating AI’s role, the discussion focuses on how organisations can prepare their R2R environments to benefit from it safely and at scale, without destabilising the close.

Panelists will discuss how journal discipline, balance sheet account reconciliation integrity, orchestration and standardisation create the conditions for AI to add real value in finance operations.

Sponsored by: Redwood

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Thank you for joining Redwood’s R2R Leaders Event at SSOW Europe!