Events

SPEAKERS

SAUG says 'Thank You' to the following speakers for supporting the SAUG Melbourne Conference 2023:

Michael Beckett, Director, CoE Process Excellence, Aware Super
Michael has had a 30-year corporate career in the Financial Services Industry, specialising in Leading Operations and Continuous Improvement teams, working across some of the largest transformations in the industry including offshoring, mergers & bringing operations inhouse. He is also a dad to two teenage boys, a marathon runner and a qualified sports coach.

Mustafa Bensan, Enterprise Architect, Intentum
Mustafa is an SAP Champion and active member of the SAP Community.  As an IT professional with over 30 years international experience both in the private and public sectors, mainly working on global SAP implementations in Australia, South Korea, the US and Spain, he brings an enterprise lens to achieving outcomes by combining broad business expertise and technical knowledge. Mustafa is the founder of Intentum, a dynamic new SAP partner company focused on helping customers maximise outcomes and value from the adoption of SAP Business Technology Platform and complementary hyperscaler clouds, including laying the foundational strategy and architecture for success. He is also passionate about building SAP BTP SaaS solutions combining enterprise grade architecture with consumer grade user experience.

Dan Boulton, Head of Procurement, AusNet
Dan is Head of Procurement at AusNet. In this role he manage a team of 30 addressing $1.5B spend annually working on Strategic Sourcing, Category Management, Governance and Sustainability. He is very motivated by the changes and challenges underway with the transition to a renewables based electricity market. Dan’s previous experience was with Ixom, AGL, Coles and Carlton & United Breweries and he began his career as a mathematician then moved into supply chain and then procurement.

Matthias Braeuer, CTO, FAIR Consulting Group 
Matthias has over 16 years of experience in SAP and digital technologies. He has extensive knowledge in FMCG, Retail, Public Sector, Healthcare, Utilities and Manufacturing. With a strong focus on SAP ERP, Matthias is well-versed in digital transformations and their impact on customer experience. He has successfully led engagements with senior management and acted as a liaison between business, functional and technical teams, providing seamless solutions for businesses seeking digital transformation.

Nick Calder, Enterprise Functional Architect - EmployeeConnect, Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
Nick has worked his way through consulting, integration and solution design within the SAP / SuccessFactors space for 25 years in a variety of sectors including government, manufacturing, pharmaceutical and education. Prior to that Nick worked within dedicated HR and Payroll business spaces. For the last ten+ years Nick has worked to bring something unique and passionate to each design challenge he embarks on

Allan Coulter, Global CTO for SAP Services, IBM Consulting 
Allan is the Global CTO for the SAP Consultancy Services in IBM with more than 25 years experience in the consulting industry. Today, he is responsible for IBM’s ERP Technical Strategy and Offering development. He has for many years acted as a key advisor for several programs, assuring the delivery program and client teams, supporting the shift to next generation ERP solutions that drive the Business Transformation goals.
Allan regularly presents and writes externally on the future of ERP….the evolution from traditional solutions to modern use of technology to create more responsive businesses and redefine how work gets done as we orientate towards Intelligent and Sustainable Enterprises.
Mehrab Ebadi, Managing Director, FAIR Consulting Group
With an almost 20-year career in SAP consultancy, Mehrab brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table. His working approach is built on principles of honesty, transparency and integrity, focusing on translating complex business concepts into effective system solutions. He excels in agile and collaborative environments where methodologies serve the goal, not the other way around. He founded FAIR Consulting Group to reintroduce a genuine people-first culture in the consulting world, aiming to restore honour and trust in the IT industry.
Paul Fewster, Solution Architect, SAP Australia
Paul is a solution architect who specialises in SAP technology and associated SAP on-premise and cloud solutions. 
Paul has worked for SAP for 23 years and is a team member of the SAP Australia Platform and Technologies presales team.

Sonal Kumar, Head of SAP ALM Go-to-market APJ, SAP Labs India 
Sonal heads the Regional Go-to Market (APJ & EMEA South) for the Application Lifecycle Management product portfolio. He is responsible for driving the adoption and consumption of the ALM portfolio in the region, and also owns global responsibilities for partner engagement strategy, support standards, and sales engagement strategy.
Sonal has worked in multiple product management roles and globally led solution management for ALM products. He joined SAP in 2004 and played a critical role in scaling up the test automation product portfolio.

Nicole Narbeshuber, Strategic Delivery Lead, OCM Lead for EmployeeConnect, Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese
A passionate Change Manager, Nicole is focused on solutions that deliver strong outcomes for people and organisations. With experience in the finance, insurance, manufacturing, and education sectors in the UK and Australia, Nicole is an energetic change leader adept at developing strong networks based on trust, understanding, and collaboration. With excellent communication skills and the experience and discernment to draw uncommon insights, Nicole's ability to read people and bring out their best enables her to build high-performing teams that result in successful delivery.

Dr Nicholas Nicoloudis, Head of SAP Innovation, PwC
Nicholas is a passionate technologists who has been architecting and developing market leading software applications for the past 22 years. During his career, he has been a founder of several start-up companies, worked with several multinational organisations and held numerous roles in development, research and management. Nicholas’s research has led to numerous publications, patents and awards in exposing web services from business applications to data mining and processing on mobile devices. Nicholas regularly presents at universities and conferences on digital transformation and disruptive technologies. Nicholas is on the TinyML Strategic Partner Board to grow the adoption of EndPoint AI in Industry 5.0 scenarios. Nicholas has a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Monash University.

Ben Nottle, Head – Customer Experience Center of Excellence, SAP Asia Pacific & Japan
Ben was a CRM pioneer and has been involved in supporting Customer Engagement related initiatives for more than 20 years.  Ben’s experience in advising CxO’s on CRM adoption and supporting Customer Experience Transformation with technology has resulted in becoming a trusted advisor to many SAP customers across Asia Pacific & Japan.

Chris Paine, SAP Mentor, Chief HR Geek/ Executive Board Member for Technology & Innovation, Discovery Consulting 
Chris, an SAP Mentor, SAP HANA Distinguished Engineer, SAP SuccessFactors Confidente and general outspoken HR Technologist has been implementing SAP HR solutions on-premise and in the cloud for over 20 years. He takes great interest in all new SAP technical innovations and has in particular been involved in pushing the envelope of SAP SuccessFactors enhancement solutions built on the SAP Business Technology Platform. Whilst these days Chris is often putting together PowerPoint slides on system architecture and integration strategies, he also does get hands on with the actual technical implementations of solutions. A frequent presenter at SAP conferences and a prolific contributor to SAP forums (both public and behind the scenes partner discussions), Chris loves to share his thoughts on working better and smarter with SAP technologies. Don’t ask him about blockchain. Do ask about empowering employees.

Gaj Pasupathy, Director Pre-Sales, Syniti
Gaj began his career wanting to travel and gain exposure to a range of industries and business processes. This quest kicked of his work in technology and management consulting leading to 20 years of data, project management, pre-sales, and application development experience with businesses ranging from small to Fortune 500. He is currently Director of Pre-sales at Syniti and is involved in numerous migration and governance projects, giving him extensive knowledge on how data can transform any business.

Chris Peck, Head of Cloud Success Services, SAP ANZ 
As Head of Cloud Success Services (CSS) for Australia and New Zealand, Chris’ primary responsibility is to provide strategic leadership and work with the broader SAP organisation towards building a strong relationship with customers and partners to deliver successful outcomes. Prior to this, Chris spent four years as Executive General Manager of Public Services and was focused on working with the Australian Public Sector on digital innovation and transformation programs. He is a passionate advocate of SAP’s social impact initiatives, leading the SAP ANZ Crisis Coordination team on Bushfire Recovery and COVID-19, championing the role of technology in fostering Australian economic recovery. A strong advocate for powering opportunity for all people through digital inclusion, Chris is also Executive Sponsor for SAP’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and its Young ICT Explorers program - a non-profit competition, supported by CSIRO Digital Careers, The Smith Family and Industry and University partners. It aims to encourage primary and high school students, particularly those in disadvantaged communities, in years 3-12 in Australia and New Zealand to solve real-world problems using their creativity and power of technology. SAP’s inaugural Reflect RAP, in addition to increasing understanding of First Nations histories and cultures within SAP, also aims to create a multiplier effect, through increasing the amount of corporate procurement spend that is funnelled to businesses owned-by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through SAP’s Business Network. 

Chris Prior, Manager Finance GPDO, Orica
Chris has diverse Finance experience across Manufacturing Accounting, Product Costing, Planning & Forecasting, Performance Reporting & Commercial Analysis. He has been at Orica for over 20 years with the last 10 or so years being spent working on various SAP projects.
He was involved from a business readiness perspective when Orica implemented SAP S/4HANA in 2020. In his current role as Finance GPDO (Global Process & Data Owner) he is responsible for the end-to-end Business Plan to Reporting Process.
Alex Proskurnya, Finance Systems Reporting Lead, Orica
Alex has spent around 20 years advising multinational organizations in Europe and Australia on improving their core finance processes and technologies in the SAP domain on all stages of financial and accounting lifecycle, starting from planning, budgeting, forecasting to accounting, group consolidation, management reporting and external disclosure.
The key professional focus is finance organisation efficiency and capability growth, supported by technology products from SAP and other vendors as finance solution architect, solution or process lead. 
Jonathan Redfern, Executive, Control and Process Management, National Australia Bank
00BJonathan is currently leading the multi-year control transformation strategy for National Australia Bank. Previously based in the UK as the Global Head of Risk Assessment for HSBC Global Banking and Markets, he has worked  extensively across the global business driving risk management transformation. Jonathan has also held Finance and Risk leadership roles within Capital Markets and Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers and HSBC. He is a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, Chartered Management Accountant and Risk Management Association member. He has a MSc Finance London Business School and MA Economics University of Cambridge.

Kevin Richardson, Chief Architect, SAP SE
Kevin is an experienced SAP Professional and leader for SAP S/4HANA working in the Customer Evolution, Global Centre of Excellence team.  His focus is assisting customers in transitioning to the Intelligent Enterprise with SAP Cloud.
Originally from the UK, Kevin joined SAP in 1994 as an R/2 Basis / Technology Support Consultant.  After spending 12 years in Business Technology consulting, he moved to Presales in 2007 as a technology and innovation expert and Enterprise Architect. 
Having relocated to Melbourne, Australia, in 2015, he has continued in his role helping customers and partners to adopt new business practices, models, improve efficiency and support with their transformation journey. 

Ashley Saltzman, Project Risk & Recovery, Commercial Expert, ashleysaltzman.com
Ashley is a seasoned leader in the SAP ecosystem, boasting over 26 years of invaluable experience in managing escalations, resolving disputes, and successfully recovering projects within the technology sector. As the former Head of Commercial Escalations at SAP for more than 7 years, Ashley has earned a reputation as the go-to expert for navigating the intricate landscape of business and commercial aspects in projects. Widely acknowledged as 'the man who defuses bombs,' he is a fixer, trouble-shooter, facilitator, and negotiator. His remarkable track record includes resolving commercial escalations for SAP on more than 160 challenging projects spanning diverse regions such as Australia, New Zealand, Asia Pacific, Japan, UK, and Ireland. Ashley's expertise is instrumental in steering organisations away from common pitfalls and mistakes that get projects into trouble.

Paul Taylor, Speaker/Author/Podcast Host, MindBodyBrain Performance Institute
A former British Royal Navy Aircrew Officer and former Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco, Paul is a Neuroscientist, Exercise Physiologist and Nutritionist who is currently completing a PhD in Applied Psychology, where he is developing and testing resilience strategies with the Australian Defence Science Technology Group & The University of Newcastle. He is the Director of Paul Taylor Consulting, where he delivers stress fitness (resilience 2.0), leadership and performance workshops to companies such as Oracle, SAP, PWC, NAB, CBA, BUPA & the Australian Military. In 2010 Paul created and co-hosted the TV series Body and Brain Overhaul and he appeared regularly on The Biggest Loser TV series as a subject matter expert. He was voted Australian Fitness Industry presenter of the year twice and in 2022, he published the book Death By Comfort. Paul has a proven track record in Leadership and dealing in high-pressure situations, through his former roles as an Airborne Anti-submarine Warfare Officer and a Helicopter Search-And-Rescue Crew Member with the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. He has undergone rigorous Military Combat Survival and Resistance-to-Interrogation Training and in 2012, he became a professional boxer.

Varun Thamba, Director - Business AI & Technology Strategy, SAP APJ
Varun leads the Business AI and Technology Strategy in the Asia Pacific and Japan region, bringing cutting edge technologies into core business processes impacting top, bottom, and green line. He also leads the field strategy and customer programs on emerging topics like generative AI, working closely with industry leaders, product engineering, partner ecosystem and academia. Varun holds multiple certifications from SAP and is an accomplished keynote speaker, a business mentor, and a guest faculty at some leading B-schools.

Karen Zwissler, CEO, SAP Australian User Group
Karen has over 25 years of experience in the corporate world working with technology, industry, governments, security, and defence organisations. She is passionate about helping organisations embrace and thrive with their technology experiences by delivering seamless and consistent results.
After 25 years of working with SAP globally, Karen took on the CEO role for SAP Australian User Group in 2022, leveraging her expertise in business development to lead customers and governments through their digital transformations and bringing global technology and business capabilities.
In 2020 Karen was appointed to the board of the German Australian Chamber of Commerce. In this function Karen plays a key role in facilitating and nurturing dialogue between government bodies, policy makers and industry in both countries. She takes pride in promoting sustainable and socially responsible initiatives, and creating powerful collaboration models to drive positive outcomes for all. In addition, Karen has been recognized for her outstanding commitment to mentor young talent and the development of upcoming female leaders.
Karen holds a Master’s Degree in International History and English Literature from Ruperto Carola University in Heidelberg, Germany, and has a bachelor’s degree in publishing.