The Evolving SAP Landscape: The Future of SAP from Women in the Industry

Women are making significant strides and envisioning an ambitious future in technology. With the International Women’s Day falling on March 8, Mastering SAP asked women in SAP-centric roles across industries about their aspirations, challenges, and the interesting aspects they foresee in their future roles. Here are some insights into their responses.

AI and Automation

Many women in SAP anticipate that artificial intelligence (AI) and automation will be gamechangers in their respective fields.

“I believe that the AI pace of change is astounding and that in a relatively short time, our lives will transform,” says Linda Lamb, IS&T Business Partner Global Inbound Logistics at Rio Tinto. “It will be interesting to embrace the opportunities with the aim to leverage the positives of AI in personal and work lives.”

Fiona Marshall, CEO, Cario, adds, “Over the next decade, AI will change the way we work – and we have significant opportunities to harness this power.”

Commenting on the future of SAP Engineering, Orah Peri, Quality Engineering Practice Lead at Accenture believes that the integration of AI and machine learning into SAP testing will revolutionise quality engineering. “The future is all about accelerating action, embracing innovation, and transforming SAP quality engineering to deliver faster, smarter, and more resilient solutions,” she says.

AI and machine learning are expected to enable data-driven decisions and personalized customer experiences through predictive analytics. “The integration of AI and machine learning into marketing strategies will be a game-changer,” says Dr Hemlata Gupta, Head of Marketing – ANZ & GCC Lead at INK IT SOLUTIONS. “From predictive analytics to personalized customer experiences, these technologies will enable us to make data-driven decisions and deliver highly targeted campaigns.”

AI and machine learning will also automate routine data processes for data analytics, enabling leaders to focus on strategic insights and innovation, according to the women interviewed by Mastering SAP.

Digital Transformation and Cloud Technologies

Women in strategic business partner roles anticipate a shift from overseeing SAP implementations to driving business transformations. “As SAP is focusing more on the Industry Cloud, there will be a shift from overseeing SAP implementations to driving business transformations for SAP strategic business partners,” states Ava Kodeiri, Director Architecture and Delivery Excellence at Accenture Australia. Leading cloud migration strategies for our clients while balancing security, compliance, and cost optimisation will be imperative.”

The women believe that the industry is moving towards earlier defect detection, automation-first strategies, and real-time testing embedded in SAP implementations. And they are ready for this change. Helene Young, Maintenance Systems and Process Specialist at Origin Energy notes, “Being adaptable to change will be crucial in my position, as one system may be implemented only to be replaced by another in the future.”

She echoes the general sentiment that it is important to embrace change and find value in continuous learning to excel in their role.

Data-Driven Decision Making

According to Pooja Dalmia, SAP ANZ Data and Analytics Lead at Costa’s Pty Ltd, “The future of the Data Analytics Practice Lead role is evolving rapidly, with some of the most interesting aspects being the democratisation of data, and the shift towards real-time analytics. The growing emphasis on data literacy across organizations will make it crucial to empower non-technical teams with self-service analytics tools.”

Additionally, advancements in real-time data processing will enable faster, more dynamic decision-making. The challenge—and opportunity—will be to balance these technological advancements with strong data governance and ethical AI practices, ensuring analytics continues to drive meaningful and responsible business outcomes.

Moreover, the SAP S4/HANA upgrade will give opportunities to enhance data analytics capabilities, allowing for more informed decision-making and better resource management. It will also provide an interesting angle for data specialists.

“This major transition will involve integrating advanced digital and technological interfaces, which will be crucial for optimising our operations and improving overall efficiency,” says Tessa Watcham, Operations Systems Master Data Specialist at CS Energy. “The focus on digital transformation will involve incorporating new technologies like AI and machine learning, further streamlining our processes and improving user experience.”

Customer-Centricity and User Experience

The women emphasise the importance of understanding and anticipating customer needs, preferences, and behaviours also to create meaningful connections and drive loyalty. “Customer-centricity will remain a top priority,” says Gupta.

Zoe Butt, Product Manager – Store Solutions at Mitre 10 NZ, echoes this sentiment with an example: “Demonstrating new or enhanced solutions that enable our team members to deliver exceptional service to our customers validates that what we do makes a difference.” She adds: “I love the fact that all my roles with Mitre 10 have allowed me to spend time with both team members and customers to really understand how we can develop solutions that can improve the way they work.”

A growing focus on user experience also aims to make technology feel effortless for workers in the field. This will also include taking note of user experience in HR. “The biggest challenge is to ensure the stakeholders are up-to-date with all the SAP innovations in the system to help with adoption and utilize the systems functionality properly.” Says Aman Kaur-Shaik, Director Global HRIS Strategy and Analytics at Nutrien. To overcome this challenge, she recommends embracing AI in HR to “make user experience not only better, but “complete.””

Sustainability and Ethical Practices

Women in the SAP space recognize the importance of sustainability and ethical marketing and are working to incorporate these values into their strategies and solutions.

Emma Barr, Senior Architect Advisor at SAP says that her role is evolving and that AI-driven transformation is exciting but shifting the way enterprise solutions are architected. “The role of an architect is changing from just designing systems to enabling intelligent, adaptive solutions that anticipate business needs. I also see a growing emphasis on sustainability and ethical AI, which will shape how we architect future enterprise solutions.”

Beau Jagger, Senior Client Executive at COSOL Australia, notes that her future role promises to be dynamic and exciting, with key aspects including, “helping clients align with sustainability goals.”

Leadership and Mentorship

Many women are eager to take on leadership roles where they can guide and mentor teams, share insights, lead discussions, and communicate complex ideas to stakeholders. They also note the ways in which they both provide and benefit from mentorship and leadership in their organisations.

Leadership roles can be incredibly fulfilling, says Gupta. “One of my proudest moments was leading a cross-regional marketing campaign that significantly enhanced brand recognition in the ANZ and Global markets. Seeing the team’s hard work pay off and receiving positive feedback was incredibly rewarding,” she says.

For Dalmia, building teams brings satisfaction. “Successfully building and scaling an analytics practice—hiring the right talent, mentoring team members, and fostering a strong data-driven culture—can be incredibly rewarding,” she says.

Connecting with other women, whether through mentorship programs or other business relationships is also key to getting ahead. “Building a network through mentorship and industry connections is key to career growth,” says Zeenat Siddique, Business Insights Lead at Costa’s Pty Ltd.

Agility and Adaptability

With the rapid evolution of technology, being able to adapt and change course in an unpredictable environment helps these women thrive in their industries.

“[I’m] not sure any day is normal, this is certainly something I love about working in this industry and with our customers,” says Kim Rawlings, Customer Impact Manager/National Consulting Manager APAC/SEA region for SpinifexIT Global.

Nicole Scotland-Hall, SAP Fieldglass Business Architecture Senior Manager at Accenture, says, “As a Senior Manager at Accenture with a dedicated focus on SAP Fieldglass each day is different where I balance client-facing and internal tasks.” Projects can range from responding to current RFPs to preparing for technical demonstrations of Fieldglass to ideating on webinars.

Teamwork and Collaboration

Collaboration across ecosystems and the exploration of innovative business models will open new opportunities for growth and impact, and those who lead teams and projects have already seen the fruits collaboration can bear.

“The proudest moment in my career was leading a successful go-live for a project based in Munich, Germany, which spanned 180 entities worldwide. This achievement was the result of extensive collaboration, meticulous planning, and overcoming various technical and logistical challenges,” said S. Rukshana Sameem, Senior Corporate Systems Specialist – Finance & Procurement with Toyota Motor Corporation Australia.

“It was incredibly rewarding to see the culmination of months of effort result in a seamless implementation that positively impacted stakeholders globally. The experience reinforced the importance of teamwork, effective communication, and a commitment to excellence, making it a truly memorable milestone in my professional journey.”

Inclusivity and Diversity

Creating a tech industry that is inclusive, diverse, and innovative is a significant aspiration of many of the women of SAP, even when it is challenging.

“One of my greatest challenges has been navigating the tech industry as a neurodiverse woman. This path is fraught with obstacles, as it often feels like being on the outside looking in. The unique perspectives and ideas I bring can sometimes be met with resistance or misunderstanding,” says Marissa Shipley, Co-founder and CEO of CompliantERP and CERPASS Software. “By fostering an environment of inclusivity and understanding, I’ve been able to transform this challenge into a strength, driving my commitment to empower others facing similar hurdles.”

“It’s not easy being in IT for woman,” says Renata Assis, SAP PowerConnect Solution Specialist, APAC region at SoftwareOne Australia. “I have worked in all male teams for most of my career. It does feel different and challenging, but always remember you are not here to compete with a male counterpart, but instead to make your mark in the IT industry.”