VP of Information Security, Sebastian Haupt explains the role IT and Information Security plays in the future of enterprise AI and how trust matters more than speed in driving meaningful value.

Guest: Seb Haupt – Vice President, Information Security & IT Operations, Pager Health

Host: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend

What is your company’s current approach to AI? Is it move fast and break things? Is it slow and steady wins the race? Or is it to avoid at all costs?

My guess is that depending on your role, you might have very different perspectives on what the best approach should be.

Our guest today, Seb Haupt, helps us navigate the challenges companies are facing in the fast-paced and ever-changing landscape of AI tools, models and capabilities. As the VP of Information Security, he has a unique perspective on the role of trust and governance in the AI race. He explains the importance of regulated data access and security, well-defined business processes, and maintaining deep understanding of how the AI tools and models work as a foundation to realizing success.

Surprisingly, Seb isn’t suggesting InfoSec or IT act as the gatekeeper or be a barrier to AI adoption but instead advocating for an open conversation with the business around goals, outcomes and a path to adoption. He believes that the role of IT and Information Security teams should be in figuring out how to get to “Yes” when it comes to implementing and adopting AI solutions, while also maintaining data integrity, access controls and system security.

In this way, Seb sees himself and others in the IT/InfoSec space as enablers of AI technologies in the organization, ensuring that that the proper guardrails are in place to protect the company, while allowing the end Users enough control and flexibility to drive valuable outcomes. He also notes that the AI race is a marathon, not a sprint, and this level of trust will be crucial in determining which companies find success in their AI journey.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast.

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Professor of Business Analytics, Anil Kumar provides insights on how AI is being used in the classroom to shift how students are shaping the future of how work is done in the AI era.

Guest: Anil Kumar – Professor of Business Analytics, Texas A&M University College of Business

Host: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend

What is your comfort level with AI? How deep have you gone down the AI rabbit hole of using the models, tools, and applications to create things to optimize your life?

Are you an AI Native or are you an AI Immigrant?

Our guest today, Anil Kumar, helps us understand the impact that AI is having on one of the most important areas of society…the classroom. A professor of Business Analytics at Texas A&M University, Anil explains that today’s students are among the first generations that have grown up with AI as part of their everyday lives and are well-positioned to use that to reshape how people and AI co-exist in the workplace of the future.

One of the biggest surprises is that Anil does not shy away from students using AI in the classroom. In fact, he encourages it. His belief is that these are the tools and skills that will drive businesses going forward and that the ability to build things though “vibe coding” or other methodologies will be critical to helping solve some of the biggest challenges organizations face today.

As an added bonus, students and young people are often curious about the world and offer a fresh perspective on how to solve problems. As the future of work evolves to adapt to this new AI-first mindset, fresh perspectives are exactly what will drive success and deliver AI with purpose. Anil suggests a collaboration between active students and business leaders could revolutionize how students prepare for the workforce while also providing these businesses with these fresh ideas for how to utilize AI in new ways.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast.

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Fellow SAP Solution Advisor, Jay Brand shares his unfiltered thoughts on the driving factors of procurement transformations and how AI should factor into the procurement strategy.

Guest: Jay Brand – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend

Is the technology the ultimate driver of change in a procurement transformation? Can software magically fix poor processes, bad data, or unclear goals and KPIs? Does the transformation end when the new software goes live? Will AI be the solution for all these challenges?

Our guest today, Jay Brand, has been on both sides of the aisle having gone through procurement transformation during his time at 3M in addition to helping customers navigate transformations today at SAP. Drawing on his experiences, Jay answers these questions and more, with his signature style and directness that his customers and colleagues love.

Jay stresses the importance of a solid plan, strong leadership vision, and measurable KPIs in guiding the direction and success of any transformation program. He cautions against some of the typical roadblocks like analysis paralysis and designing to perfection and instead offers the mantra of “move fast and break things” as a way to fail fast and move on – figure out what works and adjust what doesn’t.

Additionally, Jay uses a vivid analogy to explain that true transformation doesn’t end when the go-live party happens. Implementing the new software is just one step in a constant cycle of analysis, reflection, adjustment and adoption that continuously evolves as circumstances change in the organization.

Finally, Jay discusses the role AI will play in all this and offers up a somewhat bold prediction that although AI will make things faster and more efficient, the role of the procurement professional and the processes of procurement will remain largely the same.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast.

Follow SAP: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sap/

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Follow Jay:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-brand-436901b/

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Send feedback and questions to ⁠TheFutureOfProcurement@sap.com