Embracing the Energy of Asia

A digital transformation is taking hold around the world, and the vibe in Asia is electric. Every day, billions of Asian consumers tap into social networks like Alibaba, WeChat and Kakao to shop and share. And with increasing frequency, companies are reaching for the same technologies that have made their personal lives so easy to simplify the way business gets done.

This week, nearly 1,000 executives representing many of Asia’s leading companies will gather in Singapore at my company’s SAP Ariba Live event to discuss the digitization of buying and selling. The energy in Singapore is so inspiring. As I traveled between the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Convention Center yesterday, I experienced the dynamism of the people, was in awe of the modern building designs and couldn't capture well enough in photos the amazing light shows at night. And, the incredible service-oriented focus of the hotel, convention center and events team members truly sets the bar for delivering an exceptional customer experience. The setting couldn't be more perfect for our event.

It’s the first event of its kind to be held in Asia – and a significant moment for the region. Asia is rising – and in many ways defining the future of business innovation by embracing technology to transform key functions such as procurement, finance, IT, sales and marketing. Using business networks, buying organizations are managing the entire purchasing process, while controlling spending, finding new sources of savings and building a healthy supply chain.  And suppliers are easily connected to the right buyers for their goods and services.

More than half a million buyers and suppliers in Asia use SAP Ariba’s solutions to discover, connect and collaborate around more than $1 trillion USD in commerce each year. And last week, we proudly announced that we will be bringing our cloud-based procurement applications to China by the end of 2016.

Throughout SAP Ariba Live, we will showcase our many innovations to demonstrate how we are going to #MakeProcurementAwesome. We will also be joined by Azran Osman-Rani, former CEO of AirAsia X and current CEO of iflix Malaysia. Azran will share his passion for helping large corporations break down traditional growth and organizational models and instead harness the entrepreneurial spirit of startup businesses to grow exponentially.

I am also proud to be hosting a session around diversity and inclusion, highlighting women in leadership. I will be joined by Dr. Tanvi Gautam, Managing Partner of Global People Tree; Program Director for the Women and Leadership Program at Singapore Management University and an award winning diversity and inclusion specialist and HR thought leader. In this session, hundreds of incredible, driven, pioneering women and men will come together to discuss how we can push greater levels of diversity in our businesses, think outside the box and inspire all of us to become authentic leaders within our respective spaces.  

We’re entering an era where speed is paramount to success but also where streamlining and simplifying the way we do business is a priority. Never before has there been such a spotlight on the innovations that help businesses run faster and more efficiently and I look forward to being part of showcasing this week what SAP Ariba is delivering in Asia.

 Alicia Tillman is the Chief Marketing Officer at SAP Ariba. Connect with Alicia on Twitter and follow #SAPAribaLive for the latest buzz about the event.