The first post-pandemic SAPHILA since 2019, this year's conference will take place at the Sun City Resort, in North West province, South Africa, from 09 to 11 July 2023. SAPHILA 2023 is supported by SAP, as well as a number of other industry stalwarts, including Dimension Data, Deloitte, BCX, EY, Accenture, BEST, Can!Do Consulting, Consnet, Adapt IT, Decision Inc., Minabiz, GlueData, Nihilent, and Stratfore Tech.

The two-day event agenda will feature local customer testimonials and panel discussions, covering eight different content streams – from Platform & Tech, Transformation and Human Experience Management (HXM), to The Future, Next-Gen, and more.

Several world-class keynote speakers have been lined up for the event, including business authority and disruptor Vusi Thembekwayo, well-known locally as an author, venture capitalist and serial entrepreneur. Thembekwayo's compelling talk, entitled 'Future-nomics', will kick off the opening day of SAPHILA, taking a fresh look at the future of work, business, life and power.

"In addition to the strong focus on showcasing successful stories of local SAP customer transformation journeys, across several sectors, AFSUG is working closely with SAP to bring its top, board-level experts from across the globe to address SAPHILA 2023 delegates," confirmed AFSUG Chairman Duke Mathebula.

Keynote speakers and industry leaders on the SAPHILA 2023 agenda include Sven Denecken, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing and Solutions Officer for Industries at SAP SE; SAP's Global Innovation Evangelist, Timo Elliott; and Dr Uwe Grigoleit, Head of Global SAP Customer Evolution, Center of Excellence.

The first day of SAPHILA 2023 will see both Denecken and Elliott take to the stage. Denecken drives product marketing and solution management across SAP's industry solutions, working closely with customers, partners, influencers and SAP specialists to shape and deliver effective outcomes for industry customers to support their digital transformation.

With more than 30 years of experience at SAP, Elliott works closely with leading-edge organisations around the world on their digital transformation initiatives, and has presented to business and IT leaders in over 60 countries, sharing his insights on SAP strategy and emerging industry trends.

Day two of SAPHILA 2023 will see Dr Grigoleit open the proceedings with his keynote address. Grigoleit specialises in helping SAP customers on their cloud journeys, adopt new business models and manage business change with the aim of increasing efficiency and reducing costs.

In addition to these keynote presenters, a number of SAP experts will address SAPHILA attendees in the breakout stream sessions, as well as hosting panel discussions. These will include:

·      Tim Steuer, Vice President: Application Lifecycle Management at SAP SE, who leads the customer communications and relations team for SAP Cloud ALM solution, SAP Solution Manager, and Focused Run, and will provide valuable insights and strategies for attendees wanting to streamline processes and improve the bottom line.

·      Philipp Meyer, an experienced Software Engineer and certified Product Manager at SAP, who looks after solution management for multiple self-services which present SAP's roadmaps and provide transformation guidance. Meyer also regularly hosts customer visits in the SAP Experiences Centre in Walldorf, Germany, to trigger inspiring conversation on current business challenges and continuous improvement of the SAP portfolio.

·      Ralf Wagner, Vice President: HCM Solution Management at SAP SE, who, with more than two decades of experience in both public administration and the private sector, has a wealth of knowledge in the management of HR and IT projects.

"Of great significance this year is that this will be our very first hybrid SAPHILA conference, where delegates who are not able to travel to South Africa to attend the conference in person will still be able to access this deep knowledge and expertise online," adds Mathebula, also Head of IT Business Applications Africa at Saint-Gobain Africa.

Early Bird rates for SAPHILA 2023 have been extended to the end of March 2023. Please visit: www.SAPHILA2023.com for details.

For more information on available sponsorship opportunities for the conference, please e-mail sponsorships@SAPHILA2023.com, or for assistance with general event information and bookings you can reach the team on info@SAPHILA2023.com.

Timo Elliott

Vusi Thembekwayo