According to the SSON R&A 2023 report, a staggering 76% of respondents are at a low to medium maturity level with their shared services implementation, while 78% have a low to medium level of automation. Recognizing the need to support beginners in this field, we've curated this guide to provide...

Celebrating 24 years with the Business Services Industry! In honour of the 24th Annual Shared Services & Outsourcing Week Europe 2024, we present an incredible guide to enhance your knowledge of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI), the transformative technology that has the potential to significantly impact shared services. Download this...

The 2024 'State of the Shared Services & Outsourcing Industry Europe Market Report 2024' has just been released and you can download it now. The European Shared Service and GBS industry is in an incredibly exciting position. As a model which is only few decades old, it is remarkable that...

The global shared services industry is experiencing a period of seismic change. The traditional model, built upon standardization and cost-efficiency, is being swept away by a powerful confluence of technological advancements and an ever-evolving business landscape. We stand at a pivotal juncture, where the digital transformation tide is rising rapidly,...

Join 600+ of your peers at the biggest Shared Services & GBS leaders gathering of the year where together you'll explore crucial insights on elevating people strategies, infusing purpose and trust, navigating the realms of AI and Generative AI, and fortifying sustainability as a core value. Download the delegate list below,...

For HR professionals, the impact of ever-advancing AI and automation technologies presents new challenges regarding concerns about automation replacing human jobs. At the 24th annual Shared Services and Outsourcing Week Europe, HR professionals will hear from world-leading experts on how to navigate AI and automation projects, allay employee concerns and...

The shared services industry is undergoing significant transformation globally. At this critical juncture, we reflect on the insights shared by women interviewed during last year's SSOW event. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we spotlight the key investment prospects and primary focuses propelling the outstanding women leading the GBS landscape...

Ahead of the 24th Annual Shared Services and Outsourcing Week Europe 2024, we spoke exclusively to Jackie Crockford, VP Global Business Services, AstraZeneca and Phil Priest, SVP Global Shared Services, IFF, about progressive GBS leadership, key investment areas for 2024, words of wisdom for starting a career in shared services...

There was so much to name and highlight during the 23rd edition of SSOW Europe - the No. 1 event for Europe’s shared services, GBS and sourcing leaders, and we are very proud to bring all of these together in this year's post-show report, as we move towards the future...

Cost optimisation continues to be a central focus in the shared services industry, especially in the midst of ongoing global economic challenges, the integration of expensive yet groundbreaking technologies, and the dynamic nature of the workforce. In this era, strategic cost management holds paramount importance. Jan Nikus, Vice President of...

According to research conducted by SSON Research & Analytics, the shared services landscape boasts a diverse array of maturity levels. As of April 2023, 27% of Global Business Services /Shared Services Organisations were relatively young, having been established within the past 0-3 years. Conversely, 24% of GBS/SSOs have stood the...

In the dynamic landscape of 2023, the proliferation of artificial intelligence has been a defining feature, with the emergence of generative AI and advanced language models like ChatGPT reshaping the way individuals work, learn, and conduct business. Within Shared Services Organisations and Global Business Services, the impact of generative AI...

Welcome to a fresh season of SSO Next! This season, we're privileged to engage with GBS C-Suite executives and global leaders, delving into topics close to their hearts. Kicking off this series is none other than Eckard Eberle, CEO of Siemens Global Business Services. Renowned for their innovative approach, Siemens...

We had the pleasure of speaking with Bobby Abraham, Global VP, Finance Architecture, Change & Transformation (FACT), AstraZeneca, at SSOW Europe 2023, about his greatest challenges over the last 12 months within shared services and GBS, how shared services and GBS will evolve over the coming years and his advice/words...

We had the pleasure of speaking with Steve Rudderham, Head of GBS, Carrier, our chairman at SSOW Europe 2023, about how shared services and GBS will evolve over the coming years, topics he'd like to see on the 2024 agenda, as well as his key takeaways, insights, memorable moments and highlights from...

We had the pleasure of speaking with Phil Priest, SVP Global Shared Services, IFF, about the true measure of progressive GBS leadership, the key areas IFF are looking to invest in over the next 18 months, his advice/words of wisdom for someone starting their shared services and GBS journey, and...

We had the pleasure of speaking with Maria Kirillova, Regional Director of Financial Operations, EMEA, Mars, about her greatest challenges within shared services and GBS, key areas Mars are looking to invest in over the next 18 months, how shared services and GBS will evolve over the coming years, and...

We had the pleasure of speaking with Kamila Grembowicz, Head GBS Delivery Excellence and Transition, JTI, about the key areas JTI are looking to invest in over the next 18 months, how shared services and GBS will evolve over the coming years, her advice/words of wisdom for someone starting their...

We had the pleasure of speaking with Gabriela Stanakova, Senior Director, GBS Source To Pay Global Operations, Kimberly-Clark, about the key areas Kimberly-Clark are looking to invest in over the next 18 months, how shared services and GBS will evolve over the coming years, her advice/words of wisdom for someone...

We had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Turan Sahin, Chief Executive Officer, Allianz Services, about the vision behind Allianz Services 'transformation engine' to drive customer excellence, innovation and best-in-class services, the key challenges they encountered with this approach and how they overcame these, the tools or areas they are...

We had the pleasure of speaking with Deborah Kops, Managing Principal, Sourcing Change, about the best approach to effective stakeholder management, the key areas practitioners should be investing in over the next 18 months, how shared services and GBS will evolve over the coming years and the key takeaways and...

We had the pleasure of speaking with Carlos Guimaraes, VP GBS Operations, adidas, about his greatest challenge with retaining and managing talent in the new ways of working, his strategy to overcome this challenge, how shared services and GBS will evolve over the coming years, and his biggest highlights from...

We had the pleasure of speaking with our SSOW Europe 2023 Inspirational Keynote Speaker and Rugby World Cup Legend Jonny Wilkinson, about how shared services and GBS leaders can apply vulnerability, openness and the power of presence to running their organisations.

We had the pleasure of speaking with Jackie Crockford, VP Global Business Services, AstraZeneca, about the true measure of progressive GBS leadership, key areas AstraZeneca are looking to invest in over the next 18 months, her advice/words of wisdom for someone starting their shared services and GBS journey, and her...

Ahead of this year's SSOW Europe, we had the pleasure of speaking with Paul Bartley, Senior Director, Finance Business Services, Baxter International, about what the future of work looks like in GBS and how leaders can act to reshape the future of work, to help you transform your shared services/GBS...

Ahead of this year's SSOW Europe, we had the pleasure of speaking with Andras Kohl, Head of Finance Business Services – CE, TESCO, about how leaders ensure effective change management to drive transformation and what Tesco's top priorities are for the next 12 months/year, to help you transform your shared...

Ahead of this year's SSOW Europe, we had the pleasure of speaking with Bobby Abraham, Global VP – Finance Architecture, Change & Transformation (FACT), AstraZeneca about what topics will have the biggest impact on the future of shared services and GBS, what more the industry can do to collaborate, key...

Ahead of this year's SSOW Europe, we had the pleasure of speaking with Andreas Manolis, Head of Innovation & Strategy, GBS, BT, about what more the industry can do to collaborate, key takeaways, favourite topics and why it is so important for organisation's like BT to attend, to help you...

Ahead of this year's SSOW Europe, we had the pleasure of speaking with Sandy Khanna, Global Head of Shared Services, Anglo American, about where Anglo American are in their shared services/GBS journey, strategies they are currently working on and how they are driving these strategies for maximizing business impact and...

Ahead of this year's SSOW Europe, we had the pleasure of speaking with Florence Mui, Senior Vice President, Global Business Services, Adidas, about how Adidas are advancing the maturity of their shared services/GBS, expanding their shared services/GBS into emerging areas and their top priorities for the next 12 months/year, to...

Ahead of this year's SSOW Europe, we had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Frank Schüler, Managing Director Global Service Center (GSC), DHL Global Forwarding, about the greatest challenges with cultural changes, advice/top tips for encouraging out of the box thinking, the key benefits and greatest opportunities of digital operating...

Ahead of this year's SSOW Europe, we had the pleasure of speaking with Reto Sahil, Group Chief Information Officer and Excom Member, Asahi Europe & International, about his top priorities for the next 12 months/year and key takeaways from SSOW Europe 2022, to help you transform your shared services/GBS and...

Ahead of this year's SSOW Europe, we had the pleasure of speaking with Salvatore Russo, GBS Strategy Director, AstraZeneca, about how AstraZeneca are advancing their GBS maturity, expanding their GBS into emerging areas and their top priorities for the next 12 months/year, to help you transform your shared services/GBS and...

Ahead of this year's SSOW Europe, we had the pleasure of speaking with Pedro Nunes, Data Insights Director - Global Business Services, AstraZeneca, about his greatest challenges with GBS data and top tips for addressing these challenges, the key benefits and greatest opportunities of data-driven GBS, and the next phase/step...

Ahead of this year's SSOW Europe, we had the pleasure of speaking with Nigel Coffey, Head of Finance Operations, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, about the lessons he has learnt from being head of finance transformation and global business organisations at companies including PepsiCo, Pfizer, Takeda, why he is keen to prioritise master...

The Shared Services & Outsourcing Week Europe 2023 is firing from all cylinders and we're excited to share a small sneak peek into who's onsite this May at the Estoril Congress Centre in Lisbon, Portugal. At the biggest SSOW gathering of the year, meet an elite group of inspiring GBS...

The #SSOW Team have compiled our most popular and widely read content this year into an exclusive resource bundle, including: Maturing and Future-Proofing GBS & the Shared Services Operating Model Benchmarking Report Levelling Up Service Management and Orchestration A pioneering view from Frank Schueler, Managing Director Global Service Center (GSC),...

With more than two years of continuous upheaval and change behind them, Shared Services and GBS organisations are having a pivotal moment. There has never been a greater time for progressive GBS leaders to step up to the next level to redefine operating model, reposition for purpose, lead with growth,...

The last three years have weighed heavily on the social consciousness of people across the planet. More than ever, individuals strive to make responsible decisions that will positively impact their environment and community for years to come. This effort has shifted the global consumer sentiment towards focusing more on making...

The 2023 'The State Of European Shared Services & HR Report' has just been released and you can download it now. Get an in-depth look at the technologies, strategies and operating models that have allowed Europe to remain a global shared services hub despite the challenges of the past two...

Ahead of Shared Services & Outsourcing Week Europe 2023, this report features our global state-of-the-industry results, where over 100 respondents explore how to mature and future-proof their GBS & shared services operating model. This comprehensive benchmarking report will also provide you with the unique opportunity to explore what areas companies...

After decades of focusing on processes and technologies, Global Business Services (GBS) organisations are shifting focus to their people and purpose, as all companies are fighting for great talent in almost all locations. Ahead of the Shared Services & Outsourcing Week Europe 2023, we spoke exclusively to Maria Saggese, Global...

Ahead of the Shared Services & Outsourcing Week Europe 2023, we spoke exclusively to Vanessa Gleason, Head of Strategy, Process Excellence and Innovation, Takeda, about the key drivers for people and purpose, the changes they are experiencing in their organisation as a result, how they are developing diversity and inclusion...

A key trend in service management this year is the shift from customer service towards customer experience within service delivery to drive customer centricity, service delivery quality and strategic alignment. The shared services industry is also moving from siloed service delivery methods to integrated service platforms, supported by evolving technologies....

Within the shared services industry, digitalisation is often the number one imperative to drive the next level of efficiency and value creation. However, many digitalisation efforts fail to deliver the financial value and commitments made to the business. Ahead of the Shared Services & Outsourcing Week Europe 2023, Thomas Moons,...