SSONext
Episodes
From Captive to Competitive: Redefining Global Business Services
25 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of SSO Next, host Heather King speaks with Turan Sahin, CEO of Allianz Services, about his journey building one of the world's leading...
Hearing from Siemens, the World's Best GBS 2026
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of SSO Next, Siemens GBS CEO Eckard Eberle shares how shared services organizations are navigating a period of rapid transformation dr...
The AI-Driven C-Suite
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of SSO Next, hosted by Sally Fletcher, Global Managing Editor at SSON, we continue the conversation on one of today's most pressing le...
The Great AI Debate: Point vs. Platform, Buy vs. Build
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
AI is something that is truly transforming global business services, in particular Agentic AI, and there is an incredible amount of discussion around ...
Why Friction Data May Be Blocking Your AI Transformation
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
2025 is an era of transformation for Global Business Services. Whether it's operating model transformation, process transformation, or digital transfo...
Exploring GBS Careers: Part Three
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is the 3rd in our careers focused series, recorded on-site at Shared Services & Outsourcing Week America, SSON's largest event. The event...
Exploring GBS Careers: Part Two
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is the 2nd in our careers focused series, recorded on-site at Shared Services & Outsourcing Week America, SSON's largest event. The even...
Exploring GBS Careers: Part One
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last month I was lucky enough to go to Shared Services & Outsourcing Week America, SSON's largest event attracting over 1100 participants, 100 exhibit...
Taking Your Organization from Cost to Profit Center in 2025
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The shared services model has typically been one of cost-savings, with organizations saving millions of dollars by offshoring work to low-cost locatio...
The Top GBS Trends For 2025!
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As we head into 2025, the business world is transforming at lightning speed—we're seeing new evolutions in the world of AI almost weekly, there is a...
Workforce Analytics & the Future of Outsourcing
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know that, according to SSON's State of the Industry Report 2024, over half of the SSO/GBS leverage outsourcing? However, the nuanced landscap...
Future of Order to Cash Trends & Insights
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode we delve into the future of order to cash and the trends you should be looking out for in the next 12 months. We're joined by K...
A Quick, Practical Guide To IRS Modernization
15 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode SSON talks to Wendy Walker, Solution Principal of Tax Information Reporting at Sovos, about IRS Modernization. Wendy unravells...
Revolutionizing Employee Engagement through Digital Tools With foodpanda
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week we're talking to Jonathan Tam, Head of APAC People Services, foodpanda. Jonathan is an experienced People Leader with more than 20 years i...
Top 10 Take-Aways From SSOW Europe 2024
19 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Last month, SSON ran one of their most successful Shared Services & Outsourcing Week Europe's ever! Over 900 shared services and outsourcing professio...
Executive Series: Top Tips for Setting Up a Brand New GBS With Sanofi
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week we spoke with Karan R Bhatia, Head of GBS Asia Hub, Sanofi Consumer Healthcare. Sanofi recently set up a global business service center in K...
AI in Action: L'Oréal's Journey
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are hundreds of stories of the benefits and opportunities that lie within AI, but when it comes to practical, real-life use-cases, the list gets...
Insight from Onsite: SSOW Orlando
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week's episode provides something a bit different, a glimpse into SSON's largest event Shared Services & Outsourcing Week North America. The even...
The Executive Series: The World's Best GBS With Dr. Turan Sahin, CEO, Allianz Services
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Last month, at SSON's flagship event in Orlando, Allianz Services received the award for the World's Best GBS. The award, which is hosted by SSON Re...
The Executive Series: Recruiting & Keeping The Best Talent In GBS at Commerz Global Service Solutions
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Digital workflows are replacing paper-based processes, streamlining operations and improving efficiency. This trend is driving SSO/GBS to equip their ...
Exploring the Role of GCCs in Talent Development and Value Creation
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Sally Fletcher, Head of SSON Digital, speaks to Akhilesh Kohli, GBS APAC Head, Philips, about the pivotal role played by Global Ca...
Cost is Back! Quick-Wins & New Strategies for Cost Saving
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Cost saving has always been an absolute fundamental for shared services, however in the last few years, cost as a theme has slipped into the backgroun...
5 Trends Set To Transform Accounts Receivable
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In SSON's most recent state of the industry report, we found that 63% of shared services are providing Order to Cash services to their enterprise! So ...
The Executive Series: Eckard Eberle, CEO, Siemens GBS on Generative AI
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to a brand-new season of SSO Next. This season we're talking to GBS C-Suite and global leaders about topics dear to their heart. Opening ...
The Big Shared Services Trends For 2024!
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
So, we've reached the time of year where we start looking forward to 2024, and examining how we spend our time, where our priorities should lie and wh...
How To Embrace A "We Are All Digital" Ethos Through Citizen Developers & Low-Code Solutions
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode we talk to Cristina Duta, Director Intelligent Automation, Global Business Services, Aecom, about the topic of How To Embra...
Revisiting the Top 5 Shared Services and GBS Trends From 2023
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Each year SSON run our Shared Services and GBS State of the Industry Survey. The survey provides crucial benchmarks on everything from people strategy...
Exploring The Vast Potential Of GBS With Herbalife
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Phil Searle, CEO and Chief Transformation Officer, Chazey Partners returns to the podcast along with Neil Spiers, SVP Global Business Servic...
Visibly Productive & Highly Influential: How AI is Reshaping Finance Roles
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we'll be talking about introducing Artificial Intelligence into the audit function. And about how this concept is about enhancement ...
Demystifying Generative AI & Exploring Practical Uses
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we're delighted to bring you an exclusive look at one of our top sessions from last month's online event, the Intelligent Automation World S...
GBS Careers Corner: Leigh Nicholson on GBS and The Art of the Possible
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week's episode sees the return of our popular GBS Careers Corner series, where Leigh Nicholson, Strategic Solutions Lead, Takeda Business Solutio...
How To Achieve Award Winning Customer Centricity In Your GBS
11 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode I interview Harsh Vasavada, Operations Leader (Americas) at Corning. Harsh led the team which were responsible for winning the ...
AI Unleashed: Transforming Global Business Services With Generative AI
28 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Generative AI has been the buzzword on everyone's lips for the last few months, but as with any new solution, the more it's talked about the more the ...
Achieving Data Integrity Through Hyperautomation
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
SUMMER BONUS EPISODE! We're delighted to be able to bring you a fabulous bonus episode of SSO Next with Precisely. In this episode I talk to Tim Fujit...
Live from Lisbon: Insight from Onsite SSOW Europe Part 2
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Last episode we shared a number of interviews gathered onsite at SSO Week Europe in Lisbon. This week is part 2, and I'll be speaking with representat...
Live from Lisbon: Insight from Onsite SSOW Europe
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I was lucky enough to be onsite at SSOW Europe in Lisbon, Portugal last week. So I took the opportunity to speak to our sponsors, speakers and delegat...
GBS Careers Corner: Deborah Kops on which roles are hot and how to choose a GBS organization
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of GBS careers corner I talk to industry legend Deborah Kops. She's the founder or global business services consultancy Sourcing Chang...
Making HR a Strategic Value Driver with Connected Processes
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
SSON R&A reports that the three top priorities for shared services and GBS for impacting the overall workforce are driving headcount optimization, dr...
Employee Relations: An Opportunity for HR Services?
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As shared services continue to expand their scope of work, we see tremendous opportunities for HR services to integrate activities like employee relat...
The Role of Human Administrators in the Future of Work
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the workforce evolves from a static, in-office, 9-5 placement to a more global, digitally enabled and flexible environment, the work done by humans...
What Does it Take to be the Best of the Best?
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hear from the Best GBS and The Best Service Provider Impact Award Winners SSON's Impact Awards represent the highest level of recognition for the impa...
Live from SSOW Orlando: The Insight Onsite
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In a special episode of SSONext, we sit down with a few of the solutions providers of SSOW Orlando to discuss key insights from senior executives. C...
GBS Careers Corner: Kai-Eberhard Lueg on the importance of dynamic capability and work-life balance in GBS
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kai Eberhard Lueg is the Chief Operating Officer, Global Business Services, Siemens AG. He has vast international experience in the Siemens Shared S...
The Role of CX in O2C
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
SSON Research & Analytics reports that Order-to-Cash is the second most popular service provided by 66% of surveyed SSON members. With the present foc...
Live from SSOW Orlando: An SSONext Special Part 1
22 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's been an exciting couple of days at SSOW Orlando 2023! I sat down with Barbara Hodge, Global Editor of SSON to discuss our key learnings onsite an...
GBS Careers Corner: Edoardo Peniche on growing through mistakes and working abroad
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of GBS Careers Corner we talk to Edoardo Peniche, VP GBS at Aptiv. Edoardo is a master shared services leader with extensive global ex...
Placing people first in an organization's culture
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Christy has been with Mastercard for 7 years. In her current role as Director of Engagement and Communications for Mastercard's shared services group,...
GBS Careers Corner: Frank Schüler on generating pride, resilience and belonging in your shared service centre
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of GBS Careers Corner we are joined by Dr Frank Schühler. Frank is the Managing Director for DHL Global Forwarding's, Global Service ...
Spotlighting Egypt as an Opportune Location for BPO
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Egypt is a rapidly growing economy and labor market, with key skills in the IT and outsourcing industry. In this episode of SSONext we welcome to the ...
GBS Careers Corner: Dennis Lui on the power of collaboration to empower and upskill employees
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of GBS Careers Corner we welcome to the podcast Dennis Lui, Chief Executive of VITAL Shared Services. VITAL is the shared services ...
GBS Careers Corner: Paul Bryanhill on keeping a learning mindset and reverse mentoring
13 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of GBS Careers Corner, Sally Fletcher talks to Paul Bryanhill. Until recently Paul acted as the VP, Finance Operations at NBC Universa...
Broadening GBS skill sets for organizational effectiveness with Jennifer Kelly Greene
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of SSONext, host Barbara Hodge sits down with Jennifer Kelly Greene, Senior Director of Global Payroll at Otis. A business-oriented pr...
GBS Careers Corner: Helen Emmett on proving you leadership potential and taking advantage of unpopular tasks
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of GBS Careers Corner we're joined by Helen Emmett, CFO Global Finance Services at Experian. Helen is not only the first female CFO, b...
GBS Careers Corner: Gary Critchley on taking a leadership position and dealing with the unexpected
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of GBS Careers Corner we talk to Gary Critchley, Senior Vice President for Global Business Services at Qatar Airways which was recentl...
EP 25 GBS Careers Corner With George Connell
21 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of SSONext, Sally Fletcher, SSON's Head of Online Events, sits down with George Connell, former VP Strategy and Finance at Shell GBS. ...
EP24 How outsourcing recruiting can help GBS optimize talent management, with Charlie Chang
14 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of SSONext, host Barbara Hodge sits down with Charlie Chang, Global Talent Acquisition leader and Director at Page Outsourcing in Mani...
EP23 Employee well-being, development, and mentoring are key for GBS - featuring Simon Brown and Gerard Hussey
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of SSONext, host Barbara Hodge sits down with Simon Brown and Gerard Hussey. Simon is an experienced practitioner in HR transformation...
EP 22 The importance of change management and communications for GBS, with Emma Beaumont
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of SSONext, host Barbara Hodge sits down with Emma Beaumont to talk about all things change management, and its pivotal importance for...
EP21 The state of GBS as we head into a recession, with Tom Bangemann
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to SSONext! This is part 2 of an in-depth mini-series where host Barbara Hodge sits down with Tom Bangemann, Head of Data Development & R...
EP20 Why GBS must refocus on location with Tom Bangemann
17 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of SSONext, host Barbara Hodge sits down with Tom Bangemann, an experienced manager, coach, mentor and board member with a proven cont...
EP19 The pivotal importance of the 'right mindset' towards automation in GBS, with David Hughes
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of SSONext, host Barbara Hodge sits down with David Hughes, Shared Services Director for Bidvest Noonan, a leading facilities manageme...
EP18 How Do We Scale RPA Effectively? featuring Joe Peri
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of SSONext, host Barbara Hodge sits down with Joe Peri, Chief Automation Officer at Change Healthcare. Joe is a go-to expert for all t...
EP17 "Why Intelligent Automation is Not a Strategy" – with IA expert Lee Coulter
26 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What Can Intelligent Automation do for GBS? Beyond Transactional Efficiency to Digital Transformation In this episode of SSONext, host Barbara Hodge s...
EP16 Why Successful GBS Runs on Technology with Matt Wright
19 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of SSONext, host Barbara Hodge sits down with Matt Wright, Senior Vice President, Customer Success, at AppZen Inc. Matt is a seasone...
EP15 How to read the 'data' tea leaves – and decide on the best action
22 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to SSONext! Hosts Barbara Hodge and Jordan Mullins sit down to chat about DATA on this episode. Specifically, how SSON uses all that data...
EP14 Why 6 out of 10 Shared Services are actively outsourcing – with Sandeep Poddar
15 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back SSONext! In this episode, you'll find host Barbara Hodge in conversation with Sandeep Poddar, Head of the AkzoNobel GBS India Center and ...
EP13 The blurring lines between automation and shared services with Tim Johnson
08 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of SSONext, host Jordan Mullins sits down with Tim Johnson, Head of Automation for the Suncorp Group, to talk about the blurring...
EP12 Delivering great employee experience, with Volker Schrank
01 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of SSONext, host Barbara Hodge sits down with Volker Schrank, Senior Director of Global Employee Experience, Processes & Technology, a...
EP11 The impact of accounts payable on the predicted recession with Emily Nash-Walker
25 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today, on SSONext, host Jordan Mullins takes a deep dive into the unique nature of the predicted recession and its impact on both talent and accounts ...
EP10 BPO = Business Process Outcomes, not Business Process Outsourcing with Sameer Jalundhwala
18 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today on SSONext, host Barbara Hodge sits down with Sameer Jalundhwala, a global Shared Services leader with expertise in building Global Business Ser...
EP9 What Determines Global Business Services' Relevance Today? with Tom Bangemann
11 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today on SSONext, host Barbara Hodge sits down with Tom Bangemann, Head of Data Development & Research at SSON Research & Analytics. Tom is one of the...
EP8 Why a radical shift in employee experience is not optional, with Manisha Singh
27 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today on SSONext, host Jordan Mullins sits down with Manisha Singh, the executive partner for talent transformation at IBM, to discuss how we can prov...
EP7 The importance of algorithms and problem-solving in Global Business Services with Venkat Raghavan
20 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today on SSONext, host Barbara Hodge sits down with Venkat Raghavan – a leader in the analytics industry who started as a Java developer and went on...
EP6 The importance of PMOs in global business services with Suzanne Haenen
13 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today on SSONext, host Barbara Hodge sits down with Suzanne Haenen, PMO Director of the Global GBS-PMO Team at AkzoNobel. Suzanne and Barbara di...
EP5 The importance of customer-centricity with Lori Pon
06 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today on SSONext, host Jordan Mullins sits down with Lori Pon - an experienced project manager and insurance professional successful in leading major ...
EP4 The balance between hard-wiring and agility for GBS talent with Deborah Kops
30 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today on SSONext, host Barbara Hodge sits down with Deborah Kops - Advisor to global business services organizations committed to survive and thrive. ...
EP3 How to raise the profile of payroll from 'pay execution' to 'pay equity' with Jaco Van Der Merwe
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today on SSONext, host Barbara Hodge sits down with Jaco Van Der Merwe - 'the payroll pundit' - a passionate payroll professional who promotes collabo...
EP2 Don't build GBS solutions in ivory-towers with Robert Weltevreden
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Weltevreden is described as "one of the few truly full-stack GBS leaders out there" and we at SSONext are lucky to have him on as our first gue...
EP1 A sense of confidence and optimism in the GBS and shared services industry
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The team at SSON are very excited to announce our new podcast: SSONext - Fuelling the future of shared services. Let's dive straight into the why, t...
Robert Welborn & Celonis Podcast Mini Series
11 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Welborn returns to take us through his interesting recent past. Also, join our Celonis Podcast Mini Series guest JP Thomsen by visiting celo...
Max Just & Celonis Podcast Mini Series
04 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Max Just returns to deep dive into the fact that The Future of Work is Now. Also, join our Celonis Podcast Mini Series guest JP Thomsen by visiting c...
BCP Insight & Celonis Podcast Mini Series
20 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Babs Hodge provides insight into BCP based on information first reported on March 25th. And JP Thomsen joins us to discuss Process Mining and how Celo...
Ep.157: Craig Libby & Celonis Podcast Mini Series
13 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Craig Libby reflects on decades in Shared Services and how that history informs his current thinking. And JP Thomsen joins us to discuss hurdles custo...
Ep. 156: Steven Remsen, Intel & Celonis Podcast Mini Series
06 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Intel's Steven Remsen made the cross-country trip from Portland, OR to Orlando for OPEX Week. We caught up with him to discuss process mining. As a pr...
Ep. 155: Uzair Rashid, CVSHealthcare & Celonis Podcast Mini Series
30 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Uzair Rashid, with CVS Healthcare, explains the importance of structuring innovation. By leveraging technology in conjunction with traditional medical...
Ep. 154: The Genworth Financial Team
23 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The entertaining Genworth Financial team joins us from OPEX Week 2020 to tell us their enterprise's transformation story—or journey, more accurately...
Ep. 153; Joe Jordan, Edward Jones
16 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Jordan joins us from OPEX Week in Orlando. As the director of operational excellence for Edward Jones, Joe sought inspiration from the hit TV show...
Ep. 152: Gerald Lackey, GAF
09 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Gerald Lackey, VP of Business Optimization and Agility at GAF, discusses their 18-month journey into their current transformation. Gerald is no strang...
Ep. 151: Tomorrow Today Ep. 4
02 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of "Tomorrow Today," Barbara Hodge discusses the power of continuous education. With the turn of the decade, Barbara decided to make s...
Ep. 150: Reka Mishra, SVB
24 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Reka Mishra is the managing director of the transformation office for the SVB Financial Group. She lays out the basics of mergers and acquisitions bef...
Ep. 149: Adrian Terry, GM Financial
17 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Adrian Terry, VP of GM Financial's OpEx function, discusses their unique approach to IT and RPA. Initially, IT had some processes they wanted to autom...
Ep. 148: Tomorrow Today
10 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Barbara Hodge reflects on 2019, identifying the trends that shaped the decade. Data, self-service, and automation has affected us all. A new awareness...
Ep. 147: Pamela Wolfe, NASA
03 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
NASA's Pam Wolfe joins us to discuss their RPA journey, which started over two years ago in their Shared Services Center. Establishing RPA governance ...
Ep. 146: Hendrik Boehmer, Unilever
27 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Hendrik Boehmer is the People Experience & Operations Lead for Unilever. While such a title is a few syllables longer than its counterpart, Hendrik ex...
Ep. 145: Martin Felder, Linde
20 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Martin Felder is the head process automation center at Linde Global Services. He discusses his role with Linde as well as their journey into RPA. Inst...
Ep. 144: Lee Coulter, IEEE
13 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, IEEE's Lee Coulter discusses the notion that the future of every successful company will depend on the transformation into a technolo...
Ep. 143: Dmitry Popov, Mann + Hummel
06 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dmitri Popov, global service management lead for Mann + Hummel Group, joins us today to discuss scaling RPA. Dmitri himself admits that such a process...
Ep. 142: Roland Haefs, Henkel
30 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Roland Haefs, with Henkel, discusses enterprise evolution and the shift from having purely transactional relationships to becoming a true business sol...
Ep. 141: Kai-Eberhard Lueg, Siemens
23 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Kai-Eberhard Lueg, Global Business Solutions expert with Siemens, discusses the future of automation. Specifically, commerce is exper...
Ep. 140: Dr. Ayanna Howard, Georgia Tech University
16 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Ayanna Howard is a chair of the School of Interactive computing at Georgia Tech, an academic, and a startup founder. While her talents are as vast...