Interface – June 2020 by B2e Media

Issue 13 | www.theinter face.net

MAGA ZINE

5 cybersecurity principles post-Covid-19 Artificial Intelligence still sounds scary. Why?

A transformation to deliver a true omnichannel experience for customers SvenÂ Friedli, EVP, Head of Enterprise Architecture & Innovation at Swisscom, discuss how Swisscom is implementing agile architecture to provide a richer customer experience

EXECUTIVE INSIGHTS

WELCOME TO ISSUE 13 OF INTERFACE MAGAZINE! Our exclusive cover story this month centres around Sven Friedli, EVP, Head of Enterprise and Architecture at Swisscom, who discusses how Swisscom is implementing agile architecture to provide a richer customer experience. As the leading provider of telecom services and one of the leading IT companies in Switzerland, Swisscom has a duty to ensure that the way in which its customers can access those same services and products is simple, pain-free and personal. This is a challenge for all major telcos today in that they must satisfy the modern-day telco customer, who expects the same

EDITOR IN CHIEF Andrew Woods

level of seamlessness and freedom in their shopping experience as they do in their own day-to-day lives. “The modern customer can use their services wherever they want. He or she can sit outside and do all of their daily work with a

EDITOR Dale Benton

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Callum Rivett

wireless device on a seamless online experience. If they want to buy a new service from Swisscom where they don’t wish to go

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

to the shop, they can do it online or via the app,” explains Sven

Kevin Davies

Friedli. Elsewhere, we speak to Ranjit Rajan, a thought leader on the

CREATIVE LEAD Mitchell Park

economies, business, and the tech industry with a specialisation

VP GLOBAL FINTECH & INSURTECH

in the emerging markets of the Middle East and Africa. And

Alex Page

impact of digital transformation on

we also hear the thought-provoking insights of Jim Logan who ponders the fear factor of AI. Plus, we list 5 top cybersecurity

VP TECHNOLOGY

principles of a post-Covid world…

Andy Lloyd Craig Daniels

Enjoy the issue!

VP PROCUREMENT Heykel Ouni Greg Churchill

PRESIDENT & CEO Kiron Chavda

ndrew Woods, Editor in chief A content@b2e-media.com

PUBLISHED BY

CONTENTS

Swisscom

6 PCI Pharma Services

Artificial Intelligence still sounds scary. Why?

UAE: Digital Nation

5 cybersecurity principles post-Covid-19

A transformation to deliver a true omnichannel experience for customers Sven Friedli, EVP, Head of Enterprise Architecture & Innovation at Swisscom, discuss how Swisscom is implementing agile architecture to provide a richer customer experience

WRI T T EN BY PRODUCED BY

Dale Benton And y L l oy d

s the leading provider of

to do their work and also enable their

telecom services and one

private lives wherever and however they

of the leading IT companies

want.”

in Switzerland, Swisscom has a duty to

The challenge then for Swisscom,

ensure that the way in which its custom-

is taking that further and pushing the

ers can access those same services

boundaries of what is possible. As the

and products is simple, pain-free and

company says itself, it looks to shape the

personal. This is a challenge for all major

future and inspire its customers with a

telcos today in that they must satisfy the

cutting-edge network, high-performance

modern day telco customer, who expects

offerings and excellent service and in

the same level of seamlessness and free-

order to continue its success on this front

dom in their shopping experience as they

it embarked on a significant transforma-

do in their own day-to-day lives.

tion journey of its internal architecture.

“The modern customer can use their services wherever they want. He or she can sit outside and do all of their daily work with a wireless device on a seamless online experience. If they want to buy a new service from Swisscom where they don’t wish to go to the shop, they can do it online or via the app,” explains Sven Friedli, EVP and Head of Enterprise Architecture & Innovation at Swisscom. “When they go to a real touchpoint like a shop or call customer care, we know their history, we know what they have been doing, and we can see if their service has an outage and then deliver the best support possible when they get in touch with us. For Swisscom customers, our services provide great freedom with all-inclusive flat-rate price plans 8

SWISSCOM

Friedli, having built his career in software development, project & portfolio management and IT architecture, first joined Swisscom 12 years ago to oversee a customer relationship management (CRM) project for Swisscom’s Corporate Customers. Over the course of those 12 years, he has seen, first hand, significant change in the telco space - both from an external perspective and from the way in which technology plays a key role in enabling a company to better serve its customers. “Technology is an enabler,” he says. “When I worked in software development I found out quite fast that you w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

WITH A GLOBAL network of over 100 innovation

for the success of the journey, we maintained regu-

hubs around the world, delivering cross-industry

lar and close alignments, this was essential to steer

expertise, unmatched innovation and world-class

value generation from the start”

tech and talent, Accenture represents the truest

Accenture looked at decoupling, in order to ena-

embodiment of a partner that delivers real tangible

ble speed and agility without the need for changes

business outcomes in a world of rapidly evolving

in the full stack. A second key part of this journey fo-

leading edge technologies as part of major digital

cused on modularization and reusability. “We rebuilt

transformation journeys.

the framework so that Swisscom can be faster and

It is this commitment to delivering real value and

provide better user experiences,” he says. “You can

expertise that led Swisscom, Switzerland’s leading

do AB testing and you can enable more personalized

telecoms company and one of its leading IT compa-

user journeys to use data in the best way and guide

nies, to call upon Accenture’s support in defining and

the customers. When they switch channels, you know

implementing a major digital omnichannel transfor-

exactly where they have been and are able to delight

mation to ensure its services are leading edge.

the customer with better information.”

“Swisscom was looking for an Architecture that

The customer is what drives this transformation

provided a hyper-personalized seamless experience

and Accenture is all too aware of this and keeps the

across channels. As an early adopter our platform

customer focus at the heart of it all. “It is very impor-

enabled Swisscom to be ahead of the market and

tant to have a really specific KPI dashboard, where

achieve speed by fast scaling and adoption,” explains

you see what the impact will be and be able to make

Stephan Schneider, Managing Director, Accenture.

the changes accordingly. This was a real KPI driven

“We found out very fast that as a premium brand in

development, finding out what drives the client or

Switzerland, they would need a different and better

customer is key in providing the best customer expe-

experience, Taylor made to their needs, rather than

rience, and this was the final goal.

something you can buy from the shelf.” We took time to carefully understand the needs

A digital transformation of this scale is not without its challenges and so it’s important for partnerships

of Swisscom and showed them a couple of referenc-

to be open and collaborative to overcome these

es in US and Europe. Based on them we crafted an

challenges and find the best solutions to succeed, to-

approach that delivered value at speed with a future

gether. “The most important aspect was that Accen-

proven framework while mitigating the risks.

ture and Swisscom has a long-trusted relationship,

This perfect fit for Swisscom would enable the

backed by hard work as the basis of a successful

company to remain ahead of its competition. In order

outcome. It’s all about how issues are jointly fixed,

to achieve this, it needed to build this solution itself.

and solutions are found”

And so, they did. Together. “Accenture became the prime partner of the transformation. We shared the risk and objectives with Swisscom and went through the whole journey together” commented Schneider With a solution in mind, the two companies began this digital omnichannel journey. When undertaking a project like this, it is important for partners to understand and recognize the challenges and the pain points in order to achieve desired results together. “I listened a lot and was really connecting the dots. This meant bringing the best of Accenture and aligning that with what Swisscom needed. Sven (Friedl - Head of Enterprise Architecture & Innovation, Swisscom) was the brain behind the transformation, was pivotal

Stephan Schneider Managing Director Accenture

have to have someone who translates the technology for the business units and the people. The biggest change is that a lot of services were built individually with individual software. The future will be more focused on cloud-based standardised software, which makes it easier and faster to drive a digital transformation.” Despite this evolution, Friedli still firmly believes that technology should always be an enabler for the company and that with this transformation journey at Swisscom, technology is being used to enable greater customer service solutions. “It should always support your daily life,” he says. “The technology should always help people do their business, use their services and communicate with each other, and so we set out to implement an architecture that allows us to provide a service and an experience that does exactly that.” The digital transformation of Swisscom can be divided into three clear parts,

a significant online shift and self-service increase. The second component is focused on

each catering to the ‘new needs of

how Swisscom could achieve this. “To

the business’. First, Swisscom needs

deliver a good service to your custom-

to ensure that its online channel, used

ers, you have to put the service user in

by wireless devices, has to be the best

the center,” says Friedli. “Traditionally, the

supported channel so that if a customer

telco companies have had a contract-on-

is accessing it via a mobile or a computer

ly-focused view of the customer, so the

device it is the best possible experience

one which owned the contract of differ-

for them. Through this, you can achieve

ent services is the one you know. But

SWISSCOM

“ The technology should always help people do their business, use their services and communicate with each other, and so we set out to implement an architecture that allows us to provide a service and an experience that does exactly that” — SVEN FRIEDLI, EVP, HEAD OF ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE & INNOVATION AT SWISSCOM

if my daughter is watching TV, or I am

microservice base and decoupled archi-

watching TV, we both have different

tecture that would be lightweight for

needs. Swisscom needs to know me or

agile development and reduce complex-

my daughter as specific service users

ity in the business processes and

and put our needs in the middle. Only

it-landscape.

then can you deliver a customised and good experience.”

Through this, and with the support of Accenture, Swisscom looked to build

The third element of this transforma-

an entirely new omni channel platform.

tion looked at the technology architec-

Through a framework called the digital

ture that could power this approach,

omni-channel platform (DOCP), Swisscom

with Swisscom looking to adopt a

was able to look at plugging some of its w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

existing capabilities in order to decou-

in class products for other capabilities

ple its core BSS platform and build up

like CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) and

an omnichannel experience on top of it.

still deliver a very integral experience

“It wasn’t a product, it was a framework

towards our channels.”

that provides the flexibility to reuse some

By focusing on wireless services for

already existing assets,” explains Friedli.

the online channel first, Swisscom could

“As an example, for identity and access

implement and enable a level of agil-

management, we could plug in what we

ity that would allow it to continue roll-

already had as an enabler, and we still

ing out the new omni channel experi-

have the flexibility to integrate the best

ence step by step across its stores and

SWISSCOM

customer care services while being able

product managers and product owners.

to respond and react to a constantly

This means they can steer directly the

changing business needs. “I strongly

backlog of development teams and focus

believe that you can only succeed by

on the evolving needs of the business.”

using the agile setups we have imple-

Often the biggest challenge for a tech-

mented in Swisscom,” he says. “We

nology transformation like this is identi-

have BizDevOps value streams based

fying and outlining a clear roadmap that

on SAFe (scaled agile framework)where

truly addresses those shifting business

the business responsible employees

needs. As Friedli notes, the telco market

were integrated in these agile teams as

always changes radically and the days

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

gone in which transformation projects

Swisscom succeeds. “We’re not a hierar-

were singular and costly projects that

chical company at all. We have really flat

delivered one new technology or

organisations,” he says. “Our employees

outcome at time. In his own words; “You

are able to drive the decisions and drive

cannot invest in a three-figure million

the transformation, within boundaries of

project over three years that delivers the

course. It’s step by step and day by day.

benefit only at the end of it’s journey. For

You have to give clear boundaries and

sure also the customer needs will change

a clear vision, and let them find the way

over such a time period.”

where to go.”

This was the major hurdle at the start

When Friedli recalls the first steps

of this journey, identifying how Swisscom

taken on this journey, he jokes; “What

should proceed. It needed to address

did we do wrong on day one?”. Friedli is

the shifting needs of the business while

first to admit that this new omni-channel

also continuing to provide great value to

experience was an ambitious goal and

customers of today, but also the customers of ‘two-three years from now’. Friedli stresses that it has to be a step-bystep journey for all. “You have to look at your own track and which direction you go, but you shouldn’t look too far ahead because when it comes to digital services, change happens fast and you can easily be down the wrong road,” he says. “You have to have a clear and understandable vision which you can explain to all stakeholders, but you need to be open and honest enough to say ‘I cannot achieve exactly this result in three years’ because on the way, our goals will change.”. Fast results are the key here, but a patient and collaborative mindset is too. This is where, for Friedli, 16

SWISSCOM

not all stakeholders clearly aligned on

complete freedom and everybody can do

how to achieve them. “What is an easy

what they want, but in reality it is being

and simple customer journey?”, “How

able to adjust your plan really fast, but

do we achieve our online shift exactly?”,

in very strict boundaries,” he says. “We

“How do you overcome the balancing

found over time that we had to define

act between best products and simple

very clear boundaries of where to go,

processes?”. These kinds of questions

how to build our microservices, how to

you have to answer in your vision before

test the experience with the customer

you start anchoring it in the teams.”

so you could learn fast and be able to

Swisscom wanted to build up this

change things if they go in the wrong

omnichannel experience within an agile working environment, but how on earth

direction.,” “Agility and flexibility can make things

would it actually go about delivering that?

happen so fast that you can go off track

“Lots of people think agility just means

very easily. We had to adjust our plans

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

“ Swisscom needs to know me or my daughter as specific service users and put us in the middle. Only then can it begin to deliver a customised experience” — SVEN FRIEDLI, EVP, HEAD OF ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE & INNOVATION AT SWISSCOM

SWISSCOM

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

and really home in on what our vision should look like and also adjust our roadmap”. Friedli points to a key learning here, one that has continued to help steer him in the right direction throughout this journey. “To achieve simplicity for your customers and touchpoint is for sure not simple. You really have to focus on the relevant needs of them. Don’t make too many compromises to rebuild everything you had in the past and really optimise the experience and performance. Also you should start with small teams to do the first steps to learn and adapt before you scale out.” The role that Accenture has played in this journey should not be understated. They delivered the DOCP framework, contributed to the target vision and roadmap and helped the teams to improve in the agile way of working. Following a market wide assessment, Accenture and Swisscom established a key framework that would support Swisscom’s needs and help the company build up this new omni-channel experience. “We were really one common team,” says Friedli. “We had Accenture Scrum masters working together with both Accenture and Swisscom DevOps employees and there were common responsibilities on backlog content and priorities. We had unified goals and often people from outside couldn’t tell who was a Swisscom and who was an Accenture employee. This builds up a good partnership and relationship. There’s real collaboration between us and when things go wrong, we sit down and we work together to solve the challenges that face us.” Over time, following the support of Accenture, Swisscom was able to run this program independently. 20

SWISSCOM

“ ...you have to build things that are relevant to your customer.” — SVEN FRIEDLI, EVP, HEAD OF ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE & INNOVATION AT SWISSCOM

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

Now, two years into this journey, Friedli can reflect on key success factors: 1. A clear business vision is key for success as this was a business case and not purely an IT project. 2. Learn fast and adapt even faster. Customer and employee feedback were instrumental in steering our roadmap and priorities 3. A multi-speed architecture is required to support your journey to omni-channel transformation “Our theoretical ideas in the beginning weren’t always right. Success in online-usage and conversion rate will give you the needed feedback. Bring new services fast and in small steps to production, so that you can learn from the feedback and adjust your roadmap.”, he says. With solid foundations in place and successes to back up this B2C transformation, Swisscom is also embarking on

different dimensions,” he says. “You have

a B2B transformation. This journey, once

partners who are selling your services,

more, is focused on supporting the new

who you have to support and then you

business needs. Following a merging

have sales organisations which go to

of small and medium enterprise busi-

the customer, but they want to reuse the

nesses (SMEs), Swisscom has set out

services you build up wherever possible.”

to deliver the same product and same

This B2B transformation, however

experience by harmonising its services

complex, is only in its infancy and Friedli

and processes.

is keen to stress the importance of

“What is different to B2C is that the whole sales experience has much 22

SWISSCOM

maintaining the same online mobilefirst mindset in order for the business

to focus on the easy and simple expe-

built up service. Don’t have a fixed plan

rience. The road ahead is still a long

and think that you can roll it out in the

one, with the B2B and B2C journeys

next 30 months and then you’ll achieve

continuously evolving and for Friedli the

your goals. Be able to listen, learn, and

future successes of Swisscom relies on

then adjust towards the increasingly new

not only on this agile framework, but an

needs of your customers.”

agile mindset. “Be willing to learn, like we were,” he says. “Listen to employees if things are going wrong, listen to the partner if he gives you feedback, listen to your customer if he is not using the new w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

Artificial Intelligence still sounds scary. Why?

WRI T T EN BY

Jim L o g a n

Understanding what AI isn’t, is just as important as understanding what it is, according to Jim Logan who has nearly three decades of experience in financial services and technology, most recently serving as America’s Region Head of SunTec Global Business Systems, prior to joining Silent Eight as SVP, Regional Sales, US & Latin America…

've been working in the financial services space for close to thirty years now.

I've seen many trends and technologies emerge. Some take hold, several are just a flash in the pan. Regardless of how long a concept sticks around, one thing remains: Terminology plays a material role in shaping perceptions. In a world where messaging tends to over complicate things, too many acronyms and too many buzzwords all work against what should be the primary objective: clearly illustrating value. I've found this to be equally true when it comes to artificial intelligence or 'AI'. Generally speaking, the word artificial doesn't readily call to mind a positive image, does it? By definition, the word “artificial” has listed meanings of, "insincere or affected" and "made by humans as opposed to happening naturally." It is the second part of this definition I'd like to explore a bit further. Artificial Intelligence is, in fact, created by humans. And it isn't a new fad or concept. Many don’t realize that the term was first coined by John McCarthy, Ph.D. and Stanford computer and cognitive scientist, back in 1955. AI has continued to evolve as a material concept, with practical applications across many 26

A R T I F I C I A L I N T E L L I G E N C E S T I L L S O U N D S S C A R Y. W H Y ?

“ Artificial Intelligence is, in fact, created by humans. And it isn’t a new fad or concept”

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

industries, ever since.

not multiple quarters - simply weeks.

For financial service professionals,

But I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean a generic, black box

particularly those of us involved with

concept. I'm specifically referring to a

fighting financial crime and preventing

highly precise, tailored AI solution that

money laundering, AI can have tremen-

has extensive proof points and, more

dous impact and practical application.Â

importantly, far-reaching global regula-

Before we dive a bit deeper, I feel it's

tory approval.

important to first understand what AI isn't. AI is not intended to simply be a digi-

AI shouldn't simply be an extension of legacy rules-based routines, nor a way

tal worker, certainly not within financial

to further automate the process of scor-

services and fighting financial crime.

ing or risk weighted alert suppression.

Yes, AI can automate various functions.

That simply dilutes the true value of AI,

We're all familiar with the concept of

and does not maximize the cost and effi-

'bots' and virtual assistants. However,

ciency benefits.

those are rudimentary examples of

The cost of compliance continues

robotic process automation. True AI is

to grow at a staggering pace, particu-

human led and a continuous, instantane-

larly for financial institutions and insur-

ous learning process that drives tangi-

ance companies. Equally of concern,

ble value. AI is not merely a play to cut

the impact of fines for non-compliance

costs or replace human capital. Rather,

has also skyrocketed in the last decade.

AI enhances the bottom line by keeping

Specifically to the tune of $8.4 billion last

compliance staff costs flat in the immedi-

year across North America alone.

ate term and enables our human experts

What if you could literally solve every

to more appropriately manage their time,

single name screen, sanction, and trans-

by focusing talent on investigations that

action alert? What if you could achieve

matter the most.

this without sacrificing any aspect of

One of the most valuable aspects of

control and security? What if you could

AI, in the context of anti money laun-

increase the throughput, efficiency and

dering and compliance, is the speed by

accuracy of your compliance operations

which it can be deployed. We're talk-

without adding a single dollar of staff

ing about time to market and time to

expense to your budget?

value in a matter of weeks. Not months, 28

Let's stop talking in terms of what if and

A R T I F I C I A L I N T E L L I G E N C E S T I L L S O U N D S S C A R Y. W H Y ?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the most valuable aspects of AI, in the context of anti money laundering and compliance, is the speed by which it can be deployedâ&#x20AC;?

have a meaningful conversation regarding how. I'm helping clients achieve all of these measures today and that is from a perspective proven in production. Here at Silent Eight we're a team founded by engineers and data scientists, solving real world challenges in the anti money laundering and financial compliance market. Artificial Intelligence isn't scary...it isn't a black box...and it isn't the futuristic world of tomorrow - it is the here and now, and it's battle tried and tested. w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

PCI Pharma Services Digital Transformation Journey Your bridge between life-changing therapies and patients Interface Magazine talks to PCI Pharma Services on its strategic digital transformation journey, sharing how they are creating industry leading customer experiences and an efficient and collaborative pharma supply chain organization.

WRI T T EN BY PRODUCED BY 30

Andr ew Woods Cr ai g D ani el s

CI Pharma Services is a trusted partner for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceu-

tical companies, providing clinical and commercial supply chain solutions in the shared goal of improving patients’ lives. PCI invests in organic growth as an innovative supply chain solutions provider delivering operational excellence. In addition, it enhances its offering through strategic acquisitions and partnerships and in doing so, meet the future needs of a global customer base. By differentiating itself, PCI continues to provide industry-leading customer experience through investment in both digital and technology and its biggest asset: people. Digital transformation is now a key

Wayne Hull Chief Digital and Technology Officer PCI Pharma Services Wayne is responsible for PCI’s global digital transformation strategy, information technology and marketing. He is globally recognized for his digital and technology thought leadership. He has previously held senior executive positions with Accenture Digital Africa and Cisco Middle East, as well as building a global IoT start-up.

differentiation for PCI as part of its business strategy. PCI’s goal is to create new digital customer experiences, whilst

processes and IT. “What Wayne truly

achieving more collaboration and effi-

brought to us and the board was a fresh

ciency across its global organization.

perspective. Many of our leaders have

Salim Haffar is a progressive CEO and

spent many years in the same industry,

it was his vision, in collaboration with the

healthcare, which is highly regulated, and

PCI Pharma Services Board, that initi-

hence risk and change averse. We are

ated the PCI digital transformation jour-

known for our industry leadership and

ney. The Board, with Haffar, enlisted the

how we service the customers. It’s really

services of a global digital transformation

an exceptional DNA of customer centricity

specialist, Wayne Hull, to lead the digital

and digital and technology that’s going to

and technology strategy of transforming

add another level to how we interface with

PCI’s customer experiences, business

customers. It’s going to be leading edge,

PCI PHARMA SERVICES

“ We are all about aspiring to new levels of customer experience and differentiation” — WAYNE HULL, PCI PHARMA SERVICES, CHIEF DIGITAL AND TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

scalable and differentiating, and that’s

instrumental in creating the value crea-

what excites me,” says Haffar.

tion initiatives.” The PCI team set three

Wayne Hull, who is now PCI’s Chief

strategic goals based on an extensive

Digital and Technology Officer, led the PCI

amount of research around the pharma

digital and technology strategy in collab-

and contract manufacturing industry digi-

oration with the company’s major private

tal trends, as well as an innovative inter-

equity investor Partners Group Industry

nal design-thinking process to stimulate

Value Creation team and the PCI execu-

the ideas from the teams. These goals

tive and management team. According

being: enhancing customer experiences

to Hull: “The strategy became a One PCI

to fuel growth, digitizing core business

strategy, and the ideas across the PCI

processes to achieve collaboration and

executive and management team were

efficiencies, and aligning I.T. capabilities w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

CHOOSE TO ACCELERATE OFFERINGS CREATE INSPIRING EXPERIENCES EMBRACE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION BE EXCEPTIONAL

GlobalLogic.com | Digital Product Engineering | Click to Learn More 34

HE ALTHCARE — A U T O MOT IVE — MEDIA — COM M U NI CATI ON S — R ETAI L — I N DUSTR I AL — TECH NO L O GY

PCI PHARMA SERVICES

for scale.” Brad Payne, Chief Operating Officer at

very people it will affect. As Hull puts it: “digital is primarily about people, and the

PCI explains: “Our ability as PCI to digi-

technology is secondary”. Angi Calkins,

tally transform how we operate is critical

Chief Human Resources Officer at PCI:

to the way we service clients now and in

“Our digital transformation is neces-

the future. This requires new processes,

sary both for the purposes of providing

new client service or project management

progressive solutions from a product and

digital tools, full integration with our ERP

a service standpoint, as well as being

system and smart usage of our data.”

a company where employees, partners and customers are confident that we

The human touch

have progressive ways of working and

Although a digital and technology trans-

communicating in our new digital econ-

formation, the changes underway at PCI

omy and the physical world.”

have a very tangible human element

The first phase of the digital journey

propelling the drive behind this move,

revolves around enhancing the customer

and how it works, right through to the

experience and with PCI. “We’re a very

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

customer and service-focused business,”

enhance the speed of drug discovery and

Tim Roberts, VP, Global Sales, Clinical

thus new product launches in the market-

Service explains. “I think we have two

place, then I think that’s going to be bene-

categories of customers. First category

ficial to all patients.”

is the economic buyer and supply chain leader who works with us everyday

Value creation initiatives

– they are the pharmaceutical compa-

The PCI executive team established

nies that entrust their supply chain to us.

eight value creation initiatives that also

Second category, is the patient we serve

leverage several emerging technolo-

– your wife, your boyfriend, your mother,

gies: cloud, collaboration, cyber security,

whoever it may be. That’s where we

big data, digital-marketing and robot-

enhance their lives, and if we can provide

ics. The eight value initiatives identified

tools to pharmaceutical companies, to

are: (1) new digital customer platform, (2)

“It’s really an exceptional DNA of customer centricity and digital and technology that’s going to add another level to how we interface with customers” — SALIM HAFFAR, CEO, PCI PHARMA SERVICES

PCI PHARMA SERVICES

business process digitization, (3) elec-

the PCI Board, had already embarked on

tronic quality management,

a bold One PCI strategy. One PCI is an

(4) data

insights, (5) content and data led market-

ambitious effort to bring all businesses

ing, (6) collaboration, learning and perfor-

and functions of PCI under a consoli-

mance systems, (7) enterprise I.T. systems

dated banner to achieve PCI’s key strate-

alignment and (8) robotic packaging

gic imperatives. A clear link to the overall

automation pilots. “An important part of

strategy and an engine to execute with

our digital and technology transforma-

clear governance, KPI and discipline. This

tion story is that it is about measurable

provided the digital and technology trans-

value creation through execution for our

formation strategy with the foundation to

customers and for our business,” Hull

execute and be successful.

explains. The PCI executive team, supported by

EY was a strategic advisor supporting the implementation of the One PCI

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

programme – “From that first global kickoff session, we knew this was going to be a special initiative that would harness the global power of the entire PCI team,” Gil Valadez, Managing Director.

Enterprise data Key to any successful digital transformation is the ability to locate and harness data and create insights. Tim Roberts, VP, Global Sales, Clinical Service: “Our industry is quite rightly heavily regulated, and the controls are usually within the ERP and CRM systems. So, what we have done is bring in a single ERP and CRM systems right the way through the team while building an innovative supply chain information platform on top of that, to be able to give our customers the ability to make more powerful decisions. We’ve integrated a very deep level of data,” Roberts explains. “So really as much data as we have in our ERP and CRM systems is ultimately what we could make available to a customer in the form of new insights. All our sites will be on JD Edwards, and our business developments teams across clinical and commercial are on Salesforce.com. I think this is really important because it would be hard to build this program drawing from all sorts of different systems.” 38

PCI PHARMA SERVICES

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

COVID-19: What actions can you take now to stabilize your business?

ey.com

START YOUR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY TODAY WITH MINT

Salesforce® implementation, customisation, development and support 40

CONTENTS

• • • • •

400+ Projects Delivered Healthcare Life Science & Manufacturing Focused Experienced, Certified Specialist Consultancy Team UK, Europe, USA coverage Partnered with Salesforce since 2007

Call us on +44 0800 032 2840 or CLICK TO LEARN MORE

Geoff Young, Director, MintCRM:

Management Services, will share real-

“MintCRM has been working with cross

time information across project inventory,

functional teams across the global

production and distribution. The platform

business in areas from Sales, Sales

is currently being built with input from a

Operations, Finance and Supply Chain

number of strategic customers.

to help automate process, facilitate rapid

VP, Global Sales, Commercial, Ed

access to data which gives the PCI Teams

Malatesta: “For me, the most exciting

timely insights into their business, client

opportunity we have through the digital

and vendor performance.”

platform is to make our customers’ lives

PCI has also invested in an electronic

easier and to give them the services

quality management system (eQMS) to

to interact and troubleshoot with PCI,

help standardize and enhance quality

anytime and anywhere.”

and regulatory controls. “What that means

Ecosystem partners are an important

is all of our standard of operations, all

part of PCI’s business strategy success.

of our documents, all of our customer

To be able to design and develop this

batch records and all of our change

industry leading platform, PCI selected

controls, will fall within our electronic

GlobalLogic, a leading global digi-

quality system and be automated,” says

tal design and product engineering

Jeannie Metzinger, SVP Global Quality &

company, as their strategic partner. PCI

Regulatory.

and GlobalLogic partner in a highly digital and agile way as one virtual team across

Platform: real-time supply chain information

geographies and time zones.

Designed to a leading experience and

and General Manager of GlobalLogic. “PCI

capability in the pharma supply chain

and GlobalLogic came together as part-

and CMO industries, at the core of the

ners to leverage their collective business

new digital customer experience is a

and technology experience to create a

new digital platform to provide real-time

digital client collaboration solution that

supply chain information to PCI’s clini-

would greatly enhance PCI’s customer

cal and commercial customers. A direct

experience and relationship. We’re all

on-line connection to the customer, oper-

excited to bring to life a first of its kind

ating in conjunction with the PCI Project

digital engagement experience.”

Chet Kolley, is Senior Vice President

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

PCI has invested in both leadership and technology to enable the platform, creat-

Business Process Management. In an environment which is subject

ing new digital capability in the form of

to strict regulations, many business

digital product management. And strategi-

processes traditionally include many

cally, PCI have brought marketing, digital

manual activities, approvals, and docu-

and technology closer together. Not only

ments. This typically requires phone calls,

do they report under one structure, but

emails, scanning documents, signing

they work across traditional silos with the

documents, re-scanning and printing.

global head of marketing and the team

â&#x20AC;&#x153;As an executive team we really took

being leading participants in the business

the whole discussion to another level

and digital initiatives.

around digitized systems and eliminating the need for inefficient manual activity,â&#x20AC;?

Business process digitization

says Chief Operating Officer Brad Payne.

Digitizing core business processes is key

â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, the client gets the critical information

to moving PCI from a manual environ-

in real time. I think it collapses the time-

ment to one that is collaborative, effi-

frame so products can come to market

cient and on-line. The decision to select which business processes to focus on was made with both the customer and business efficiency in mind. The initial selection has included: project management services, invoicing, and supply chain. The business process digitization approach is effectively technology driven process change, changing both the business process and the implementing new digital tools to enable the change. The technology has included: JD Edwards, Salesforce.com, Smartsheets, Docu-Sign and Microsoft Teams. PCI has also invested in leadership creating new digital capability in the form of Global 42

PCI PHARMA SERVICES

quicker because the information’s availa-

biopharmaceutical customers bring life

ble faster”.

changing therapies to patients. We can

This has also been supported by imple-

only live up to our purpose if we main-

mentation of Microsoft Teams as the

tain uninterrupted supply of medicines

collaborative environment, which has

during this crisis. This pandemic crisis

allowed at least 1500 staff to work virtu-

has brought out the best in our organ-

ally which has been significant in terms of

ization – PCI employees’ high sense

productivity and efficiency.

of duty to people in need of life saving medicines. More than ever, together, we

COVID-19

have stepped up to this challenge.” PCI’s

The COVID-19 pandemic saw PCI clas-

ability to react to the demands of the

sified as an “essential business” in all

pandemic, in the way it has, is testament

states and countries where it oper-

to a company that is constantly challeng-

ates and its CEO Salim Haffar said of

ing itself on a global scale. PCI’s number

the crisis, back in April: “PCI’s purpose

one focus was keeping its employee safe

is to help our pharmaceutical and

and healthy, followed by delivering on

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

their commitments to their customers.

new digital platform, integrated with new

Having started to implement new ways

digital processes and electronic quality

of thinking and new ways of working,

management.”

underpinned by digital technologies, PCI

CEO Salim Haffar is also buoyed by the

could positively deliver to its employees

work so far: “I think we’ve taken a very

and customers.

novel approach to recognize our gap, to listen to what the customers want, to

In closing

dare to try something new, something

So, now PCI is at the midpoint of its digi-

very daring, very complex by simplifying

tal strategy, how does Hull feel it’s going?

and deciding to invest and implement,

“We are all about aspiring to new levels

and to challenge the status quo… with

of customer experience and differentia-

the aim of being a pioneer technology

tion, and we are confident that our digi-

leader in this space.”

tal and technology strategy will deliver

A journey rather than a destination, the

that. Our foundation digital capability

ongoing digital transformation at PCI is

through ERP, CRM and collaboration is

affecting and enhancing every aspect of

well implemented and delivering value to

the company’s operations as it continues

our business. We are now super excited

to provide that vital bridge between life

at the transformative value we are going

changing therapies and, most importantly

to create for our customers and busi-

of all, the patients.

ness through the implementation of our

PCI PHARMA SERVICES

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

UAE: DIGITAL N Ranjit Rajan, a thought leader on the impact of digital transformation on economies, business, and the tech industry with a specialization in the emerging markets of the Middle East and Africa is also the co-author of Digital Nation: How the United Arab Emirates is building a futue based on tech innovation, along with Dr Saeed Aldaheriâ&#x20AC;Ś

WRI T T EN BY

D a le B e n t o n

NATION

RANJI T RA JAN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION THOUGHT LEADER & ADVISOR

in reality, digital transformation actually refers to significant receptive transformation in business courses and models. It entails the use of advanced technologies,

How does a company go about defining exactly what digital transformation means?

such as AI and blockchain, cloud and big

I think digital transformation is one of

To develop new revenue streams and

those buzz words that comes up in every

business models and to monetize organ-

conversation you have these days. Not

izational and eco-system data to drive

just with CIOs and technology leaders but

change within industry. So, it means quan-

with any business executive. And I think a

tum improvements and step changes in

lot of the traditional IT work is now being

customer experiences, in operational effi-

rebranded as digital transformation. But

ciencies and in business models.

UA E : D I G I TA L N AT I O N

data analytics and so on to disrupt business to redesign customer experiences.

Once upon a time digital might've been left to an IT guy or a tech division and now it seems everybody needs to have an understanding on itâ&#x20AC;Ś

which were not possible before. And

Business leaders have become much

to business and tell them that they can

more aware of the possibilities that tech-

leverage these technologies.

nology can offer and so they are able

because of that, these cases are largely industrial and business use cases, and so therefore, it now gives an opportunity for the technology leaders to reach out

At the same time, from the business's

to look at technology from the prism of

point of view, from the line of business

business outcomes. And then on the

executive standpoint, he or she can now

other, the advancement of technology

is much more aware of what is possi-

and the emergence of technology such

ble with technology. And therefore, he

AI, blockchain, robotics and 3D print-

or she's now proactively reaching out to

ing have created such new youth cases

the technology leaders and asking them w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

for ideas and suggestions. So, it's working both ways now and there's alignment between the CIO and the IT department and the line of business executive, which is absolutely critical for success of digital transformation.

Jobs have been essentially redefined through technology, so how do you go about navigating that change and ensuring they are brought along on these journeys? So, what is happening within organizations has been greatly influenced by how employees use technology in their personal lives or how technology has been impacting the personal lives of employees as individuals. Our personal lives have been transformed by technol-

at the workplace. And that is increas-

ogy such as smart phones and mobil-

ing pressure on the technology depart-

ity, by the use of social media. By these

ments and senior executives to trans-

applications that we use and how we

form policies and services within the

interact with our service providers, with

organization. And of course, the custom-

your consumer services organizations,

ers of the organization are also demand-

the government, etc. Now, because

ing greater use of technology in their

of that, employees now, when they go

services and products.

to their workplace, they are looking at technology differently. They want to have the same experiences they have

And of course, customer expectations of that journey are changing tooâ&#x20AC;Ś

in their personal lives at the workplace

The pressure on organizations today

as well. So now they are demanding that

is tremendous. On the one hand you

they have similar kinds of experiences

have customers demanding more; their

UA E : D I G I TA L N AT I O N

needs are constantly changing, they are heavily influenced by technology.

How do you stay abreast of exactly what that customer wants?

And so you have to step up and offer

It is indeed challenging. Your customer

services which are augmented by tech-

needs are constantly changing and

nology. And you have to offer them at

the way a customer uses technology

the service level that is being offered

and how they utilise a service is also

by the large digital services compa-

constantly changing. And so therefore,

nies and social media networks like

organisations need to be very agile, very

Facebook and Google. So, you have

flexible, and constantly on top of what

to offer services on a par with those;

those customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs are. And this has

at the same time your employees are

to be done at the level of single, individ-

also consumers of these technology

ual customers. You have to look at your

augmented services. On both sides you

hyper-personalisation and offer individu-

are under pressure.

alised services. And that is now possible w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

with technology. It is possible by lever-

strategy to look at the business overall.

aging technology such as big data

Look at those customer touch points that

analytics and artificial intelligence. You're

create the maximum level of friction for

now able to understand the needs of a

customers. And then try to make them

customer as an individual, at an individ-

frictionless. So what progressive organ-

ual level and offer hyper-personalised

isations are doing is looking at their

services to that customer. The question

customer life experiences and creat-

is, how many organisations are really

ing customer journeys. So, it's not just

doing that? And how many of them have

about providing an individual service to a

a strategy to do that?

customer, it's about tying those services together to address a particular customer

As a business looking to embrace this digital innovation curve and digitally transform, how do you go about understanding what the right technology is?

life experience. And therefore, creating

I think there has to be a long-term

Now in some cases it might be AI, that

a customer journey. Once you do that, then you kind of look at which technology makes sense in order to create less friction at various customer touch points.

“YOUR CUSTOMER NEEDS ARE CONSTANTLY CHANGING AND THE WAY A CUSTOMER USES TECHNOLOGY AND HOW THEY UTILISE A SERVICE IS ALSO CONSTANTLY CHANGING” — RANJIT RAJAN, DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION THOUGHT LEADER & ADVISOR

UA E : D I G I TA L N AT I O N

could work, in some cases it could be

certain ways because they have silos of

some other technology. But then you

innovation, they have data silos, each

build your technology's story from the

department has its own data sets that are

customer experience story.

not shared across the organisation. They have old technology that is perhaps not

What other challenges does a company face as it looks to begin and embrace a digital transformation journey?

amiable to change and transformation.

Well there are several challenges for

overnight and they have to start working

organisations that have been around for

on each of these issues along the way.

a while and play the legacy systems. And

But, in terms of technology itself, I

And so there are a number of hurdles that organisations need to overcome while they transform. It can't be done

not just legacy systems, but also legacy

think it's important for organisations to

processes, the organisation culture,

consider developing a single unified

mindset of the employees; all of them are

architecture, wherein they can then plug

hurdles to transformation. Often times,

in various new technologies that they

organisations are having to be built in

want. And that architecture will need to enable flow of data across departments and businesses within the organisation. It should also enable the augmentation of their data with intelligence using AI, machine learning and all of that. And should also be able to integrate customer experience applications and services, easily. And the other thing that's important when you look at this is that organizations, which no longer exist in silos within industries, are part of larger ecosystems. And it is really the power of the ecosystem that matters to the end of the day. And so therefore, organisations need to w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

have a technology strategy or technol-

you're very knowledgeable and expe-

ogy architecture, to which other entities

rienced in the emerging markets of the

within the ecosystem can easily integrate

Middle East and Africa. I want to zoom in

and seamlessly transfer data and do

a little bit in terms of the innovation and

transactions. And so therefore, for organ-

digital curve of the UAEâ&#x20AC;Ś

isations which have legacy systems, it

Well the story of the UAE is a fascinat-

would take time for them to move and

ing one. UAE is a fairly, relatively young

overcome these hurdles.

country. It was formed in 1971 with the

Obviously, you're not just going to

unification of various Emirates as states

progress in a straight line, and there are

within the religion. Originally the UAE

going to be hurdlesâ&#x20AC;Ś

depended heavily on oil resources, so

I think organizations need to under-

a large part of the GDP of the UAE was

stand that digital transformation is not

driven by oil earnings. But over the years,

a single project. It is not something that

over the decades, the UAE has been

can be done within a few months. For

very strongly focusing on on diversifying

medium to large size organisations,

its economy away from oil. So, the UAE

digital transformation will probably take

kind of realises that one day it will run

years. And it is an ongoing process.

out of oil and that they have to develop

And so, organisations need to have a

other resources. And so over the years

longer-term strategy for digital transfor-

the UAE has come out with several strat-

mation. So, the CEOs and the CXOs and

egies to diversify. I just published a book

the other members of the board need to

called The Digital Nation, which kind of

outline a longer-term strategy and then

traces and monitors the development of

kind of break it down into shorter term

the digital transformation within the UAE.

flexible goals. It is important for organ-

And what has happened is that over the

isations to have the strategic agility

last decade or so, the UAE has been

when they have these longer-term goals

increasingly focused on developing its

and visions. But at the same time, have

digital capabilities.

shorter term projects and initiatives. But

We had the vision 2021, which was

the most important thing is to communi-

launched in 2010 and that increasingly

cate this effectively.

focused on developing the UAE as a

Now you have specialisation and 54

UA E : D I G I TA L N AT I O N

knowledge economy, diversifying it

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

away from oil. Right now, the UAE has

destination for foreign investment,

about 70% of its economy is based on

attracting talent from all over the world,

non-oil revenues. And so, it wants to

driving innovation etc.

further diversify and sees this opportunity. It sees this opportunity to leverage world. That it can leverage that to create

Tell me a little about Vision 2021, and how far along that journey the UAE is, currently?

a mark for itself in the world. And so, a lot

It focused on several key areas, includ-

of strategies that have emerged over the

ing education, health care, economics,

last decade or so, have been focused

etc. But, as I said, there has been a great

on leveraging technologies such as AI,

focus on building knowledge indus-

blockchain, IOT, etc, to drive these facets

tries. And as part of that, technology has

of the economy Including, transform-

been a core pillar or underlying founda-

ing the public section and driving better

tion for that Vision 2021. The leverag-

citizen experiences and services but

ing of technology has been one of the

also transforming from the private sector.

key elements of the vision. You see the

And also making the UAE an attractive

focus on exploring technology to drive

this destruction that we see around the

UA E : D I G I TA L N AT I O N

education, enable health care, better citi-

revolution strategy, blockchain strategy,

zen services and supporting the private

etc. This hue of technology strategies

sector.

have been launched by the government,

So technology has been at the core

which essentially focused on leverag-

of Vision 2021. And as we get close to

ing these technologies to drive govern-

the end of the Vision 2021 strategy, we

ment services, also supporting private

see a lot of developments that have

sector and running innovation within the

happened which have technology at the

country.

centre of them. You see the launch of

The UAE's leaders have been very

a number of technology related strate-

effective in communicating their digi-

gies and so we have the UAE AI strategy

tal vision to the senior executives within

2031, which aims to reduce government

the government and the private sectors

costs by 50% by leveraging AI and also

and also to the citizens. It's as if this is a

fostering the development of AI within

personal quest for these leaders. When

the UAE across sectors, and the use of

these strategies are launched, for exam-

AI across sectors. We see the launch of

ple, the AI strategy, the UAE AI 2031

the UAE IOT strategy, the UAE fault and

Strategy, which I spoke about earlier,

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

the UAE immediately appointed a Minister of AI. So, it's coming right from the top. They appointed a Minister of AI and that ministry now oversees the roll out of AI across public sector organisations. It oversees the education and wellness building around AI. It focuses on driving innovation around AI, etc. So, that's just the example of AI. Similarly, the UAE has known strategies related to the fourth industrial revolution: blockchain, IOT, etc. Now for each of these strategies, the communication of the vision comes right from the top. It's the senior leaders of the country, the prime minister of the country, for example, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid, who's been very vocal, in terms of telling the government, the businesses and the citizens and residents of the country that this is something that we have to leverage. This technology disruption is something that we can harness to create a better country, to offer better services. One of the things that has been brought together to focus upon is happiness. Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid, the prime minister, has been talking about making UAE the happiest nation in the world. And a lot of these technology strategies kind of come together and focus on the happiness agenda of the country. So, it's a national agenda for happiness and wellbeing and technology and the UAE has been very effective in doing that.

UA E : D I G I TA L N AT I O N

“UAE AI STRATEGY 2031 AIMS TO REDUCE GOVERNMENT COSTS BY 50% BY LEVERAGING AI AND FOSTERING THE DEVELOPMENT OF AI WITHIN THE UAE ACROSS SECTORS” —

RANJIT RAJAN, DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION THOUGHT LEADER & ADVISOR

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

5 cybersecurity principles post-Covid-19

WRI T T EN BY

ANDREW WOODS

The World Economic Forum has released a detailed report into helping business to battle and overcome cyber security issues post-Covid-19. Businesses need to consider cyber resilience from a business perspective, looking at the cyber element of operational risks to their business as they become increasingly dependent on the internet and digital channels. They also need to adopt a resilience mindset of how they would respond to and recover from any major cyber event. The following principles will help organisations to shape a responsible course of action that balances short-term goals against medium- to longer-term imperativesâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;?

Foster a culture oF cyber resilience

Resilience is first and foremost a leadership issue and is more a matter of strategy and culture than tactics. Being resilient requires those at the highest leadership levels to acknowledge the importance of proactive risk management and focus more on the ability of the organization to absorb and recover from a cyberattack that would disrupt essential services.

5 CY B E R S E C U R I T Y P R I N C I P L E S P O ST- C OV I D - 1 9

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

5 CY B E R S E C U R I T Y P R I N C I P L E S P O ST- C OV I D - 1 9

Focus on protecting your critical assets and services Focus on protecting your critical assets and services Businesses will have to prioritise resources and investments to the most essential areas to maintain operational continuity, protect the critical digital assets and ensure compliance.

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

Balance risk-informed decisions during the crisis and beyond Businesses are making changes to their operating model and technology landscape at an unprecedented scale and pace, which will require some risk trade-offs as they adapt and respond urgently to the crisis. However, as they enter the new normal, they will need to reassess the digital dependencies and risks accrued to restore their risk profile to an acceptable level.

5 CY B E R S E C U R I T Y P R I N C I P L E S P O ST- C OV I D - 1 9

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

5 CY B E R S E C U R I T Y P R I N C I P L E S P O ST- C OV I D - 1 9

Update and practise your response and business continuity plans as your business transitions to the new normal This crisis has reminded business leaders of the importance to adapt and test regularly their response and resilience plans against different disaster scenarios (including pandemics) with their key suppliers and business partners. This includes using these tests to challenge assumptions (such as recovery times) and to develop means to measure resilience, response, recovery and other key capabilities needed to anticipate, withstand and recover from, and adapt to, adverse conditions, attacks or compromises on systems that are enabled by cyber resources.

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

Strengthen ecosystem-wide collaboration Partnerships and collaborations on cyber resilience between public and private sector peers across the ecosystem are essential in facilitating the transparent sharing of information and go beyond subscription towards a more active engagement. The principles in this document are a preliminary response to the unfolding crisis. They are intended to guide leaders specifically responsible for cyber resilience, and other business leaders. While businesses may have to regulate measures according to different policy environments, these concepts can provide a framework for a responsible course of action at this pivotal period. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Cybersecurity_leadership_principles_for_the_Covid_19_pandemic_2020.pdf

5 CY B E R S E C U R I T Y P R I N C I P L E S P O ST- C OV I D - 1 9

w w w.t h e i n t e r f a c e . n e t

BE LIKE SAM

Are you leading a Procurement or Technology transformation? CPOstrategy & Interface Magazine offer a unique opportunity to showcase your story and give a voice to that journey Get in touch. Be like Sam and share your story!

FIND OUT MORE