Digital Innovation Magazine - September 2021 by iThink Media

Discusses how harnessing AI capabilities helps organisations gain a competitive advantage e x c l u s i v e

As we return to the office after a relaxing summer break, we are delighted to bring you the September edition of Digital Innovation magazine. As ever, our 106 pages are packed to the rafters with insightful interviews and engaging tech features sure to stir your curiosity. Our cover story this issue comes courtesy of Jaap Zuiderveld, Vice President EMEA at NVIDIA (p6). Jaap explains why it is so essential for organisations to harness AI capabilities in today’s competitive marketplace. We have been privileged to talk to Richard Jackson, CEO at Alphaletz, for a second time (p34). Richard and his team have developed a pioneering app to help busy landlords manage their multiple property portfolios. With further plans in the pipeline, Alphaletz is certainly one to watch in the future. Plus, we chatted to energy and sustainability expert, and founder of the Aban Foundation, Ahmad Karnama, about the role of technology in sustainable business growth strategies (p58). It was fascinating to hear first-hand how businesses can invest in technology, in a bid to support their all-important green initiatives.

Discusses ho organisat w harnessing AI capabi ions gai n a com lities he petitive lps advantage e x c l u s i v e

Danielle Harris Director d.harris@ithink.media

Tom Barnes Director t.barnes@ithink.media

Daniel May Senior Digital Designer design@ithink.media

So, that’s three exclusive interviews for you this issue, together with our usual line-up of inspiring news stories on all things AI (p24), digitalisation (p48), women in tech (p70), health tech (p82), and much more… We hope you enjoy!

+44 (0) 203 890 1189 enquiries@digitalinnovationeu.com

Anna McMahon Editor editorial@ithink.media

All rights reserved. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of material published in Digital Innovation Magazine. However, the company cannot accept responsibility for the claims made by advertisers or contributors, or inaccurate material supplied by advertisers. Digital Innovation is a product of iThink Media Ltd. Company Registration Number: 10933897. Company Registered in England and Wales

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Turning procurem into an opportun growth

Jaap Zuiderveld, Vice President EMEA at NVIDIA, talks AI and more

New EU scheme t more women into

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ParallelDots are this issue’s start-up of the month

ment nity for

Ahmad Karnama on the role of technology in sustainable business growth strategies

IT spend is on the up thanks to the new normal

Introducing Alphaletz, the pioneering app for property landlords

to get o tech

Europe’s industry leaders in AI

Health Venture Labs aid health start-ups to get over industry obstacles 5

C OV E R STO RY

Jaap Zuiderveld, Vice President EMEA at NVIDIA, says harnessing AI capabilities helps organisations to gain a competitive advantage.

Written by Anna McMahon | Produced by Danielle Harris

NVIDIA WAS STRONGLY FOCUSED ON GAMING UP UNTIL AROUND 10 YEARS AGO WHEN IT MADE THE SHIFT TOWARDS AI AND THE ENTERPRISE MARKET.

oday, the company helps large organisations to get started with AI in order to gain a competitive advantage. To understand how this is achieved, Jaap Zuiderveld, Vice President EMEA at NVIDIA, says you must first unravel the definition of AI. He explains, “When we talk about AI, it is not the

definition everyone uses. We start by looking at the challenges that are really difficult to solve and try to find a solution. For many years, AI was viewed as complex and expensive, but we have now made it available to everybody by making the technology accessible and making sure everyone can understand the

benefits of AI. That is how NVIDIA started life, and it remains where we are today.” NVIDIA’s approach has been to democratize AI, thus enabling the company to move fast in the market. Jaap provides the example of the use of AI in gaming, allowing shadows to be formed in a natural way. He says, “Gamers appreciate that the image is not just black and white. We used AI to program the software to cast ‘natural’ 10

shadows, helping us to quickly do what we could not have done before. Also, in the case of the development of the Covid-19 vaccine, NVIDIA computer systems were used to help scientists do their work in a much faster way. One of the biggest challenges NVIDIA faces surrounds a lack of knowledge here in Europe, as well as in other countries around the world. Jaap explains, “Knowing what to do with the technology

“NVIDIA’S APPROACH HAS BEEN TO DEMOCRATIZE AI, THUS ENABLING THE COMPANY TO MOVE FAST IN THE MARKET” because the investment in AI is significant, but what you can get back from it will be even greater.”

and how to use it is a big problem. The second challenge is the awareness of the market from a competitive point of view. You need to start investing in the technology because failure to do so means your competitors will invest in it first. Finally, companies must collaborate, rather than approach their markets in silos. I think, for me, it is clear that all the different verticals need to work together – government, research, education, as well as industry. You cannot work in silos anymore

So, how does NVIDIA work with organisations to realise the benefits of AI? Jaap answers, “We start by asking how we can teach someone to consider what is important. It is not through holding their hand, but by giving examples and communicating our view, that we can leave it up to the prospective buyer to make their decision. We purely give them guidance.” Having acknowledged a real interest in the market, NVIDIA recently invested in building Cambridge-1, the UK’s fastest 11

The New Era of Artificial Intelligence Today, artificial intelligence (AI) is the emerging technology that is accelerating the pace of change across our world and beyond. Rapid change in AI has been driven by change in 3 areas: Mathematics, Compute, and Data culture. The emergence of modern data science, the use of new algorithms in machine learning, Deep Learning and Neural Network space, and new data platforms that enable quick, accurate data storage and processing at the right place and time.

the underlying engineering platform. This is where Dell Technologies, together with partners like NVIDIA, bring true innovation to the AI space. Data Science, the use of advanced mathematics and mathematical functions to prise open information from “Data,” ultimately results in outcomes. Combined with advancements in Compute Technology and our attitude toward and relationship with “Data,” it has indeed accelerated our world into the new era of AI.

Data science, advancements in computer technology, and our attitude and relationship with data has led us into this new era of AI. It relies on the availability of real-world data and the speed at which it converts that data into usable and valuable information. However, as AI technology advances, we must ensure data accuracy is maintained. Therefore, training machinelearning models at high-speed while maintaining accuracy and precision is vital for data scientists.

Along with algorithms and advanced computation facilities, the accuracy of the models constituting AI rely heavily on the availability of real-world data and the speed at which we can access, cleanse, and convert it into usable and valuable information. In AI training, we strive to train networks faster, but this can lead to a decrease in accuracy. As a result, training machine-learning models at high-speed while maintaining accuracy and precision is a vital goal for Data Scientists.

The time required to train AI machines is influenced by computing and communication time. Adopting more straightforward computational methods increases speed without sacrificing accuracy. Driving new AI applications and workloads also requires changes to

Similarly vital is the architecture and the methodology used during the training process. The time required to train AI machines is affected by the complexity of building and tuning an architecture, at the Software and Hardware Platform level, as well as computing and communication time.

Adopting a simple computational method to replace the more traditional methods used previously makes computation much faster without losing accuracy. As communication time is affected by the size of data blocks, we are now looking at communication techniques that will combine smaller pieces of data into larger ones, optimising the transmission pattern and thereby improving the efficiency of communication during AI training. At Dell Technologies, we have always looked at complexity and cost across entire ecosystems and how with industry, we can drive focus into “Democratisation” and “Commoditisation” of technology to simplify and standardise at the technology-level to drive value. This is where Dell Technologies make a serious impact in AI and Modern Analytics. There is an onslaught of Data being generated at “The Edge” or at the Data source and this is where the power of AI and machine learning becomes real – when organisations can deliver better products, services, solutions, and experiences based on data-driven decisions, with speed and accuracy. Our heritage is steeped in exceptional and essential Compute Technology that is designed to drive for better outcomes made possible by end-to-end solutions fuelled by Data. We improve both speed and energyefficiency by performing AI calculations

in the traditional analogue domain at the location of the data – in our Hospitals, and Manufacturing Facilities. Additionally, in automobiles and mobile devices, across business, industry, and right across society. These technologies, enabled by significant advances in software, will underpin the formation of a new human-machine partnership, with the potential to solve complex problems and surface new insights that have been unattainable, up to now. We are using AI to solve some of the most important and complex problems on our planet today, and the work we continue to do in AI at industry-level, will evolve new technologies that will drive significant change into our world today, and into the future. Over the last few years, Dell Technologies and NVIDIA have established a strong partnership to help organizations fast-track their AI initiatives. Our partnership is built on the philosophy of offering flexibility and informed choice across a broad portfolio which combines best of breed GPU accelerated compute, scale-out storage, and networking Learn more at DellTechnologies.com

“WE SUPPORT COMPANIES TO MAKE THEM SUCCESSFUL, GUIDING THEM IN THE ACCELERATION OF THEIR AI APPROACH. WE ARE WORKING WITH DELL, FOR EXAMPLE, MOSTLY ON LARGER AI ENVIRONMENTS”

supercomputer dedicated to healthcare research. It will be used both by NVIDIA researchers and developers, as well as by researchers at UK healthcare and life sciences companies and academic institutions, to address pressing medical challenges, including those presented by Covid-19. It is only now that partners understand the technology that, Jaap says, they can see the potential of investing in it. He adds, “It is not just about the hardware; that is the easy part. What is more important is understanding the ecosystem.” NVIDIA provides its customers with a full package comprising the software and a team of 14

“THERE ARE SO MANY EXCIT HEALTHCARE, BUT OUR FOCU TECHNOLOGY ACCESSIBLE TO CAN DO THIS IS BY MAKING USE IN EVERY PAR

Jaap Zuiderveld, Vi

TING THINGS HAPPENING IN US REMAINS ON MAKING THE EVERYONE. THE ONLY WAY WE G IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO RT OF THE WORLD”

ice President EMEA

solution architects to work directly with them to address their individual needs. Jaap continues, “Our aim is to teach our customers what to do, but we also offer different packages, fine-tuning them to meet a specific requirement. We start by asking ‘How can we help you?’. That is the important piece of the puzzle. Many companies say they have an AI strategy, but there are often a lot of gaps, which lie mostly in their lack of knowledge. We advise companies to firstly understand what they are looking for before investing in a solution.” The benefits of harnessing AI capabilities for organisations are broad in context and broad in scope, as Jaap explains, “There are millions of advantages to using AI. First of all, if you take healthcare, for example, Oxford Nanopore Technologies have been able to do genome sequencing using our technology, which has been crucial during Covid times, as they were able to quickly trace from where the virus had 18

“5G IS NOT JUST ABOUT CONNECTIVITY SPEED, BUT CHANGING THE WAY PEOPLE WORK THROUGH THEIR COMPUTERS. WE ARE JUST AT THE BEGINNING OF THE JOURNEY, BUT IT IS SURE TO HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON THE MARKET”

originated. If you think about the automotive industry, self-driving cars have been designed to have a huge impact on the way we move from A to B. Plus, our technology can also do image recognition, voice recognition, fraud detection, and natural language processing, improving the customer experience and making it more secure.” Jaap says the key to success is having a strong focus on the different market verticals, be it healthcare, automotive or finance, for instance. He continues, “We have a specialist on board, who comes from that particular market and speaks the language. When we get feedback, we can then understand what we need to do whilst listening to what our customers have to say. It is so important to understand the individual needs of our customers, specific to each market vertical.” Another key factor is making the software accessible to accelerate other business applications, as Jaap says it is

not just about solving AI problems. He adds, “If you want to have an outcome from a database, it can sometimes take two or three days before you have an answer. But, with AI, you can have an answer in an hour, and your decision might be completely different. We are exploring topics such as this when embedding our technology in the servers of the big players.” Speaking of which, Jaap agrees that forming great partnerships with other organisations is crucial. He says, “We support companies to make them successful, guiding them in the acceleration of their AI approach. We are working with Dell, for example, mostly on larger AI environments. In general, we train companies to learn how to reach a larger market, as well as understanding what we can do differently to allow them to succeed even more. It is a twoway street. You are only successful if you both see an advantage. Customers are starting to ask these questions, so now is the right time to invest in AI to get a competitive advantage.” As for the future, NVIDIA is working heavily on initiatives such as the Cambridge-1 project to help industries see the advantage

in leveraging supercomputer capabilities. Jaap enthuses, “The whole industry is starting to work together with research, education and the different market verticals. I am really excited about the recent BMW collaboration where we introduced the Omniverse platform, enabling them to design and change a robotic production line remotely, and as a result, transform the production line environment. It is mindboggling! 5G is not just about connectivity speed, but changing the way people work through their computers. We are just at the beginning of the journey, but it is sure to have a huge impact on the market.” Around 2,000 European AI start-ups are part of NVIDIA’s Inception start-up incubator, with the majority in the healthcare sector. Jaap concludes, “There are so many exciting things happening in healthcare, but our focus remains on making the technology accessible to everyone. The only way we can do this is by making it easier for people to use in every part of the world.” For further information, visit www.nvidia.com

A RT I F I C I A L I N T E L L I G E N C E

AI in Europe: Who’s leading the way and where is it heading?

Ireland may be the big adopter of AI in the EU, but a new report from Forrester suggests Europe is still slightly behind other regions.

Artificial intelligence is often described as the technology that will transform the way we live and do business, but some have embraced it more than others. mong EU countries, Ireland has the highest share of businesses using AI applications. That’s according to European Commission data from 2020, which found that 23 per cent of enterprises in Ireland used any of these four AI applications: analysing big data internally using machine learning; analysing big data using natural language processing, generation or speech recognition; using a chatbot or virtual agent; or using service robots. Overall, 7 per cent of enterprises in the EU with at least 10 people employed used at least one of these AI applications in 2020. 26

Behind Ireland, the countries with the widest uptake of AI tech were Malta (19 per cent), Finland (12 per cent) and Denmark (11 per cent). At the other end of the scale were Cyprus (3 per cent), Hungary (3 per cent), Slovenia (3 per cent) and Latvia (2 per cent). A recent report from research and advisory company Forrester said there’s a widespread perception that data privacy regulations, ethical concerns and reluctance to adopt cutting-edge tech have resulted in European companies being less advanced in terms of AI adoption than companies in other regions. A 2020 survey it conducted with responses from data decision-

"Among EU countries, Ireland has the highest share of businesses using AI applications"

"Large European including Airbus Rolls-Royce and been innovating Europe has been of start-ups suc and Featurespac

n companies s, Bosch, d Siemens have g with AI, and n the birthplace ch as DeepMind ce"

makers in France, Germany and the UK confirmed that there is a lag, but the gap may not be as wide as many perceive it to be. However, compared with people from other parts of the world, European respondents were less bullish overall about the benefits of AI, according to Forrester. While 31 per cent of North American decision-makers surveyed said the benefits of AI were increased automation and improved operational effectiveness, only 28 per cent of European respondents said the same. One-third of those in North America said it could also increase revenue growth and improve customer experiences, but only 27 per cent of those in Europe agreed. Forrester added that while Europe produces AI excellence, it has trouble scaling start-ups. Large European companies including Airbus, Bosch, RollsRoyce and Siemens have been innovating with AI, and Europe has been the birthplace of

"while other regions may be slightly ahead of Europe when it comes to AI uptake, Forrester’s report stated that European companies are not lagging far behind" start-ups such as DeepMind and Featurespace. However, many start-ups have been acquired by companies outside of the region (with Google snapping up UK-based DeepMind, for example) or have migrated their headquarters to the US.

on data protection laws, the European Commission is hoping to set new oversight standards in a bid to create ‘trustworthy AI’. Earlier this year, it outlined a new set of proposals that would classify different AI applications depending on their risks and implement varying degrees of restrictions.

But the EU is keen to give AI a boost. The European Commission aims to reach an annual investment of €20 billion over the course of this decade to help Europe become a global leader in this area of tech. At the same time, it is focusing on making AI ethical and humancentred.

So, while other regions may be slightly ahead of Europe when it comes to AI uptake, Forrester’s report stated that European companies are not lagging far behind, and the bloc is certainly leading the way in terms of its focus on ethics and trustworthy AI.

Much like how it took the baton

Source: www.siliconrepublic.com

B U S I N E S S I N T E RV I E W

Richard Jackson, CEO at Alphaletz, launched his pioneering app for property landlords two years ago. Having filled a real gap in the market, we find out more about the exciting future developments Richard has in the pipeline.

Written by Anna McMahon | Produced by Danielle Harris

Alphaletz is a cloud-based and mobile app for busy residential landlords, born out of the frustration of its CEO and founder, Richard Jackson, in finding a suitable software package to manage his property portfolio. He explains, “I founded the company about two years ago. I did it because I was looking for a product on the market to cater for my needs as a landlord, but I could not find the right one. I started the prototype about three or four years before we launched the company, so it has been in development for many years now.” Comprising an online desktop product alongside the userfriendly mobile app, Richard received great praise for his product from likeminded property landlords. In the

two years since its launch, Alphaletz’s customer base has grown considerably, largely consisting of residential landlords with multiple properties, one with as many as 200. He continues, “What we are finding is that people with one or two properties are dropping out of the market because being a landlord is hard work. In comparison, those who take it more seriously, with five or more properties to their name, are actually expanding their portfolio. That is our target market.” The rental market has seen a lot of change in the last few years,

“Our view for the future is that we want to offer more products and services through the app, helping people do even more online” Richard Jackson

including increased compliance and regulation, meaning many landlords find it difficult to remain compliant. The Alphaletz app aims to make life easier for its users, helping them to make sense of the latest legal requirements. Richard says, “Keeping track of safety certificates and insurance records can be a challenge. Our system allows you to centralise all the important information. With all your documents in one place, 38

you can see everything you might need at a glance.” Another challenge for landlords lies in calculating their tax situation. In answer, Alphaletz provides detailed financial reports to make light work of the figures. Richard explains, “What you used to be able to do was offset your mortgage payment as a business expense, but new legislation came in and changed

the rules. You can no longer offset the mortgage payment against the rental income, so the whole amount is now a taxable expense. That completely changed the landscape for many landlords. For example, if you are a higher rate tax payer, you could in fact be making a significant loss. This is another reason why people love our app – we really help them to get their heads around the figures.”

So, would Richard recommend being a property landlord as a good investment in these uncertain times? He answers, “Yes, as long as you know what you are doing. I believe the goal of the new regulation was to try and make it a more professional industry. Many landlords that are prospering are those who are turning their businesses into limited companies. For those who view it as a proper business rather than a hobby, it is still a great investment.” With the housing shortage, property prices up 10 per cent, and rental demand increasing, the rental market is going from strength to strength. Richard adds, “What landlords needs is a really good system to run their property portfolio like a business. 39

Remote Star are quite often on the call to support new starters, as well as coming up with ideas to define the system and manage our team in the best possible way. It is more than just a recruitment agency – Remote Star are the whole package!” Richard Jackson

We provide the technology to help them to do so.”

Hire The Right Way Hire Remote

www.remotestar.io

So, what was the effect of the pandemic on the industry? Richard answers, “Covid made everyone realise that they had to get their business online. We are cloud-based, so we already had an online presence, but it gave us the opportunity to rethink our business. Our view for the future is that we want to offer more products and services through the app, helping people do even more online. The technology is now there to do property viewings online with 3D video tours. That would be a massive time-saver. You can even check-in a tenant

remotely – that kind of technology is coming.

so our app is helping to solve this problem.”

“The first step is to get people using the platform, with access to their portfolio from any place, at any time. The beauty of cloud computing is that you never have to worry about back-ups or installing software on multiple devices. It’s just there, all centralised and available from anywhere and any device. We will continue to improve our capabilities to make it even easier to save time and drive down costs. We need more landlords in the market, and tenants want a better service,

The old way of working involved landlords using a mix of spreadsheets, calendar reminders, document-sharing software and accounting systems. Richard adds, “The problem is that these systems don’t talk to each other. What you really need is an instant answer. If a tenant calls with a leak, you need to know who to call there and then, and have immediate access to any insurance documents. Our system does that, with the information synced up across your desktop and 41

“We have a fantastic development team continually working on how we can de app to make life easier for landlords a alike. But, right now, what we have is a platform for landlords to manage their Richard Jackson

m, which is evelop the and tenants a really good r business”

mobile, so you can access it whenever you need it. Mobile is huge. Everyone wants everything on their mobile now. In the future, we want to provide the functionality to be able to pay bills and suppliers through the mobile app.” Alphaletz’s plan is to become the preferred platform for the whole rental market. To this end, further developments will see tenants being allowed access to the platform to log maintenance requests, check payments and send messages to landlords, as well as receive contact details for reputable tradespeople. Richard says, “We want to create a platform for everyone. By the very nature of this, we will be in a position to help drive costs down and make processes more efficient. As a result, landlords will be less inclined to drop

out of the market, ensuring greater availability for tenants. Not every tenant wants to be a homeowner. Being a tenant provides flexibility and the security of knowing your fixed costs each month.” The ability to engage in a conversation on the app between landlords and tenants will bring added benefits for both parties. Richard explains, “In the future, we want to assist users in keeping a log of the chat in case a dispute should arise. We have a fantastic development team, which is continually working on how we can develop the app to make life easier for landlords and tenants alike. But, right now, what we have is a really good platform for landlords to manage their business.” Alphaletz partnered with likeminded companies to 45

get the app off the ground and continues to look for complementary partners in order to drive the business forward. Richard explains, “We partnered with Landlord Law, who are specialists in the legal side of being a landlord. They have written some great blogs, which we have put on the website. It is not just about the app, but giving value through information, too. We are also promoting a company called GoSimpleTax, who help landlords manage and file their taxes. They have a fantastic, very low-cost product, which complements what we do.” When it came to finding the right tech talent, Alphaletz called on Remote Star to headhunt skilled individuals to help develop its world-class app. Richard says, “There is definitely a skills shortage in the technology market. It is difficult to find good people – it takes a long time and it is hard to retain them. Remote Star are specialists in recruiting top talent. They helped me to find the right people for our Alphaletz team and managed the relationship, as well as the contractual side. It is a bit like having an in-house HR department. Every morning, we do a sprint call with the development team to discuss 46

“With 2.5 million property landlords in the UK, Alphaletz aims to corner this market before going global”

what we achieved yesterday and what we plan to achieve today. Remote Star are quite often on the call to support new starters, as well as coming up with ideas to define the system and manage our team in the best possible way. It is more than just

a recruitment agency – Remote Star are the whole package!” With 2.5 million property landlords in the UK, Alphaletz aims to corner this market before going global. Richard concludes, “Being cloud-based, we are able

to look at the bigger picture. When you put everything that we offer together, we feel we are very wellplaced to help landlords around the world.” For further information, visit www.alphaletz.com 47

D I G I T I S AT I O N

The Future of P More than Di

Procurement igitalisation The question: 'to digitalise or not to digitalise?' is more relevant today than ever.

Procurement is undergoing a fourth industrial revolution led by new technologies today. ogether with increasing volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, this fourth revolution sets a brand-new challenging environment to navigate and succeed in. It is giving the procurement function a pivotal chance to redefine and reimagine itself in the view of ongoing digital transformation. Is digitalisation a catalyst for procurement transformation? Organisations, like DSM, are facing unique change and disruptions that challenges their future viability. Consumerisation is an ever-evolving industry landscape due to mergers and acquisitions activity. This

outcome-based pricing is brought up in a world of instant access to data, insights, and knowledge. In addition, the supply market is becoming more complex every day due to regulations, pandemics, and digital disruption, all key forces compelling procurement leaders to reevaluate strategies. One thing is clear, procurement must disrupt itself to grow and stay in front of change. Digitalisation is impacting and transforming supply chains across the globe and creates opportunities for the procurement function. Networks are more and more connected with each other, providing and sharing data. Big data becomes

more important as data can be turned into valuable information. Predictive analytics fed by big data enable insights in, for example, price developments (e.g. BerOe, a platform for market intelligence reports for raw materials) or supplier risks (e.g. SAP Ariba Supplier Risk module enriched with integrated 3rd party content like EcoVadis). Supplier integrated material inventory planning solutions give insights across the supply chains (e.g. SAP Ariba Supply Chain Collaboration), repetitive transactional activities can be taken over by robots, and blockchain is making its entrance in procurement.

"The procurement orga must evolve from purc to enabling a seamles 52

Developments are maturing at high speed and are becoming reality. In a world where most purchasing experiences are available at the touch of a button, suppliers, endusers, and procurement professionals are no longer willing to accept a weighty process and extensive delays. The procurement organisation of tomorrow must evolve from purchasing and sourcing, to enabling a seamless digital experience. Suppliers, customers, and the organisation itself will need to seamlessly integrate and be enabled through

anisation of tomorrow chasing and sourcing, ss digital experience" 53

digital platforms, extreme analytics, leading workforce capabilities, and an agile business model to compete in the future.

"Big data becomes more important as data can be turned into valuable information"

Leading procurement organisations across all industries, from energy (e.g. Shell and BP) and medical devices, to FMCG’s (like PepsiCo and Coca Cola) and innovative companies have developed plans, like DSM Indirect Procurement did with the buy.SMART program, to deal with disruption. They are moving into the future with a focus on innovation, supplier, and customer relationships, and an operating model that supports the business. These organisations recognise that technology and automation will continue to improve all aspects of the procurement operating model, driving efficiency and effectiveness. Manually intensive and administrative tasks must be replaced by new technology, which enables self-service, allowing procurement

professionals to concentrate on higher value activities that focus on suppliers, customers, and the business. The tool deployment is not the hardest part of the change, but the impact digitalisation has on people, organisation, processes, and tools. Let’s not forget, 56

digitalisation is not just a tool implementation, but a business transformation in all its elements: People – role and skill set change; Organisation – operating model change; Process – self-service is the norm; Tools– from manual to autonomous procurement.

"The tool deployment is not the hardest part of the change, but the impact digitalisation has on people, organisation, processes, and tools"

It is no longer business as usual for procurement. The key to success is to proactively develop a plan for how we can turn these disruptors into opportunity for competitive advantage and growth. Organisations’ future viability is taking shape in the moves that companies

are making now. For example, DSM with buy.SMART has taken the first move. The next step will be to have a clear north start for a digital roadmap and continuous improvement. Source: www.linkedin.com/pulse/ future-procurement-more-thandigitalization-andries-feikema 57

B U S I N E S S I N T E RV I E W

We chat to energy and sustainability expert, and founder of the Aban Foundation, Ahmad Karnama, about the role of technology in promoting today’s sustainable business growth strategies.

Written by Anna McMahon | Produced by Jennifer Davies

Ahmad Karnama works with various sustainability and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) initiatives around the world, with 18 years of experience in the energy and sustainability sector.

Having recently written an article on Organic Growth Theory, Ahmad is passionate about identifying opportunities for industry leaders to implement sustainable solutions. So, how important is the role of technology in any sustainable growth strategy? Ahmad answers, “I believe that technology is the most important enabler if you want to drive a sustainable strategy at a high level and make a realistic impact on the environment. Technology is a key element in any conversation. Businesses are incorporating sustainability as part of their growth strategy, and by using technology, they are able to move forward.” Five to seven years ago, Ahmad experienced real problems trying to get the attention of executive teams on the subject of sustainability because they viewed it as extra cost, but, today, he says the bigger issue is managing all of the interest. He continues, “We have passed the phase of seeing sustainability as extra cost. It is more efficient right now to invest in sustainable solutions for businesses to expand. We are always looking 61

at the return on investments and the timescale of that return, whether it is five years or 10 years. That is how you make a business case around any type of investment. For example, the cost of ownership of electric vehicles is now less than the diesel alternatives. You might need to pay an extra cost at the beginning for the electric vehicle, but you will get a payback that will remove the initial extra cost.” Investing in technology to support green initiatives is something businesses might view as an extra cost, but it will bring numerous benefits, as well as cost savings in the future. Ahmad says, “Driving an agenda to reduce carbon emissions cannot happen without having the right technology. One of the most important technologies that I am currently looking at is blockchain. There are misconceptions surrounding it that it is not sustainable and consumes more energy than other alternatives, but it depends on the consensus functions that you define. It can, in fact, reduce the energy consumption, and bring reliability and trust.”

"with blockchain, w level of trust, an more concrete co changes that

we can increase the nd with that, make ommitments to the need to happen”

Machine learning can also generate more efficiency and use cases to reduce energy consumption and drive a sustainable agenda, alongside analytics and automation. Ahmad explains, “There are three main groups of solutions – blockchain, AI and ML, and analytics and automation. I think these groups are defining where we want to go in this conversation, coming from the angle of Organic Growth Theory, and finding the right technologies to implement the initiatives.” Aside from the focus on sustainability, the use of technology brings the added benefit of offering greater visibility of the different business activities that are taking place. Ahmad says, “Blockchain, in particular, adds an element of trust. Conventional ways of working and the structure of organisations meant trust used to be low. But, with blockchain, we can increase the level of trust, and with that, make more concrete commitments to the changes that need to happen.” Ahmad goes on to say that where blockchain brings trust, analytics and automation 63

"The aim is to put sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS) together. Why should any corporate activity not be socially responsible?"

can create greater efficiencies. He adds, “Analytics and automation provide efficiency and connections to other shortterm gains, whether creating new jobs or improving the quality of education. Technology can enable younger people to be engaged in the development of those technologies, as well as helping developing countries to be part of the picture by making changes happen and working towards sustainable goals. 64

Developing countries need to be part of the game to push their industries to change, and to share the same goal of driving climate action.” Organic Growth Theory talks about natural corporate growth, which took place to make our lives easier and to improve the quality of life for people everywhere. Now that we have reached this point, Ahmad argues that something needs to happen

to change our way of working to be more sustainable. He says, “We need to define a new corporate agenda to reshape how we can do things better. That is the nature of us as humans – to seek to make improvements. Once we reach our target, there is always more work to be done. Today, we are in a critical situation, but we are on the right track and I do see us evolving. The aim is to put sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility

(CRS) together. Why should any corporate activity not be socially responsible? Every activity in the corporate world should be aligned with our social responsibility and connected to sustainability work.” New industries have been created out of the wave of change and the investment in sustainability. Ahmad says, “I am highly involved in solar energy. In the past, large nuclear power plants had the 65

“One of the posit from the pandem accelerated the I highly believe the hard push sustainable dev come closer to bec

Ahmad Karnama, Founder

tives to be taken mic is that it has wave of change. that it will be to make those velopment goals coming a reality”

r of the Aban Foundation

monopoly. We have since disrupted this industry, and you can see new companies and younger generations getting involved. It is a winwin. It only takes six months to a year to build a solar power plant, and middlesized companies can be part of the investment. In my view, the more distributed the old value chain is, the more value, competition and jobs will be created. One of the big benefits of sustainability is therefore the distribution of the value chain because, in the past, it was so integrated. It is amazing to see the wealth and opportunities filtering out to different parts of society.” Ahmad says that if you want to see where the biggest growth has taken place, you have to look towards where the problems lie e.g. carbon emissions, climate change and electricity production. He continues, “70 per cent of carbon emissions come from energy-related activities, so this is a huge part of the problem. The wave of change started in the utilities industries, and then onto oil and gas companies. I now see the trend in large companies, such as Rolls-Royce, who

want to get control over their own energy systems. The core of the business of utilities can today be operated by smaller entities, which we would never have thought possible in the past. All those big companies are now looking at how they need to readjust their strategy to incorporate sustainability as part of their growth.” The last decade has seen huge changes, but Ahmad highlights that the journey is not over. He concludes, “We are going in the right direction, but I would love the speed to be much faster. We have talked about electric vehicles for the last 12 years or so, but the pace of change is always slower than expected. Things take time. Then there are the politics, policy making and risk of losing jobs to be considered. One of the positives to be taken from the pandemic is that it has accelerated the wave of change. I highly believe that it will be the hard push to make those sustainable development goals come closer to becoming a reality.” For further information on the Aban Foundation, visit www.aban.foundation

WOMEN IN TECH

The Women TechEU scheme will offer grants and mentoring programmes to women-led start-ups to create a more equal deep-tech industry.

The European C launched Wome pilot programm support women start he pilot is being introduced to address the gender imbalance issue within the industry and to promote women in deeptech innovation. Up to 50 promising deep-tech start-ups from EU member states will be funded under the first Women TechEU pilot call. The scheme will offer financial support to womenled start-ups, with grants of €75,000 and first-class coaching and mentoring to be made available through

Commission has en TechEU, a new me, which aims to n-led deep-tech t-ups. the European Innovation Council’s Women Leadership Programme. The deep-tech industry currently accounts for over a quarter of Europe’s start-up ecosystem, but women are underrepresented in these deeptech companies, which are now valued at a combined €700bn. Data presented by the European Innovation Council (EIC) shows that only 15 per cent of innovative start-ups are founded or co-founded by

women, and just 6 per cent have all-women founding teams. Women-led businesses raise less venture capital than their male-only counterparts, including at the vital earlystage investments, and the amounts that they raise tend to be lower. Across Europe, only around 5 per cent of venture capital goes to mixed teams, and only 2 per cent to all-female teams. The Women TechEU initiative, which comes under the EIC’s new Horizon Europe innovation ecosystems programme, is attempting to narrow this innovation gender gap by supporting womenled deep-tech start-ups at the earliest, and often riskiest stage of development. “Through Women TechEU, we want to increase the number of women-led startups and create a fairer and more prosperous European deep-tech ecosystem. We believe that today’s support to deep-tech female founders will increase their chances of success and boost the overall 74

“Up to 50 promising deeptech start-ups from EU member states will be funded under the first Women TechEU pilot call”

“We believe that to deep-tech female fou their chances of suc overall European inn by drawing in mo

Mariya Gabriel, European commis

oday’s support to unders will increase ccess and boost the novation ecosystem ore female talent”

ssioner for innovation and research

The call for proposals closes on 10 November 2021

European innovation ecosystem by drawing in more female talent,” said Mariya Gabriel, European commissioner for innovation and research.

from the European Women in VC group. The group presented her with a detailed report and series of recommendations calling for increased funding for women in VC.

Last week, two days after the pilot scheme was announced on 13th July, Gabriel spoke over Zoom with representatives

The report was accompanied by a petition demanding equal access to capital for European female-led VC funds.

Those who wish to apply to the Women TechEU pilot scheme must have founded or co-founded an early-stage deep-tech start-up, and hold a top management position (CEO, CTO or equivalent) in the company. The company must be registered and established in an EU member

state or associated country for at least six months at the time of the submission. The call for proposals closes on 10th November 2021. You can apply through the Funding & Tender Portal: www.eic.ec.europa.eu Source: siliconrepublic.com 79

The COO at Sara Assicurazioni charts the company’s successful digital transformation journey

Michael Voegele, Chief Digital & Information Officer at Philip Morris International, explains why encouraging female representation is more than just a box-ticking exercise. The latest environmentallyfriendly products from sustainable brands across Europe.

T-Mobile Netherlands

The team talks mergers, an extensive IT transformation program, plus continued customer improvements in quality and efficiency

rry

inuous enhance costs

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Scale up Driving forward the next generation of European tech giants

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H E A LT H

Helping CEE’s health tech start-ups overcome industry hurdles Health tech start-ups struggle to navigate the tightly-regulated environment and gain access to expertise. Health Venture Lab, a European accelerator based in Hungary, is helping to overcome the obstacles.

Few programmes in the European health tech start-up calendar carry as much influence as Reactor, a three-monthlong remote programme for early-stage start-ups and entrepreneurs who want to develop their business competencies and health-related business ideas. Graduates of the programme last month had the chance to showcase their innovations at Demo Day, a now annual event that provides an additional boost for startups looking to break into the enormously competitive health tech sector. “It’s challenging to start a business, especially in the

Hea

healthcare industry, and it’s even more difficult to scale it up,” says Daniel Szemerey, co-founder and CEO of Health Venture Lab (HVL), the Hungary-based accelerator which organises the Reactor programme in partnership with GE Healthcare. “To manoeuvre in this highlyregulated environment, entrepreneurs need support from the ecosystem and corporations. HVL and our

alth

“The lectures and one-toone discussions with experts widened our understanding of how we should act on the market and the specific things we should take care of” Andras Szilagyi, co-founder and CEO of IT-MEDicine

partners want to see them thrive, so we offer market insights that they would otherwise not be able to receive.” In order to prepare the Reactor’s latest cohort – which took in 15 projects from across 12 countries – for this year’s Demo Day, teams were immersed for weeks with mentors and over 30 GE Healthcare experts. They shared vital know-how and experience across over 100 oneon-one consultations spread across four sprints, lasting 10 weeks in total. Andras Szilagyi, co-founder and CEO of IT-MEDicine, a Hungarian company developing gynaecological diagnostic devices, says that it is this expertise that makes Reactor such a huge draw. “A big plus of the Reactor programme is that it gave us an opportunity to meet with GE Healthcare experts. They work in the same field as us, but have decades of international experience in all areas: sales, software engineering, product

development and legal issues,” he explains. Szilagyi believes that his firm emerged from the event equipped with a deeper understanding of the industry, its challenges, and the strategies needed to overcome these challenges. “We received deep knowledge of the European healthcare sector and the marketing and sales of medical devices,” he says. “The lectures and one-to-one discussions with experts widened our understanding of how we should act on the market and the specific things we should take care of.” Szilagyi goes on to add that Reactor’s Demo Day was the perfect opportunity to network with fellow start-ups in the industry, an opportunity which many health tech start-ups miss out on. Such views are echoed by Madara Kalnina-Kalnmale, managing director at LightSpace Technologies, a developer of 3D imagery for use in medicine. “Overall (Reactor’21 Demo Day) gave us colossal visibility and the 88

“Usually it takes a long time to find the right people in huge corporations but the Reactor programme accelerated our road to a relevant division, key people, and it all happened at the right time and right place”

“We strive to involve more start-ups from the CEE region to help these young businesses grow rapidly” Daniel Szemery

chance to meet the right people, and now we are working on exploring further collaboration opportunities. “Usually it takes a long time to find the right people in huge corporations but the Reactor programme accelerated our road to a relevant division, key people, and it all happened at the right time and right place.” With the Covid-19 pandemic accelerating the demand for technology-based healthcare solutions, initiatives like Reactor provide much-needed guidance, particularly for firms in Central and Eastern Europe that often lack access to expertise and networks. “We strive to involve more startups from the CEE region to help these young businesses grow rapidly, bringing new technologies, jobs and a competitive environment to their regions,” concludes Daniel Szemery. Source: emerging-europe.com

B UOSRI N W K EFSRSOIM N THEO RM V IEE W

New normal of hybrid working sees two-thirds of European businesses increase IT spend

Remote IT support, cloud-based systems and cybersecurity infrastructure are among the top IT investment priorities across all sectors, as firms reassess their priorities and practices post-Covid.

As the dust settles on the fallout from the Covid-19 crisis and companies gear up for a new future in how they operate, research from Dynabook Europe has revealed that changing work patterns and locations have been a clear driver for growth in IT spend.

he research, The hybrid shift: managing an increasingly remote workforce, was commissioned by the laptop provider in partnership with Walnut Unlimited. More than 1,000 senior IT decision-makers at medium to large enterprises were surveyed, across a range of industry sectors in the UK, France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands, to reveal IT spending, new working patterns and device priorities for the next 12 months. The study found that more than two-thirds (67 per cent) of employees are expected to either work from home or from no fixed location following the pandemic, which has increased from 53 per cent before Covid-19. As a result, 65 per cent of European IT decisionmakers now have access to increased IT budgets this year, both to accommodate more widespread remote and hybrid working, and to support business continuity. All regions surveyed revealed an increase in IT

spend, with Spain showing the most change, with 71 per cent of organisations demonstrating a rise in tech investments in the next year, closely followed by 70 per cent of businesses in the Netherlands. More than three-quarters (76 per cent) of financial services organisations revealed increased budgets, as did 73 per cent of manufacturing businesses. Enterprises operating in the retail sector were the least likely to up their IT budgets, although over half (54 per cent) still indicated increased IT expenditure. As regards how firms ensure the productivity of their growing remote workforce, over half (51 per cent) of the organisations surveyed said they will prioritise providing remote support/assistance for staff. Compared with similar research conducted by Dynabook in 2018, this figure has increased from 29 per cent. Secure communication and collaboration tools were regarded as important for employee productivity – 41 per cent of IT decisionmakers noted both as 95

key for supporting good employee performance, while 37 per cent named IT training as an important factor. The survey also revealed that European businesses continue to accelerate digital transformation and equip themselves with a robust IT infrastructure to support a new remote and hybrid workforce. Cloud systems and remote IT assistance were highlighted as top priorities for organisations across all markets and sectors, with 50 per cent of respondents ranking both technologies top. UK businesses were found to prioritise remote IT support the most, with nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) naming it as a key focus. Not surprisingly, cybersecurity infrastructure (48 per cent) was also expected to be a tech investment priority in the next year, followed by IT training for staff (40 per cent) and equipping employees with devices coming in fifth (37 per cent). Comparing the importance placed on these technologies with pre-pandemic times, 77 per cent of organisations now regard security software as more important, while 96

Not surprisingly, cybersecurity infrastructure (48 per cent) was also expected to be a tech investment priority in the next year

The UK saw the highest disparity between laptop and desktop usage, with 90 per cent of UK companies using laptops, and only one-third (33 per cent) using desktops for remote working

73 per cent said collaboration tools are now more significant. At the same time, 70 per cent indicated cloud platforms as more valuable, and 62 per cent regarded device accessories with heightened importance going into the ‘new normal’. 98

The research also highlighted an increased value placed on laptops, with nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) of businesses now regarding purchasing decisions around such devices as more important than before Covid-19. The UK saw the highest disparity between laptop and

desktop usage, with 90 per cent of UK companies using laptops, and only one-third (33 per cent) using desktops for remote working. Desktop popularity remains higher in other parts of Europe – Spain (52 per cent), France (47 per cent) and

the Netherlands (46 per cent). Twothirds (66 per cent) of organisations across the region plan to integrate more laptops into their remote working infrastructure over the next 12 months, indicating that the reliance on notebooks will remain strong for the rest of 2021. 99

When it comes to key device features, the survey found that European businesses appeared to be taking heed of warnings of increased cyberattacks, with 81 per cent of them considering security to be an important feature when buying a laptop. Other key priority features include connectivity (80 per cent), performance (76 per cent), battery life (72 per cent) and portability (70 per cent). That said, 28 per cent consider performance to be the most important feature, compared with 20 per cent for security. “The last year has seen unprecedented change in the way we work, and it is clear from our research that European businesses are still racing to ensure their IT infrastructure meets the demands of an increased remote and hybrid workforce,” said Damian Jaume, president of Dynabook Europe. “Armed with increased budgets, it is evident that the role of the device has grown in importance as organisations realise the vital role hardware plays – alongside the right software – in keeping employees secure, connected and productive in this new world.” Source: www.computerweekly.com 100

The role of the device has grown in importance as organisations realise the vital role hardware plays – alongside the right software – in keeping employees secure, connected and productive in this new world Damian Jaume, president of Dynabook Europe

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IN THE SP OTLIGHT

START-UP OF THE MONTH

ParallelDots, Inc. is a fast-growing AI company building image recognition products for Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) manufacturers and retailers globally. arallelDots are looking to revolutionise the consumer goods industry, helping companies keep track of their products with the latest image recognition software. Their flagship product ‘ShelfWatch’ enables brands to recognise Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and measure their perfect store programme using Image Recognition and AI. Kushank Poddar, ParallelDots Sales and Strategy Director, said, “More than half of purchase decisions for consumer goods are made in-store. Brands do invest heavily towards 102

trade marketing but there are leakages due to lack of scalable and credible ways to assess execution. ShelfWatch bridges this gap and helps brands achieve target visibility levels.” How does it work? During their store visit, field representatives capture the images of the retail shelf using the ShelfWatch App, and upload it to the ParallelDots server. The AI then calculates KPI’s like planogram compliance, share of shelf, and price display detection, and generates an actionable insight report in realtime. An entire store can get audited in 10-15 minutes. This report also gets uploaded to the ShelfWatch dashboard provided to the brand HQ, where they can evaluate their brand performance. It is also used to generate score cards, on the basis of which, field representatives and retailers are awarded incentives.

Since incentives are based on the KPI report, its accuracy and the speed at which it is generated are important factors that brands consider when implementing Computer Vision solutions for retail execution. This is where ShelfWatch shines. The ParallelDots Data Science team has developed ShelfWatch technology in-house. It has successfully optimised the algorithm to give CPG and retail brands the best of both worlds – accuracy (over 95 per cent) and speed (real-time insights).

For further information, visit www.paralleldots.com 103

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