Tony Harris
Senior Vice President of Product Marketing for SAP Business Network
As the first hire from outside the US, Tony Harris had no experience with procurement or eSourcing technology. Almost two decades on, Tony now spearheads product marketing for the solution which is at the cutting edge of supply chain transformation – SAP Business Network.
Running the European operation at the best-in-breed eSourcing solution provider, Tony Harris worked for Frictionless Commerce. As the first hire outside of North America, it saw him compete in the same market as the company he would go onto serve for 18 years and counting.
Coming from a background in CRM and ERP software, this was his first exposure to procurement and supply chain technology – which gave him the opportunities to lead a variety of global functions at SAP covering sales, product management, partner management and more recently marketing.
"Frictionless was the reason I got into this particular software segment and then SAP has really enabled me to grow and well in fact thrive in this space,” he says.
The evolution of supply chains
With a wide range of products, SAP’s digital supply chain solutions cover all aspects of the supply chain process.
Tony thinks where supply chains have really evolved more recently is with the added advantage and benefit of SAP Business Network which compliments SAP's digital supply chain solutions.
"The network really bridges the breakpoint between where the solutions are great at managing the internal part of the process, to the trading partners that operate outside the 4 walls of the business and outside of those internal systemsThat's where the network has really helped to start to differentiate those solutions, certainly against our competitors in that space."
Tony has witnessed firsthand the transformation of supply chains: “From fairly rigid linear tools to more dynamic networks that really enable far more agility and visibility into what's happening across the supply chain."
Supply chains are now always-on in a post-pandemic world where the industry continues to see “lots of disruption, therefore lots of change.”
"If your supply chains and technology haven't evolved then you're unlikely to thrive in today’s economy, but for those that have, they are far more agile and responsive to supply chain disruption,” he adds.
Leading the market
Tony's almost two decades at SAP have been littered with accomplishments and solution accolades, including achieving industry analyst recognition last December. But Tony says he is most proud of the “amazing team” he has assembled in his current role leading marketing for SAP Business Network.
“Business Networks are a relatively nascent market and a large part of our work is to create awareness of what these solutions can do and the value outcomes they drive for customers. Last year we had around 20 million impressions, working with our customers to create some really compelling stories, case studies and references which we share through a variety of channels. We also analyse the market and work with our customers, partners and industry analysts to determine what innovations and opportunities to focus on next,” Tony adds.
"SAP is an amazing growth company to work for and we're all here because we want to be here and we want to make a difference,” he adds.
"We want to have an impact for our customers first and foremost, but seeing that we've achieved that level of market leadership is extremely rewarding for everybody involved across the company."
Optimal supply chain performance
One of the key roles of SAP Business Network and for Tony’s team is helping buyers and suppliers find new sources of supply and new business. With that comes the ability to create an optimal supply chain for companies.
For Tony, to create this paradise, he first thinks of the "end game". “An optimal supply chain is delivering on the customer promise. What it takes to get to that state means having an organisation and a supply chain that is running extremely efficiently.
“Efficiency there means, having suppliers you can depend upon, understanding the risk of your supply chain and how to manage these risks, having visibility throughout and the list goes on.”
His almost two decades in the industry is down to his agility, he says: "You need to be agile, curious, open to trying new things and new roles. You need the ability to seek out your stakeholders and other people within the company to be successful in not only your own, but also in your team's endeavours.
"SAP continues to expand into new areas and continues to reinvent itself as a company. I think those of us that have been here for a while now really do embrace that kind of mindset."
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