Value Reframed: From Back Office to Digital Growth Engine


23 - 24 September 2025  l  Virtual 

Global Business Services is no longer the quiet engine behind the scenes — it's now the front line of enterprise agility, AI innovation, customer experience and measurable business impact.

Yet too many GBS organizations are still treated as service providers rather than strategic growth engines. That’s no longer acceptable — not for companies aiming to lead, and certainly not for the GBS talent poised to shape the future.

The Shared Services & GBS Digital Summit 2025 is built for the strategists, operators, and innovators ready to reframe value, reset expectations, and reclaim GBS’s role as a critical driver of enterprise growth.

Get actionable strategies to:

  • Close the AI gap by embedding agentic AI into core operations
  • Solve the critical skills crisis by attracting and growing the next generation of GBS talent
  • Future-proof your location strategy by shifting from low-cost labor to digital talent hubs
  • Optimize end-to-end processes for speed, scalability, and enterprise value
  • Unlock data as a revenue driver through advanced analytics and insight
  • Position GBS as a true growth partner linked directly to transformation outcomes

Built on SSON Research & Analytics’ latest benchmarks, frameworks, and market intelligence, this summit connects ambition with action — so you leave ready to lead and deliver impact.

Tuesday 23rd

8:45 am - 9:00 am

Chairperson Remarks: Reframing Value, Reclaiming Growth

9:00 am - 9:40 am

Opening Keynote Panel: GBS Has Outgrown Its Job Description — Now What?

9:45 am - 10:15 am

From Automation to Autonomy: Building the Self-Driving GBS Organization

10:20 am - 10:50 am

Human-in-the-Loop CX in GBS: Fusing Automation & Empathy for High-Impact Service

10:55 am - 11:25 am

Location Strategy Reframed: Data-Driven Decisions for a Shifting Global Landscape

11:25 am - 11:40 am

City Cube Demonstration: SSO Landscape, Talent Availability, Languages, and Cost of Labor

11:45 am - 12:15 pm

Closing the Capability Gap — Solving Talent, Skills, and Retention Challenges

Wednesday 24th

9:00 am - 9:40 am

Process Standardization — The Missing Link to Scaling Digital GBS

9:45 am - 10:15 am

Scaling Automation and AI — Moving Beyond Pilots to Enterprise Transformation

10:20 am - 11:20 am

End-to-End Case Study Hour: P2P, R2R, and O2C — Closing the Last Mile Gaps

11:25 am - 12:00 pm

The World's Best GBS: Inside the DNA of High-Performance Organizations

12:00 pm - 12:15 pm

Metric Intelligence Hub™: Benchmarking Across 150+ Processes, Industries & Functions

12:20 pm - 1:00 pm

Setting the Bar: Introducing the GBS Industry Standards Framework

Cristina-Nicoleta Apetrei

Cristina-Nicoleta Apetrei

Chief of Staff for the CEO

Société Générale Global Solution Centre

Stephan Bily

Stephan Bily

Vice President, Global Business Services

Lexmark

Dijo Davies

Dijo Davies

GBS Transformation Office

SLB

Maria Janssen

Maria Janssen

Global Head of Operations Engineering and Transformation

Allianz

Mihaela Cretu

Mihaela Cretu

Director, Global Shared Services

Puratos

Elias van Herwaarden

Elias van Herwaarden

Principal

Locationperspectives

Alexander Thielmann

Alexander Thielmann

Head, Global Business Services

Siemens

Robert Golnik, Ph.D.

Robert Golnik, Ph.D.

Sr. IT Development Mgr. (Global IT/Data & Analytics)

Danish Crown Global Business Services

Tom Bangemann

Tom Bangemann

Head of Data Development & Research

SSON Research & Analytics

Barbara Hodge

Barbara Hodge

Principal Analyst & Global Editor

SSON Research & Analytics

Naomi Secor

Naomi Secor

Global Managing Director

SSON Research & Analytics

Josh Matthews

Josh Matthews

Global Membership Director

SSON Research & Analytics

How do I join the online conference?

Register above using the form and your login will be emailed to you a week before the event. Your session access links and final agenda will be emailed to you one week prior to the conference.

How much does it cost to attend?

SSON Research & Analytics' Shared Services & GBS Summit is complimentary to attend.

Where is it located?

This is an online conference, which means that it can be accessed anywhere in the world through a desktop, laptop, mobile device or tablet.  Audio and presentation viewing is accessed through an internet connection.

Can I access the slides post-event?

All presentations will be available after the conference via the on-demand recording link.   When presenters have also approved for their slides to be available for download they will be made available in the Resource List folder inside the session and also in the digital gift bag post-event.