Celine Cazali
UKI chief partner officer, SAP
What has been your business highlight of 2022?
There have been two business highlights for me this year. The first is the return of face-to-face collaborative events with partners and customers. After a couple of challenging years it was easy to forget just how much we missed them. Our partner events make a huge impact on the entire SAP ecosystem, and we were crying out to see each other again. I very much look forward to the next one! The second highlight was more recent. SAP was selected to sponsor and develop an academic research project to make the UK's motorways more efficient, reduce their environmental footprint and accelerate the transition to a net-zero Britain. It's exciting because we're pivoting our customers to become partners. The project will see us co-innovate with the University of Cambridge and National Highways, through an existing partnership with Costain, to participate in the Digital Roads of the Future initiative. By supporting on the research into connected physical and digital road infrastructure, we are helping to improve how the UK's highways are designed, built, operated and used. This will support National Highways' 2025 Digital Roads ambitions and is a continuation of SAP's work with Costain on UK infrastructure projects.
If you were ruler of your own country, what law would you introduce first?
We need to be helping more people, and one area that I would seriously look at is rent control. The cost-of-living is hurting everyone and at a time where we want to attract and retain young talent, the fact that some people cannot live in certain places because the cost of living is too high, needs fixing. Many regions are bleeding talent at a time when we need the next generation to succeed us. Any legislation brought forward should focus on affordability, as you cannot increase rents forever. I understand that there is a passion for travel, and this is great for people wanting to learn and see more of the world, but we also need to make sure that they want to come home and can afford to live and work.
Which channel or tech leader (outside of your own company) has impressed you most in 2022?
Dr. Patricia Scanlon, founder and executive chairperson of SoapBox Labs and Ireland's first AI ambassador is an amazing tech leader. Inspired by her oldest child and her background as a speech engineer, she founded SoapBox Labs in 2013 to redefine how children interact with technology using their voices. Her story, and the technology she develops, are a brilliant example of how AI can be used for good, as it delivers a joyful and engaging learning experience for children.
If you had a warning label, what would it say?
"Beware. Seriousness, trustworthiness and loyalty contained within!"
What was your first job?
I started my career in film production in Paris before moving to Prague to work on a film. I was an assistant to the producer and while I loved the travel and the idea of working in film, I knew it wouldn't be a ‘forever' job.
What was the last book you read, and was it any good?
The Promises of Giants from John Amaechi OBE and it was fantastic! He has an amazing way of communicating the qualities of effective leadership. I love the story about how he found his strengths, and became a psychologist after basketball, helping others to overcome their biases. We need people who are willing to fill the leadership void, people who believe in improving society and workplace culture. It doesn't only make life better, but it is proven to yield positive results. The book really helps leaders to look at people for who they are and not just their strengths.
What's the most important lesson you've learned from another business leader or mentor?
As a people manager, one of the learnings that I've taken from some great leaders is that you need to be prepared to let people go. Obviously, we don't want people to leave, and at SAP we have fantastic programmes to nurture and develop our talent, but our role is to help people get to where they want to go and become who they want to become. If our only focus is retention and keeping hold of someone that clearly wants to move on, it rarely works out. The focus should be building them up to go on to achieve what they want to achieve. It's natural to feel hurt or abandoned when this happens but they have helped the business to grow, and the feeling is reciprocated. You're a better leader if a colleague is a better professional when they're ready to move on.
Who would play you in a movie of your life?
Juliette Binoche as a French actress that made it international and can speak both English and French