At PEX Network’s All Access: BPM APAC 2025, industry leaders and transformation experts came together to explore the evolving role of business process management (BPM) in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence (AI), data and digital innovation.
With real-world case studies, practical insights and honest reflections, the discussions centered on how organizations within the region can rethink workflows to stay competitive, compliant and future-ready.
What BPM means in 2025
Transformation expert Tariq Munir, former APAC financial planning transformation lead at PepsiCo, opened the event by breaking down what BPM really means in today’s fast-moving environment.
He emphasized the need to understand processes from both a customer-first (“outside-in”) and an operational (“inside-out”) perspective. Streamlining workflows, he noted, isn’t just about speed – it’s about delivering meaningful value. For this reason, while AI and automation are exciting, true transformation starts with understanding your core business problems, and not with the technology.
One of the standout themes from the discussion was the power of process mining and using digital twin tools to map, analyze and simulate entire processes to help businesses make smarter decisions. Tariq argued that every organization which is already using digital technology is now ready for process mining. If you’re just getting going with BPM implementation in your own setting, his advice is to start small, take a hybrid approach that mixes data with human insights and scale from there.
The role of AI in BPM
Meanwhile, GBTEC’s Thomas Kohlenbach brought a grounded yet forward-thinking perspective to the role of AI in BPM. His message was that AI’s promise is real, but it only delivers when backed by strategy, strong leadership and ethical implementation.
Reflecting on how fast AI has come to dominate conversations, he urged organizations to slow down and think strategically before diving in.
He emphasized that AI isn’t just a trend to chase; it’s a tool that must be integrated thoughtfully into governance structures, with clear ownership, accountability and purpose. He highlighted the importance of understanding why you’re using AI, not just how, tying it back to trust, transparency and culture.
Without high-quality, ethical and secure data, even the most advanced AI models can miss the mark, Kohlenbach said. He also demonstrated how GBTEC’s AI-enabled BPM suite assists (not replaces) human workers, from drafting processes to streamlining documentation.
How BPM is transforming banking
We were then joined by Tim Hogarth, chief technology officer for ANZ Bank in Australia, who shared a candid and insightful look into how BPM plays out in a real-world, high-volume banking environment.
He explained that while BPM holds the promise of streamlining complex workflows (such as the 300+ tasks involved in approving a home loan), it takes time and a lot of detail to implement – so it is far from a silver bullet. Historically, banks tackled these challenges with specialized human roles (back in the day, they even employed someone whose entire job was to remove staples from contracts!) and a quilt of disconnected IT systems.
Now, thanks to AI, there’s a shift from just optimizing workflow flows to optimizing the tasks themselves – such as using technology to read, verify and interpret documents, which were once only doable by humans. This means that the nature of the work that those employed at the bank is changing, but it is essentially making processes much more efficient.
Tim also stressed that AI is only as good as the data it is fed. If an organization’s knowledge is scattered across conflicting documents and blogs, AI will simply give you a polished version of the mess. So to truly benefit, companies need discipline in how they collect, label and manage data – especially documents. AI’s biggest advantage isn’t in the model itself, it’s in the prep. Get your facts right, and the rest will start to click into place.
You can watch the full conversation here
The AI adoption journey in BPM
Next, Kavitha Chennupati, senior director of global product management at SS&C Blue Prism, discussed the AI adoption journey in BPM. She emphasized that AI adoption is a progressive, non-linear path which needs to be rooted in strong data, governance and process maturity.
She introduced SS&C’s Intelligent Automation Maturity Model and explained how organizations can move from basic automation to scaled, autonomous systems, where AI supports dynamic orchestration and decision-making. Kavitha highlighted the shift from skepticism to enthusiasm around AI, and stressed the importance of aligning use cases with value, tech maturity and governance.
She also introduced SS&C’s governance framework, addressing regulatory compliance, data security and deployment concerns. Her colleague Simon James gave a useful demo, showcasing lots of practical applications of AI which can be used to streamline workflows across the business, such as summarizing complex documents for insurance underwriting.
The scale and urgency of digital transformation
Finally, Gia-Thi Nguyen from SAP Signavio highlighted the immense scale and urgency of digital transformation, with companies expected to invest over US$5 trillion in digital transformation activities by the end of 2025.
He emphasized that transformation is not a one-off project but an ongoing need to address multiple drivers. Success lies in aligning people, processes, applications and data throughout the transformation lifecycle, and doing so with the aid of benchmarks, methodologies and contextual AI.
To support this, SAP recently strategically acquired solutions like Signavio (for process management), LeanIX (for enterprise architecture) and WalkMe (for digital adoption). These tools, he said, while powerful individually, are even more effective when integrated, offering visibility and agility across the full transformation journey. Achieving business outcomes at speed is the new imperative, and SAP’s transformation suite is built to deliver just that.
In summary, it seems that BPM in APAC is no longer just about efficiency: it’s about adaptability, data integrity and strategic use of emerging technologies such as AI. From mining process insights to building ethical AI frameworks, there is substantial momentum across APAC to move towards more intelligent, responsible and human-centric transformation.
There has never been a better time to amplify your BPM and get going!
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