Microsoft hires new COO to drive OPEX, EA CEO lauds GenAI, process mining comes to Oktoberfest – PEX Community News

PEX Network’s weekly news bulletin rounds up the latest from the process community including operational excellence (OPEX), digital transformation, business process management (BPM), process mining, artificial intelligence (AI) and much more.

This week includes:

• Microsoft appoints Carolina Dybeck Happe as new COO
• Generative AI more than a buzzword for EA
• Norfolk Southern prioritizes OPEX
• Process mining takes center stage at Oktoberfest
• Metro Bank accelerates digital transformation
• McDonald’s Philippines to digitize IT operations at 760+ restaurants

Microsoft appoints Carolina Dybeck Happe as new COO

Microsoft appointed Carolina Dybeck Happe (left) as new chief operations officer (COO) as the tech giant seeks to “raise the bar” on its OPEX. Dybeck Happe, who recently held the role of SVP and chief financial offer (CFO) at General Electric (GE), will report into Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO.

“I’ve come to admire Carolina through her work as a global business leader, including most recently her role in leading GE’s historic turnaround,” said Nadella. “She is recognized for her ability to drive transformational change at scale while delivering improved customer experiences and faster time to value.” Happe will partner with the senior leadership team to help Microsoft drive continuous business process improvement and accelerate company-wide AI transformation, Nadella added.

“As part of this transition, the Commerce + Ecosystems organization in Cloud + AI, the Microsoft Digital organization in Experiences + Devices, and the Microsoft Business Operations organization in Finance will move to report to Carolina,” according to Nadella.

Generative AI more than a buzzword for EA

Generative AI is not just a buzzword but rather a “core” business element of video gaming giant Electronic Arts (EA). That’s according to CEO Andrew Wilson, who spoke alongside other executives during the firm’s Investor Day presentation this week. “We believe AI will greatly expand and transform the entertainment experience for user-generated content,” Wilson said. “It will accelerate how innovators and creators in entertainment are building and delivering experiences rooted in self-expression, content creation, curation and instant gratification – the kind of entertainment that today’s players and fans deeply crave.”

EA currently has more than 100 active novel AI projects across three strategic categories: Efficiency, expansion and transformation, Wilson added. “This does not just mean cost savings today. Efficiency is doing what we’re doing today faster, cheaper and at a higher quality. That means driving more iteration, more testing and higher quality content for our community. It means removing obstacles for our game developers. It means culturizing content across geographies so they can focus on finding more fun for more players around the world.”

Norfolk Southern prioritizes OPEX

Rail transport firm Norfolk Southern is prioritizing OPEX and will not tolerate mediocre operational performance. That’s according to new CEO Mark George, who spoke for the first time since his appointment this week. “The tolerance for poor performance inside of rails has always bothered me,” George said. “Right now we are out of balance with the industry. We have got to get our profitability back in line and that is our principal focus right now. We’ve got to get our operating ratio back in line in the same ZIP code as our peers and we’re committed to do that,” reported Trains.

George praised the work of John Orr, COO of Norfolk Southern, in setting up war rooms where operational problems are identified, analyzed and fixed. “You drill into the processes to understand what broke down, and then what process changes you need to fix it permanently. He’s got these war rooms set up with these guys … and gals behind these huge screens identifying the issues, what the root causes are and how to permanently fix ’em.”

Last month, Norfolk Southern announced the appointments of three new transportation leaders to accelerate its OPEX.

Pradheep Kileti, National Grid, reflects on balancing operations and innovation 

Process mining takes center stage at Oktoberfest

Women in Process Mining (WIPM) – a community that supports and celebrates women in the process mining field – is hosting an event at Oktoberfest next week. Held at the iconic Paulaner Festzelt in Munich, the event is an opportunity to connect with process mining peers and share ideas amid the festivities of the annual beer festival, organizers said. In attendance will be WIPM co-founder Gabriela Galic.

WIPM runs multiple local chapters across the globe that aim to create a vibrant network of individuals passionate about leveraging process mining to drive innovation and excellence.

Metro Bank accelerates digital transformation

Retail and commercial bank Metro Bank entered into a long-term collaboration with Infosys to digitally transform its business operations. Leveraging Infosys Topaz, Metro Bank aims to enhance digital capabilities, improve automation, refine data and embed further AI capabilities, according to a press release.

“This collaboration with a world class provider like Infosys builds on the solid foundations we have already laid, unleashing our true potential and creating a sustainably profitable and scalable organization that is fit for the future,” said Daniel Frumkin, CEO of Metro Bank. “At the end of this transformation, we will be a very different business, but the true essence of Metro Bank will remain the same – a high-quality service organization putting customers center-stage.” The firm expects to deliver £80 million (over US$100 million) of annualized cost savings this year across multiple initiatives, Frumkin added.

Nao Anthony, Commonwealth Bank, and Tariq Munir, PepsiCo, discuss the challenges of digital transformation

McDonald’s Philippines to digitize IT operations at 760+ restaurants

The George Yang-led Golden Arches Development Corporation (GADC), the master franchise holder of McDonald’s in the Philippines, signed a two-year partnership with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to standardize and digitize the IT operations of more than 760 restaurants. TCS will implement an advanced upgrade of McDonald’s current systems in the Philippines to the cloud (SAP S/4HANA on RISE), according to a press release. The benefits of the upgrade include increased efficiency and optimized operating costs, digital transformation and innovation, improved process optimization and workforce productivity, it added.

“We are pleased to partner with GADC on this significant engagement that marks an important step for TCS Philippines as we expand our presence in the region’s fast-food industry,” commented Shiju Varghese, country head, TCS Philippines. “By leveraging the advanced capabilities of SAP S/4HANA and the innovative potential of SAP BTP, we aim to enhance McDonald’s operational efficiency and customer experience, for business innovation and excellence.”

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