Brewer to digital leader: Lion reinvents itself in the cloud era
'Younger consumers are moving away from beer – our core category – and turning to spirits, premixes and ready-to-drink options. It's a cultural shift, and we need to adapt how we operate, go to market and connect with the next generation of consumers.'
Consumer preferences aren't the only challenge.
With the market fragmenting and competition intensifying, Lion needed greater agility than its legacy systems could provide to keep up with the current pace of business.
'Our previous technology setup just wasn't built for the speed or complexity the business faces today,' says Kalyanasundaram. 'We needed to reduce friction, improve decision-making and simplify the tools our teams rely on to move faster.'
With RISE with SAP, Lion was able to fast-track its business modernisation using the guided transformation journey tailored for SAP ERP customers. Supported by proven methodologies, advanced tools and expert guidance, Lion was rapidly able to start unlocking the full potential of SAP's Business Technology Platform.
Additionally, by moving its on-premises ERP to the firm's private cloud, Lion also reduced infrastructure costs and freed up internal teams to focus on value-added work. 'SAP handles the heavy lifting – infrastructure, upgrades – and we focus on delivering outcomes,' Kalyanasundaram says.
'Where speed, seasonality and supply chain precision really matter, by adopting these clean core principles, we can basically standardise our processes and use as much of the stock standard SAP product as possible.
'It's helped us create a modular architecture that's ready for innovation,' he adds. 'We can now deploy business changes in days or weeks, not months.'
Those changes have already had a measurable impact. All digital channels combined account for 80-85 per cent of overall customer orders. Lion's customer portal, which sits on SAP commerce cloud, now handles majority of customer orders with the other majority via EDI ordering which from major national accounts like Coles and Woolworths.
Customers can self-serve for orders, invoices and returns, giving Lion a more scalable, responsive digital storefront.
'This isn't about technology for its own sake,' says Kalyanasundaram. 'It's about creating differentiated customer experiences that genuinely improve how we do business and more importantly, become easier to do business with.'
Behind the scenes, SAP's Business Technology Platform (BTP) and AI-powered tools are delivering real-time insights, enabling faster planning and empowering staff to make decisions without waiting for reports.
'Order-to-cash cycle times have improved, inventory and pricing visibility is sharper, and our field sales teams are more effective,' says Kalyanasundaram.
But the technology shift has also had a deeper cultural impact.
'One of the biggest outcomes for me personally is how this transformation has enabled true collaboration between business and technology,' says Kalyanasundaram. 'It's a shared transformation — not a tech project. That co-creation is what's driven real value.'
To support governance and long-term visibility, Lion has implemented SAP Signavio and LeanIX.
These tools offer process intelligence and architecture mapping, allowing the company to continuously assess how it operates and where it can innovate not just from a technology perspective but from a business perspective as well.
'Signavio lets us review and re-engineer core processes. LeanIX gives us a living map of our enterprise architecture so we can make smarter investment decisions,' says Kalyanasundaram.
Analysts say Lion's approach reflects broader momentum across the industry.
'AI is changing the ERP landscape by providing more insight and automation to workflows, business processes and transactions, and ultimately improving companies' decision velocity for better customer outcomes,' according to an IDC MarketScape vendor assessment.
Lion is also progressing with other core system upgrades as part of its on-prem-to-cloud transformation. Key projects underway include the migration of its CRM to SAP's Customer Experience (C4C) platform and the replacement of its manufacturing excellence system.
These efforts are designed to build on the gains already achieved and ensure Lion's
operational backbone is fully aligned with its cloud-first strategy and leverage upcoming innovations in Generative and Agentic AI.
Kalyanasundaram's advice for others embarking on a similar path?
'Do it sooner rather than later – but do it strategically. This isn't just about upgrading systems. It's about unlocking growth,' he says. 'You need leadership alignment, cultural readiness and to build your transformation with your best people, not around them.'
With the transformation well underway, Lion now stands better equipped to meet the shifting expectations of both customers and consumers.
Says Kalyanasundaram, 'We've simplified, we've scaled, and now we're positioned to innovate with speed and confidence - leveraging SAP's continuous platform evolution to stay ahead of emerging technologies and industry shifts.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
4 days ago
- The Advertiser
Miscalculation led to Spain power outage: govt report
Spain's power grid operator REE miscalculated its power capacity needs on the day that a surge in voltage caused a massive blackout across the Iberian peninsula in April, a government investigation has concluded. REE did not have enough thermal power stations switched on during peak hours of April 28 when the surge caused a chain reaction leading to the power outage, Spain's Energy Minister Sara Aagesen said on Tuesday. "The system did not have sufficient dynamic voltage control capacity," Aagesen told a news briefing in Madrid. REE "told us that they made their calculations and estimated that (switching on more thermal plants) was not necessary at this time. They only set it for the early hours of the day, not the central hours." The blackout that lasted for several hours caused massive gridlock in cities and left thousands stranded on trains and in elevators across the Iberian peninsula. An extensive report on the investigation, which will be made public later on Tuesday, concluded that some power plants that are required by law to regulate the grid's voltage failed to do so in the moments before the power outage. Power plants "should have controlled voltage and, moreover, many of them were economically remunerated to do so. They did not absorb all the reactive power that was expected in a context of high voltages," she added. Europe electricity grids' frequency or voltage is maintained at 50 Hertz to ensure stability. Even slight deviations can lead to damage of equipment and infrastructure. Keeping it stable requires electricity generation companies to adjust their output to match demand and the grid operator usually has tools to inform them when to do so by monitoring continually the status of the frequency and knowing when demand might be higher or lower. A drop in frequency shows demand has exceeded supply and a rise shows supply is not matching demand. The investigation found no evidence of a cyber attack, she added. Spain's power grid operator REE miscalculated its power capacity needs on the day that a surge in voltage caused a massive blackout across the Iberian peninsula in April, a government investigation has concluded. REE did not have enough thermal power stations switched on during peak hours of April 28 when the surge caused a chain reaction leading to the power outage, Spain's Energy Minister Sara Aagesen said on Tuesday. "The system did not have sufficient dynamic voltage control capacity," Aagesen told a news briefing in Madrid. REE "told us that they made their calculations and estimated that (switching on more thermal plants) was not necessary at this time. They only set it for the early hours of the day, not the central hours." The blackout that lasted for several hours caused massive gridlock in cities and left thousands stranded on trains and in elevators across the Iberian peninsula. An extensive report on the investigation, which will be made public later on Tuesday, concluded that some power plants that are required by law to regulate the grid's voltage failed to do so in the moments before the power outage. Power plants "should have controlled voltage and, moreover, many of them were economically remunerated to do so. They did not absorb all the reactive power that was expected in a context of high voltages," she added. Europe electricity grids' frequency or voltage is maintained at 50 Hertz to ensure stability. Even slight deviations can lead to damage of equipment and infrastructure. Keeping it stable requires electricity generation companies to adjust their output to match demand and the grid operator usually has tools to inform them when to do so by monitoring continually the status of the frequency and knowing when demand might be higher or lower. A drop in frequency shows demand has exceeded supply and a rise shows supply is not matching demand. The investigation found no evidence of a cyber attack, she added. Spain's power grid operator REE miscalculated its power capacity needs on the day that a surge in voltage caused a massive blackout across the Iberian peninsula in April, a government investigation has concluded. REE did not have enough thermal power stations switched on during peak hours of April 28 when the surge caused a chain reaction leading to the power outage, Spain's Energy Minister Sara Aagesen said on Tuesday. "The system did not have sufficient dynamic voltage control capacity," Aagesen told a news briefing in Madrid. REE "told us that they made their calculations and estimated that (switching on more thermal plants) was not necessary at this time. They only set it for the early hours of the day, not the central hours." The blackout that lasted for several hours caused massive gridlock in cities and left thousands stranded on trains and in elevators across the Iberian peninsula. An extensive report on the investigation, which will be made public later on Tuesday, concluded that some power plants that are required by law to regulate the grid's voltage failed to do so in the moments before the power outage. Power plants "should have controlled voltage and, moreover, many of them were economically remunerated to do so. They did not absorb all the reactive power that was expected in a context of high voltages," she added. Europe electricity grids' frequency or voltage is maintained at 50 Hertz to ensure stability. Even slight deviations can lead to damage of equipment and infrastructure. Keeping it stable requires electricity generation companies to adjust their output to match demand and the grid operator usually has tools to inform them when to do so by monitoring continually the status of the frequency and knowing when demand might be higher or lower. A drop in frequency shows demand has exceeded supply and a rise shows supply is not matching demand. The investigation found no evidence of a cyber attack, she added. Spain's power grid operator REE miscalculated its power capacity needs on the day that a surge in voltage caused a massive blackout across the Iberian peninsula in April, a government investigation has concluded. REE did not have enough thermal power stations switched on during peak hours of April 28 when the surge caused a chain reaction leading to the power outage, Spain's Energy Minister Sara Aagesen said on Tuesday. "The system did not have sufficient dynamic voltage control capacity," Aagesen told a news briefing in Madrid. REE "told us that they made their calculations and estimated that (switching on more thermal plants) was not necessary at this time. They only set it for the early hours of the day, not the central hours." The blackout that lasted for several hours caused massive gridlock in cities and left thousands stranded on trains and in elevators across the Iberian peninsula. An extensive report on the investigation, which will be made public later on Tuesday, concluded that some power plants that are required by law to regulate the grid's voltage failed to do so in the moments before the power outage. Power plants "should have controlled voltage and, moreover, many of them were economically remunerated to do so. They did not absorb all the reactive power that was expected in a context of high voltages," she added. Europe electricity grids' frequency or voltage is maintained at 50 Hertz to ensure stability. Even slight deviations can lead to damage of equipment and infrastructure. Keeping it stable requires electricity generation companies to adjust their output to match demand and the grid operator usually has tools to inform them when to do so by monitoring continually the status of the frequency and knowing when demand might be higher or lower. A drop in frequency shows demand has exceeded supply and a rise shows supply is not matching demand. The investigation found no evidence of a cyber attack, she added.
The Advertiser
4 days ago
- The Advertiser
Stocks dip, oil rallies as Mideast tensions rise
Stocks fell, while oil and gold have risen, as fighting between Israel and Iran entered a fifth day, raising investor concerns over the risk of a broader regional conflict in a week packed with key central bank decisions. US President Donald Trump urged everyone to evacuate Tehran and cut short his visit to the Group of Seven summit in Canada, while a separate report said he had asked for the National Security Council to be prepared in the situation room. S&P 500 futures initially dropped 0.7 per cent before paring some of those losses, while crude prices rose as much as 2.2 per cent to a high of $US74.85 ($A114.45) a barrel, bringing gains in the last week to around 11 per cent. Adding another layer of complexity for investors this week is a raft of central bank meetings, starting with the BOJ and including the Federal Reserve, Bank of England and Swiss National Bank. "Investors are trying to take all this on board. It is very difficult at the moment, I think. And there's an understandable degree of nervousness. Should I really be holding on to these stocks now at these levels?" Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, said. "Once the central bank parade is out of the way, then we might get a better sense of where they view things." The heightened uncertainty kept investors flocking to traditional safe-haven assets, as a rise in US Treasuries pushed yields lower across the curve, while gold prices edged up 0.3 per cent. Stocks in Europe sagged, leaving the STOXX 600 down 0.7 per cent on the day and around its lowest in three weeks, while euro zone government bond yields held steady. The major concern for investors with the conflict between Israel and Iran is the potential for it spill over into the broader Middle East, home to a large portion of the world's oil supply. No disruptions to crude supply have been reported yet, although news of a collision between two ships in the Gulf of Oman sent another brief jolt through the oil market overnight. The Bank of Japan, the first major central bank to decide on monetary policy this week, left short-term interest rates unchanged at 0.5 per cent as expected. The central bank said it would slow the pace at which it is unwinding its massive holdings of government bonds to avoid disrupting the market. Weak demand for Japanese government bonds (JGBs) at recent auctions, along with concern about the country's finances, sent longer-dated borrowing costs spiralling to record highs last month. The yen strengthened modestly, leaving the dollar down 0.1 per cent at 144.725, while yields on 10-year bonds rose 2.5 bps to 1.475 per cent, as the BOJ's outlook suggested there would be less support for shorter-dated paper. "The slower pace of bond tapering was what the market had hoped for and it help prevent long-term interest rates from shooting up," Saisuke Sakai, a senior economist at Mizuho Research and Technologies said. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is expected to hold rates steady on Wednesday but the focus yet again will be on the path Fed Chair Jerome Powell charts for future rate cuts as policymakers try to navigate Trump's tariff policies and their global impact. Traders are pricing in two cuts by the end of the year. Investors also monitored developments on trade deals with Trump's early July deadline on tariffs fast approaching. Tariff talks between Japan and the United States on the sidelines of the G7 summit fell short of a breakthrough, while a deal with Britain left unresolved the issue of steel and aluminium duties. Gold, which has gained 30 per cent so far this year, was up another 0.1 per cent at $US3,385 ($A5,176) an ounce. Stocks fell, while oil and gold have risen, as fighting between Israel and Iran entered a fifth day, raising investor concerns over the risk of a broader regional conflict in a week packed with key central bank decisions. US President Donald Trump urged everyone to evacuate Tehran and cut short his visit to the Group of Seven summit in Canada, while a separate report said he had asked for the National Security Council to be prepared in the situation room. S&P 500 futures initially dropped 0.7 per cent before paring some of those losses, while crude prices rose as much as 2.2 per cent to a high of $US74.85 ($A114.45) a barrel, bringing gains in the last week to around 11 per cent. Adding another layer of complexity for investors this week is a raft of central bank meetings, starting with the BOJ and including the Federal Reserve, Bank of England and Swiss National Bank. "Investors are trying to take all this on board. It is very difficult at the moment, I think. And there's an understandable degree of nervousness. Should I really be holding on to these stocks now at these levels?" Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, said. "Once the central bank parade is out of the way, then we might get a better sense of where they view things." The heightened uncertainty kept investors flocking to traditional safe-haven assets, as a rise in US Treasuries pushed yields lower across the curve, while gold prices edged up 0.3 per cent. Stocks in Europe sagged, leaving the STOXX 600 down 0.7 per cent on the day and around its lowest in three weeks, while euro zone government bond yields held steady. The major concern for investors with the conflict between Israel and Iran is the potential for it spill over into the broader Middle East, home to a large portion of the world's oil supply. No disruptions to crude supply have been reported yet, although news of a collision between two ships in the Gulf of Oman sent another brief jolt through the oil market overnight. The Bank of Japan, the first major central bank to decide on monetary policy this week, left short-term interest rates unchanged at 0.5 per cent as expected. The central bank said it would slow the pace at which it is unwinding its massive holdings of government bonds to avoid disrupting the market. Weak demand for Japanese government bonds (JGBs) at recent auctions, along with concern about the country's finances, sent longer-dated borrowing costs spiralling to record highs last month. The yen strengthened modestly, leaving the dollar down 0.1 per cent at 144.725, while yields on 10-year bonds rose 2.5 bps to 1.475 per cent, as the BOJ's outlook suggested there would be less support for shorter-dated paper. "The slower pace of bond tapering was what the market had hoped for and it help prevent long-term interest rates from shooting up," Saisuke Sakai, a senior economist at Mizuho Research and Technologies said. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is expected to hold rates steady on Wednesday but the focus yet again will be on the path Fed Chair Jerome Powell charts for future rate cuts as policymakers try to navigate Trump's tariff policies and their global impact. Traders are pricing in two cuts by the end of the year. Investors also monitored developments on trade deals with Trump's early July deadline on tariffs fast approaching. Tariff talks between Japan and the United States on the sidelines of the G7 summit fell short of a breakthrough, while a deal with Britain left unresolved the issue of steel and aluminium duties. Gold, which has gained 30 per cent so far this year, was up another 0.1 per cent at $US3,385 ($A5,176) an ounce. Stocks fell, while oil and gold have risen, as fighting between Israel and Iran entered a fifth day, raising investor concerns over the risk of a broader regional conflict in a week packed with key central bank decisions. US President Donald Trump urged everyone to evacuate Tehran and cut short his visit to the Group of Seven summit in Canada, while a separate report said he had asked for the National Security Council to be prepared in the situation room. S&P 500 futures initially dropped 0.7 per cent before paring some of those losses, while crude prices rose as much as 2.2 per cent to a high of $US74.85 ($A114.45) a barrel, bringing gains in the last week to around 11 per cent. Adding another layer of complexity for investors this week is a raft of central bank meetings, starting with the BOJ and including the Federal Reserve, Bank of England and Swiss National Bank. "Investors are trying to take all this on board. It is very difficult at the moment, I think. And there's an understandable degree of nervousness. Should I really be holding on to these stocks now at these levels?" Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, said. "Once the central bank parade is out of the way, then we might get a better sense of where they view things." The heightened uncertainty kept investors flocking to traditional safe-haven assets, as a rise in US Treasuries pushed yields lower across the curve, while gold prices edged up 0.3 per cent. Stocks in Europe sagged, leaving the STOXX 600 down 0.7 per cent on the day and around its lowest in three weeks, while euro zone government bond yields held steady. The major concern for investors with the conflict between Israel and Iran is the potential for it spill over into the broader Middle East, home to a large portion of the world's oil supply. No disruptions to crude supply have been reported yet, although news of a collision between two ships in the Gulf of Oman sent another brief jolt through the oil market overnight. The Bank of Japan, the first major central bank to decide on monetary policy this week, left short-term interest rates unchanged at 0.5 per cent as expected. The central bank said it would slow the pace at which it is unwinding its massive holdings of government bonds to avoid disrupting the market. Weak demand for Japanese government bonds (JGBs) at recent auctions, along with concern about the country's finances, sent longer-dated borrowing costs spiralling to record highs last month. The yen strengthened modestly, leaving the dollar down 0.1 per cent at 144.725, while yields on 10-year bonds rose 2.5 bps to 1.475 per cent, as the BOJ's outlook suggested there would be less support for shorter-dated paper. "The slower pace of bond tapering was what the market had hoped for and it help prevent long-term interest rates from shooting up," Saisuke Sakai, a senior economist at Mizuho Research and Technologies said. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is expected to hold rates steady on Wednesday but the focus yet again will be on the path Fed Chair Jerome Powell charts for future rate cuts as policymakers try to navigate Trump's tariff policies and their global impact. Traders are pricing in two cuts by the end of the year. Investors also monitored developments on trade deals with Trump's early July deadline on tariffs fast approaching. Tariff talks between Japan and the United States on the sidelines of the G7 summit fell short of a breakthrough, while a deal with Britain left unresolved the issue of steel and aluminium duties. Gold, which has gained 30 per cent so far this year, was up another 0.1 per cent at $US3,385 ($A5,176) an ounce. Stocks fell, while oil and gold have risen, as fighting between Israel and Iran entered a fifth day, raising investor concerns over the risk of a broader regional conflict in a week packed with key central bank decisions. US President Donald Trump urged everyone to evacuate Tehran and cut short his visit to the Group of Seven summit in Canada, while a separate report said he had asked for the National Security Council to be prepared in the situation room. S&P 500 futures initially dropped 0.7 per cent before paring some of those losses, while crude prices rose as much as 2.2 per cent to a high of $US74.85 ($A114.45) a barrel, bringing gains in the last week to around 11 per cent. Adding another layer of complexity for investors this week is a raft of central bank meetings, starting with the BOJ and including the Federal Reserve, Bank of England and Swiss National Bank. "Investors are trying to take all this on board. It is very difficult at the moment, I think. And there's an understandable degree of nervousness. Should I really be holding on to these stocks now at these levels?" Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, said. "Once the central bank parade is out of the way, then we might get a better sense of where they view things." The heightened uncertainty kept investors flocking to traditional safe-haven assets, as a rise in US Treasuries pushed yields lower across the curve, while gold prices edged up 0.3 per cent. Stocks in Europe sagged, leaving the STOXX 600 down 0.7 per cent on the day and around its lowest in three weeks, while euro zone government bond yields held steady. The major concern for investors with the conflict between Israel and Iran is the potential for it spill over into the broader Middle East, home to a large portion of the world's oil supply. No disruptions to crude supply have been reported yet, although news of a collision between two ships in the Gulf of Oman sent another brief jolt through the oil market overnight. The Bank of Japan, the first major central bank to decide on monetary policy this week, left short-term interest rates unchanged at 0.5 per cent as expected. The central bank said it would slow the pace at which it is unwinding its massive holdings of government bonds to avoid disrupting the market. Weak demand for Japanese government bonds (JGBs) at recent auctions, along with concern about the country's finances, sent longer-dated borrowing costs spiralling to record highs last month. The yen strengthened modestly, leaving the dollar down 0.1 per cent at 144.725, while yields on 10-year bonds rose 2.5 bps to 1.475 per cent, as the BOJ's outlook suggested there would be less support for shorter-dated paper. "The slower pace of bond tapering was what the market had hoped for and it help prevent long-term interest rates from shooting up," Saisuke Sakai, a senior economist at Mizuho Research and Technologies said. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is expected to hold rates steady on Wednesday but the focus yet again will be on the path Fed Chair Jerome Powell charts for future rate cuts as policymakers try to navigate Trump's tariff policies and their global impact. Traders are pricing in two cuts by the end of the year. Investors also monitored developments on trade deals with Trump's early July deadline on tariffs fast approaching. Tariff talks between Japan and the United States on the sidelines of the G7 summit fell short of a breakthrough, while a deal with Britain left unresolved the issue of steel and aluminium duties. Gold, which has gained 30 per cent so far this year, was up another 0.1 per cent at $US3,385 ($A5,176) an ounce.
AU Financial Review
4 days ago
- AU Financial Review
Brewer to digital leader: Lion reinvents itself in the cloud era
'Younger consumers are moving away from beer – our core category – and turning to spirits, premixes and ready-to-drink options. It's a cultural shift, and we need to adapt how we operate, go to market and connect with the next generation of consumers.' Consumer preferences aren't the only challenge. With the market fragmenting and competition intensifying, Lion needed greater agility than its legacy systems could provide to keep up with the current pace of business. 'Our previous technology setup just wasn't built for the speed or complexity the business faces today,' says Kalyanasundaram. 'We needed to reduce friction, improve decision-making and simplify the tools our teams rely on to move faster.' With RISE with SAP, Lion was able to fast-track its business modernisation using the guided transformation journey tailored for SAP ERP customers. Supported by proven methodologies, advanced tools and expert guidance, Lion was rapidly able to start unlocking the full potential of SAP's Business Technology Platform. Additionally, by moving its on-premises ERP to the firm's private cloud, Lion also reduced infrastructure costs and freed up internal teams to focus on value-added work. 'SAP handles the heavy lifting – infrastructure, upgrades – and we focus on delivering outcomes,' Kalyanasundaram says. 'Where speed, seasonality and supply chain precision really matter, by adopting these clean core principles, we can basically standardise our processes and use as much of the stock standard SAP product as possible. 'It's helped us create a modular architecture that's ready for innovation,' he adds. 'We can now deploy business changes in days or weeks, not months.' Those changes have already had a measurable impact. All digital channels combined account for 80-85 per cent of overall customer orders. Lion's customer portal, which sits on SAP commerce cloud, now handles majority of customer orders with the other majority via EDI ordering which from major national accounts like Coles and Woolworths. Customers can self-serve for orders, invoices and returns, giving Lion a more scalable, responsive digital storefront. 'This isn't about technology for its own sake,' says Kalyanasundaram. 'It's about creating differentiated customer experiences that genuinely improve how we do business and more importantly, become easier to do business with.' Behind the scenes, SAP's Business Technology Platform (BTP) and AI-powered tools are delivering real-time insights, enabling faster planning and empowering staff to make decisions without waiting for reports. 'Order-to-cash cycle times have improved, inventory and pricing visibility is sharper, and our field sales teams are more effective,' says Kalyanasundaram. But the technology shift has also had a deeper cultural impact. 'One of the biggest outcomes for me personally is how this transformation has enabled true collaboration between business and technology,' says Kalyanasundaram. 'It's a shared transformation — not a tech project. That co-creation is what's driven real value.' To support governance and long-term visibility, Lion has implemented SAP Signavio and LeanIX. These tools offer process intelligence and architecture mapping, allowing the company to continuously assess how it operates and where it can innovate not just from a technology perspective but from a business perspective as well. 'Signavio lets us review and re-engineer core processes. LeanIX gives us a living map of our enterprise architecture so we can make smarter investment decisions,' says Kalyanasundaram. Analysts say Lion's approach reflects broader momentum across the industry. 'AI is changing the ERP landscape by providing more insight and automation to workflows, business processes and transactions, and ultimately improving companies' decision velocity for better customer outcomes,' according to an IDC MarketScape vendor assessment. Lion is also progressing with other core system upgrades as part of its on-prem-to-cloud transformation. Key projects underway include the migration of its CRM to SAP's Customer Experience (C4C) platform and the replacement of its manufacturing excellence system. These efforts are designed to build on the gains already achieved and ensure Lion's operational backbone is fully aligned with its cloud-first strategy and leverage upcoming innovations in Generative and Agentic AI. Kalyanasundaram's advice for others embarking on a similar path? 'Do it sooner rather than later – but do it strategically. This isn't just about upgrading systems. It's about unlocking growth,' he says. 'You need leadership alignment, cultural readiness and to build your transformation with your best people, not around them.' With the transformation well underway, Lion now stands better equipped to meet the shifting expectations of both customers and consumers. Says Kalyanasundaram, 'We've simplified, we've scaled, and now we're positioned to innovate with speed and confidence - leveraging SAP's continuous platform evolution to stay ahead of emerging technologies and industry shifts.'
