Gert De Pauw (SAPience): “Knowledge Sharing Is in Our DNA”

20.05.2025

Topic: S/4HANA | SAP

Gert De Pauw, Chairman of the Belgian SAPience User Group

The Belgian SAPience User Group identifies change management as the greatest challenge its member companies face in transitioning to S/4HANA and the cloud. To support them, SAPience focuses on central events like its USERday and leverages the expertise of partners such as xSuite Group, which shares insights on invoice processing, e-invoicing, and end-to-end P2P processes.

From a Local Initiative to a Regional Powerhouse

Founded in 2002 to serve SAP user companies in Belgium, SAPience User Group supports its members in expanding their SAP skills and networks. This is achieved through the exchange of information, experiences, and ideas, collaboration with user groups from other countries, and continuous dialogue with SAP.

Since 2024, Gert De Pauw has served as chairman, spearheading the SAPience 2.0 initiative—a fresh approach to improving communication, member recruitment, and encouraging stronger participation in SAPience activities.

“We aim to be a modern SAP user group with high stakeholder engagement,” says De Pauw. He positions the organization as a neutral and transparent platform for both SAP customers and partners. Both sides benefit from valuable technical content and networking opportunities across various business areas and industries.

Navigating the Shift to the Cloud

Like user groups worldwide, SAPience is contending with the move to S/4HANA and SAP’s broader vision of inevitable cloud migration. While SAP’s RISE and GROW frameworks provide support, Gert De Pauw emphasizes that the impact of cloud transformation on companies—especially regarding investment, pricing models, and usage—is profound.

Change Management Still in Its Infancy

SAPience calls on SAP to articulate a clear vision and strategy while giving customers more time. Cultivating a cloud mindset does not happen overnight, nor does adopting the clean-core approach, which requires moving away from heavily customized legacy systems toward BTP-based best practices.

Developing this mindset and gaining sufficient user acceptance requires training and foundational change management, both of which are still in their early stages. This explains why over half of SAP customers in the Benelux region remain on-premises. When cloud adoption occurs, private cloud is typically preferred, even though many companies are indeed open to public cloud solutions. In this context, SAPience identifies a trend based on company size: larger organizations tend to prefer private cloud solutions, whereas smaller or newer companies are more inclined to choose public cloud.

To address these pressing topics, SAPience offers special interest groups, masterclasses, and flagship events such as its USERday, scheduled for December 2, 2025. This key event (akin to the DSAG Annual Congress) will spotlight hot topics like SAP Business Suite, Business Data Cloud, and Artificial Intelligence. xSuite Benelux will also be in attendance, presenting its invoice processing solutions across all SAP deployment models, enhanced with AI-driven features and electronic invoicing capabilities.

xSuite at SAPience USERday

Partner-led solution presentations, such as those from xSuite, are an essential part of SAPience’s daily operations and often lead to new customer relationships. “Nonetheless, selling solutions or services is never our top priority,” stresses Gert De Pauw. “We are not a commercial platform. Our DNA lies in the exchange of knowledge, know-how, best practices, and innovation.”

SAPience’s core mission is to understand, consolidate, and critically assess the experiences, challenges, and aspirations of SAP user companies in the region—while constructively challenging SAP’s decisions when necessary.

International Collaboration and Shared Challenges

As a member of the SAP User Group Executive Network (SUGEN)—a global association of SAP user groups—SAPience coordinates regularly with national counterparts. Monthly and annual meetings provide updates on SAP’s roadmap and allow for shared learnings.

A current topic of interest is the EU Supply Chain Act, which, following economic pushback, will not come into force until June 2028. “Of course, we welcome the move toward more sustainable and ethical business practices,” says Gert De Pauw. “It’s important that all stakeholders, including businesses, understand how their actions affect the entire value chain and how each can contribute positively to the social and environmental landscape.”

However, Gert w notes that many companies are still in the early stages of defining practical approaches to sustainability and cooperation goals. In addition to legal and technical requirements, process adaptation is key. According to the SAPience chairman, SAP and other tech providers can help businesses integrate the right solutions into their SAP environments. But this must be preceded by a clear vision and actionable roadmap. While Belgian SAP customers are making progress, the transformation remains a complex strategic endeavor that spans departments and involves numerous stakeholders.

Gert De Pauw looks forward to tackling these and future challenges—hopefully with a growing membership base.

More on the Belgian SAPience User Group: https://sapience.be/