Three days in Madrid for SAP Sapphire 2026. A packed agenda at the IFEMA Madrid exhibition center, countless conversations, and a lot to take in.But what stood out most was not the sessions, or the keynotes. It was a clear shift in mindset across the entire SAP ecosystem.

The conversations felt different this year. More urgent. More ambitious. More focused on what happens next. Each day naturally centred around a core theme: vision, capability, and execution.

Here's my diary of how it unfolded.
 

Day 1: The Autonomous Enterprise | A New Direction

Day one kicked off with the usual energy.

 It was great to reconnect with familiar faces, meet new people across the   ecosystem, and spend time with our consultancy partners hearing how they are   preparing for what comes next.

 Very quickly, one theme started to come through strongly: the autonomous   enterprise.

 In conversations with consultancies and end users, you could see that people   are already getting ready for change:

 •    Project scopes are shifting
 •    New requirements are emerging
 •    What does this next wave mean for your existing SAP  landscape


We attended sessions around Joule, contractor compliance, and manufacturing  efficiency.

Different topics on the surface, but all pointing in the same direction. SAP is moving towards systems that do not just support processes, but actively run them.

There is still a lot to define and plenty of questions to answer. But the direction is clear. The conversation is moving beyond optimisation towards transformation at scale.

For us at Energize SAP, one thing stood out immediately. If the autonomous enterprise becomes reality, demand for the right skills is only going to increase.

The technology is one part of the story.

People will make the difference.

Day 2: AI and Joule | Ambition Meets Reality

Day two brought the vision into sharper focus.

 The keynote from Christian Klein and his team set the tone clearly: to think big.   That ambition came through strongly across everything related to AI and Joule.

  Across sessions and conversations, the same questions kept coming up:

 •    How advanced is Joule today
 •    What does this actually look like in practice
 •    How ready are organisations to adopt it

  The pace of change is undeniable.

  I recently spoke with CIOs who had ten-year roadmaps in place.
  Now they are  asking whether they can deliver the same outcomes in five.

  That tells you everything about how quickly expectations are shifting.

 At the same time, there was real honesty in the room.

 One VP of Technology I spoke to put it very well:

 “If they achieve 20 percent of what they are saying, it will already be a massive improvement.”


That balance between ambition and realism came up again and again.

The organisations leaning in are the ones willing to challenge themselves. They are open to change, ready to evolve, and prepared to rethink how work gets done.

The conversations carried on into the evening.

Great atmosphere, plenty of energy, and a strong reminder of how collaborative and forward-looking this ecosystem is.

Day 3: Talent and Execution | Making It Happen

By day three, the focus shifted to reality.

  We heard from customers already working with Joule, RISE with SAP, and   early AI adoption.

 The benefits are real. More efficient processes, better decision making,   and more connected operations. But there was also a clear reminder of   where things actually stand.

 Some organisations are still in the scoping phase for S/4HANA, which   highlights how early many transformation journeys still are.

 This is not something that will happen overnight. Many of the topics   discussed this week will shape the SAP market for the next decade.

 Which brings everything back to execution.
 
 No matter how strong the vision is, success comes down to three things:

 •    Having the right skills
 •    Moving quickly
 •    Delivering when it matters

One moment really reinforced this for me. A partner introduced us as the team who delivered critical consultants to a project within days. That is what the market expects now.

Speed and reliability are no longer differentiators. They are the baseline.

The event closed with Roger Federer on stage, which for me personally was a real highlight.

Beyond the obvious, what stood out was how relevant his mindset is to what we are seeing across the SAP space right now.

 A few things stayed with me:

 •    Celebrate the small wins
 •    Never underestimate the invisible hard work behind success
 •    Stay sharp, even when things are going well

 “It is very windy at the top.”

 - Roger Federer
 

In a week where we have seen so much ambition, growth, and acceleration across the SAP ecosystem, that message felt very real.

Because whether in sport or enterprise transformation, success brings pressure. And maintaining performance over time is what really sets organisations apart.

My Final Thoughts on the SAP Sapphire event

 Looking back at the three days, everything connects clearly:

•  - Day one showed the direction: the autonomous enterprise;
•  - Day two showed the capability: AI and Joule;
•  - Day three brought it back to reality: talent and execution.

 The technology is evolving quickly and the ambition is clear.

 But the gap between vision and delivery is where the   real work happens.
 The organisations that succeed will not just be the ones who understand   the technology.

 They will be the ones who have the right people in place to make it happen.

 That is exactly where we focus.


Did you attend SAP Sapphire this year?
If so, what stood out to you?
If you’re navigating your own SAP transformation and thinking about how to build or scale your team, we’d love to hear  your perspective.

Let’s talk.
 

     Jaime Simón
     Divisional Director
     Energize SAP