SAP and Deloitte is an example of a purposeful partnership. In February 2019, they developed a co-innovation competition among 16 teams of students chosen from universities across the U.S. The project’s goal is to Provide Real-World Business Experience by solving the same business case using SAP technology, hence, enriching student lives.
SAP and Deloitte, are not only partners in digital transformation but also in improving people’s lives. The recent Forbes article by Simon Mainwaring, founder and CEO of We First, a leading brand consultancy, highlighted the two companies collaboration as hosts of the Global Goals House at the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival.
Entitled “Purpose At Work: SAP, Deloitte Digital And The Power Of Partnership For Our Future”, Mainwaring talked about the conscious efforts of companies in addressing social and environmental crises. Today, corporations and, even, the end-consumers pitch in with the government and non-profits’ efforts to alleviate global problems such as climate change, public health problems, and poverty alleviation. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations emphasize that companies and sector collaboration and purposeful partnerships help accelerate the progress of Global Goals.
SAP and Deloitte’s partnership for The Global Goals House, a global movement that brings together thought leaders and influencers across industries, government, NGOs and academes to realize SDGs, is considered a benchmark in the industry. The Global Goals House was designed as a powerful platform for partnerships that could address such issues and help brands deliver on the SDG goals.
Ann Rosenberg, SVP of UN Partnerships at SAP & Global Head of SAP Next-Gen, shared to We First Branding:
“The whole idea is that the Goal House, founded this year at Cannes Lions, acts as a platform for having difficult conversations.”
She added:
“It’s easy to talk about how great our companies are or how good our product is, but there’s always an elephant in the room. For example, if you look at the whole fashion industry, we buy clothes, we wear clothes. We don’t even know where they come from. People are good around the world but they just aren’t informed as to the impact of the products they buy or how they were made.”
Rosenberg expressed her belief that the Global Goals need solutions that not only a single entity can provide. Hence, collaboration among like-minded institutions is a must.
SAP has been taking purposeful partnerships globally by hosting meetups, dinners, breakfasts, lunches and the likes. According to the SVP, those events are avenues where the ERP software giant brings in operations, government, philanthropists, students, and citizens to come together, linking them to deliver on the Global Goals.
Rosenberg also explained that a company’s campaign is a promise that needs to be fulfilled. She stated:
“The storytelling and ad campaign need to be linked to the way you run your business. Our philosophy is that every single marketing campaign, everything you’re selling, needs to have a purpose in it, otherwise it’s not a story. It shouldn’t even be told.”
“The people who come up to the Global Goals House make that extra effort. They do it because of the company purpose. They live by that purpose. When you live by your purpose anything else is not important. It is the purpose that determines what you do and don’t do.”
SAP and its partners are committed to the purpose of improving lives. Rosenberg explained that The Global Goals House is about the “responsibility SAP has as a company.” She said:
“For Deloitte, it’s the same thing. We’re inviting all others and uniting everybody to be part of this.”
“We want people to build their own Goal Houses. We want people to get this movement going around the world and to be part of the push to make it happen.”
At the heart of The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, are the 17 SDGs, which are an urgent call for action by all countries in a global partnership. SAP and Deloitte are creating a meaningful space where organizations of all types, setting aside their competitive instincts, can collaborate in achieving those SDGs.
“When you begin to commit to this work, you very quickly find people who share the same vision and you can begin to gather community around you,” Rosenberg said.
United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals
- No Poverty
- Zero Hunger
- Good health and well-being
- Quality Education
- Gender Equality
- Clean Water and Sanitation
- Affordable and Clean Energy
- Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Industry Innovation and Infrastructure
- Reduced Inequalities
- Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Responsible Consumption and Production
- Climate Action
- Life Below Water
- Life on Land
- Peace Justice and Strong Institutions
- Partnerships for the Goals