Across industries and geographies, organizations are operating in an environment defined by uncertainty. Geopolitical volatility, supply chain disruption, regulatory complexity, and accelerating technological change are no longer exceptional circumstances. They are the new baseline.
In this context, innovation is not about experimentation on the sidelines. It is about building the operational foundation required to remain effective, trustworthy, and competitive under pressure.
For many years, enterprise technology focused primarily on optimization, improving efficiency, reducing cost, and increasing speed. These goals still matter, but they are no longer sufficient for business success. Today, leaders must ensure that their organizations can adapt in real time, integrate seamlessly across ecosystems, and maintain control over their most critical data and processes.
This shift, from readiness for known scenarios to resilience in the face of the unknown, is what unites the 19 winners of the 2026 SAP Innovation Awards.
From technology adoption to institutional capability
Earlier this month, we announced the finalists for this year’s awards. Today, it is my privilege to recognize the winners, organizations that have moved decisively from ambition to execution.
What distinguishes these companies, public institutions, and organizations is not the novelty of the technologies they use, but the way they apply them. They treat business processes as strategic assets. They design for interoperability, transparency, and trust. And they understand that digital transformation is ultimately about strengthening institutional capability, not simply deploying software.
Across hundreds of submissions, the winning projects consistently demonstrated three priorities that are increasingly inseparable:
- Operational effectiveness, where strategic intent is translated into measurable outcomes
- Control and sovereignty, ensuring compliance, security, and ownership of data while operating at global scale
- Ecosystem orchestration, connecting partners, suppliers, and stakeholders to reduce fragmentation and increase responsiveness
By leveraging the depth and breadth of the SAP portfolio, from cloud ERP and business AI to industry solutions and SAP Business Technology Platform, these organizations have shown that stability and innovation are no longer mutually exclusive.
The 2026 SAP Innovation Award winners
The following organizations represent the action side of transformation. Each demonstrates how disciplined execution and a clear architectural vision can deliver tangible value for customers, employees, and society.
AI Excellence
Harnessing SAP Business AI to fundamentally improve productivity and decision-making:
- Martur Fompak International
Cloud ERP Champion
Embracing cloud ERP as the backbone for long-term agility and scalability:
- PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
- Vedanta Limited
Customer Experience Innovator
Redefining customer engagement through integrated, cloud-based business processes:
- IBM
Financial Futurist
Modernizing financial operations to increase transparency, resilience, and trust:
- Ministry of Defence of Ukraine
Industry Leader
Applying multiple SAP solutions to transform business models, collaborate across ecosystems, and generate societal or environmental impact:
- Nestlé (Consumer Industries)
- Piller Blowers & Compressors GmbH (Discrete Industries)
- Prysmian (Energy and Natural Resources)
- City of Madrid (Public Services)
- Accenture (Service and Financial Services Industries)
People Experience Pioneer
Reimagining the employee experience through data-driven and human-centric transformation:
- Capgemini
Procurement Visionary
Using automation and insight to strengthen spend control and supplier collaboration:
- TASNEE (National Industrialization Company)
Services Superstar
Accelerating business outcomes through the effective use of SAP services:
- Federal Tax Authority, United Arab Emirates
Supply Chain Catalyst
Building resilient, compliant, and transparent supply chains:
- Sasol
- Ericsson
Sustainability Hero
Leveraging data to enable responsible decision-making and support a more sustainable economy:
- ArcelorMittal SA
Technology Pathfinder
Solving complex business challenges with measurable impact using SAP Business Technology Platform:
- Promocean The Netherlands BV
- Land O’Lakes, Inc.
Transformation Impact
Driving enterprise-wide change and strengthening long-term transformation capability:
- KPMG International
Recognition and responsibility
All of our winners have set a clear benchmark for what resilient, future-ready organizations look like in practice.
We look forward to recognizing their achievements at SAP Sapphire, where customers and partners from around the world will come together to share insights, compare experiences, and continue shaping the ecosystems that underpin global business.
Looking ahead
The SAP Innovation Awards are more than just a moment of recognition. They signal that digital sovereignty, operational resilience, and responsible innovation are achievable across industries, sectors, and regions. The organizations recognized this year demonstrate what is possible when technology choices are guided by clear priorities and long-term thinking.
May these examples encourage others to take the next step, moving with confidence from readiness to resilience.
View the full list of 2026 SAP Innovation Award winners.
Thomas Saueressig is Chief Customer Officer and Member of the Executive Board of SAP SE.
