Our General Manager Muhammed Kadan's interview with infocity.tech
“We take pride in being the first to implement many of SAP’s innovative solutions in the region”
Vesacons was founded in 2016 in Turkey by a group of experts in SAP HR solutions. Today, more than 60 clients benefit from Vesacons’ consulting services, and the number of completed consulting projects has exceeded 100. Since 2020, Vesacons has been actively expanding its operations in Azerbaijan. A clear testament to this is the 2024 “Top Net New Name Performer” award, which was presented to “Vesacons Azerbaijan” as one of the top 20 SAP partners in Central and Eastern Europe. We spoke with Muhammed Kadan, the CEO of Vesacons, the official SAP partner in Turkey and Azerbaijan, about the consulting services the company offers to the local market.
— Hello, Mr. Kadan! Your company offers not only implementation and business consulting services, but also outsourcing and project support based on SAP solutions. How high is the demand for these services in Azerbaijan?
— We have been operating in the Azerbaijani market for over 10 years and have observed a significant increase in demand for SAP solutions during this time. More and more companies are realizing how important SAP technologies are for increasing their competitiveness and improving business process efficiency. Demand for SAP solutions and related consulting services will only continue to grow as the market must adapt to new demands and challenges. It’s important to understand that SAP is the world’s largest enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Implementing SAP solutions without partner support can often be complex, as SAP has been in the market for over 50 years and offers a vast portfolio of products and a tremendous amount of knowledge and processes across all sectors of the economy. That’s why SAP continues to strengthen its ecosystem of expert partners to better tailor its solutions to customers’ needs. Each partner company, including ours, has a specific area of expertise. For example, Vesacons specializes in human capital management solutions. We help our clients optimize their HR processes through solutions such as Employee Management (“SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central”), Performance Management (“SAP SuccessFactors Performance and Goals”), Compensation (“SAP SuccessFactors Compensation”), Succession and Career Development (“SAP SuccessFactors Succession and Development”), Learning (“SAP SuccessFactors Learning”), Recruiting (“SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting”), and Onboarding (“SAP SuccessFactors Onboarding”).
— How would you assess the HR solutions market in Azerbaijan? Have many companies already implemented HR modules?
— The Azerbaijani market is rapidly growing in line with global trends in digital transformation. Human resource management has become increasingly important, as organizations recognize that their personnel are their most valuable asset. Investments in learning, development, and talent retention have become critical for companies striving for success. We expect that demand for HR solutions will continue to rise as companies seek to improve their efficiency and create a positive work environment for their employees. Currently, approximately 15 companies in Azerbaijan use SAP’s human capital management solutions. Vesacons Azerbaijan played an active role in the implementation of 60-70% of these projects. I am confident that with the growing interest in cloud-based technologies such as SAP SuccessFactors, the number of companies turning to us for support and consulting will significantly increase in the coming years.
— Which segments do you consider to be the fastest-growing when it comes to using SAP SuccessFactors solutions?
— In the HR segment, we are seeing the most growth in the areas of employee management and payroll processing. Companies are also increasingly seeking to automate recruitment, onboarding, and performance management processes.
— How do you view the integration of artificial intelligence tools into SAP products? And how is this affecting the consulting services offered by Vesacons?
— Artificial intelligence is already being actively integrated into SAP products. AI-based solutions help automate routine tasks, allowing employees to focus on more creative work. For instance, AI can be used to streamline recruitment processes, analyze data, and assess employee performance. In addition, SAP is implementing functionality that enables users to interact with the system via bots, which allows employees to request reports or other information through simple commands. This is the future, and AI will increasingly play a major role in human resource management. As more companies become our clients, we continue to accumulate valuable experience and knowledge. This enables Vesacons to offer even higher-quality service. We currently support HR processes for over 450,000 employees across 15 countries, and this experience helps us remain at the forefront of AI developments. Our company is committed to delivering maximum value to clients through deep SAP expertise and continuous upskilling of our team.
— How many certified SAP specialists are currently working at Vesacons?
— Today, our team includes more than 65 SAP-certified professionals, mainly in the area of human capital management. This is one of the largest teams in the region, and we ensure that our team members regularly undergo SAP certification to keep their knowledge and skills up to date.
— Could you share some of the most notable projects you’ve implemented in Azerbaijan?
— Over the years, we’ve participated in many significant projects in Azerbaijan. For example, in 2021, we were the first to implement a hybrid architecture using the cloud-based SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central for personnel management, integrated with the local SAP S/4HANA Payroll Processing system. We were also the first to localize the recruitment module into the Azerbaijani language. Another major milestone was our implementation of the first project in the country involving all SAP SuccessFactors modules, as well as the first cloud-based payroll solution using SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll. I believe these were important steps in advancing the SAP ecosystem in the region, and we are proud to be the first to bring many innovative SAP solutions to Azerbaijan.
— On October 16, the SAP Discovery Day Baku conference took place in Baku. Was your company represented at this event?
— Absolutely, we actively participated in the conference. In fact, on the day before the event, October 15, Vesacons Azerbaijan organized a separate event — HR Digital Connect Baku — where we discussed trends in digital transformation and presented our recent HR-related projects together with our partners from SAP and our clients.