The SAP Champions Spotlight Interview Series highlights key strategic topics, such as emerging technologies, learning, and other topics, and provides insights from SAP Champions and SAP leaders on turning ideas into innovative approaches that impact people, process, and technology. Call to Action: We kindly encourage you to “like” and leave a comment on this post! What’s an example of a skill or work experience that your passionate about that has triggered many new opportunities? |
How many of us can relate to building a strong foundation of skills, expertise, and work experiences and moving up the career ladder one rung at a time?
Each step. Each building block leads to the next opportunity.The ability to feel energized in our professional and personal pursuits allows us to thrive.
It’s important to develop a framework to experience change and opportunity throughout one’s career.
For ruthvik.chowdary2, SAP Champion, SAP Process Automation Influencers team member, and Senior SAP Consultant at Deloitte, his career started with a passion for machines and robotics and progressed to expertise with SAP S/4HANA Cloud, SAP Process Orchestration, SAP Production Planning, and SAP Intelligent Robotic Process Automation.
Now he shares this knowledge through his YouTube channel, writing 50+ blogs, as well as an SAP Community speaker, volunteer, and organizer. It was great to connect with Ruthvik and find out how and why he goes above and beyond in his participation!
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Anne Petteroe (AP): From your time at Nettur Technical Training Foundation (NTTF) studying Tool and Die Making for Digital Manufacturing to now, what inspired your career journey in Process Automation and other SAP technologies which led to your current role as Senior SAP Consultant at Deloitte?
Ruthvik Chowdary (RC): I’m very passionate about machines and robotics which inspired me to
pursue NTTF and the post that I worked at in TVS Motors as a Production Engineer. Later, I pursued a BTech in Mechatronics and worked as a Robotic Program Engineer. At that time, due to minimal opportunities in Robotics, I switched to SAP where I also followed my passion by choosing Production Planning.I started as a shadow consultant and slowly climbed the ladder during my tenure expanding my skills from manufacturing to other logistics modules, like procurement and sales. Recently, I joined Deloitte #Big4 as a Senior Consultant.
Deep down, my passion for robotics still exists, and in 2018 when SAP Launched Intelligent Robotics Process Automation (iRPA), I was very, very excited, so I started learning about it. Instead of Physical Robotics, now I’m focusing on Software Robotics (😜) which is SAP Process Automation. I’m part of the SAP Process Automation Influencer team as well.
AP: Wow! Over the past two years, you started your own YouTube channel and now have 1.65K+ subscribers. Why did you decide to start this channel? What kind of content do you typically share? Do you have any plans for the channel in the future to share your “SAP Alchemist” insights?
RC: Yes, I started full-scale in November 2020, and I’ve reached 1.68K subscribers as of today. I decide which videos to make based on topics that are requested by my followers, as well as the latest innovations. As we all know, every year new innovations are happening.So, there is always a lot to learn and get upskilled on.
And yes! I’m planning a whole series of videos on innovations like the SAP S/4HANA migration cockpit, changes in manufacturing, procurement, and sales. I’m planning to start a series of videos for beginners to help them understand the SAP S/4HANA product.
AP: How did you become an SAP Champion? In this role how do you engage with Community members?
RC: I’m very active on and engaged in LinkedIn and the SAP Community by way of writing 50+ blogs and participating in SAP Inside Tracks offline and online as a speaker, volunteer and as one of the organizers for SAP Intelligent RPA 2nd Edition.197f0f77709544a3bdebe98a55f527bb suggested my name to the Influencers program and that’s how become an SAP Champion. I waited roughly two years to become part of SAP Champion program, and it was like a dream come true when I received the email from stacey.fish!
After becoming an SAP Champion, I continued engaging with Community members by conducting Online Tracks and became one of the family members of the SAP Process Automation Influencers team.
AP: Enjoyed reading your blog, “SAP APO vs. SAP IBP” and getting to know more about SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization and SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP). When it comes to staying a step ahead of demand as well as synchronizing supply chain planning in real time, do you suggest one approach over another?
RC: Wow!! Thanks a lot, 😃! It’s very important to get upskilled and be ready for the demand.
As APO is going to sunset by 2027, the alternative solution for APO is IBP. Going forward, IBP will be the single and most advanced tool for supply chain planning which helps manufacturing companies to have real time planning and monitoring with 5 IBP sub-tools:- SAP IBP for sales and operations
- SAP IBP for demand
- SAP IBP for response and supply
- SAP IBP for inventory
- SAP Supply Chain Control Tower
AP: I was able to watch the Online Track video from your blog, “What is Robotic Process Automation and its usage SAP RPA 2.0.” What’s a high-level example or two where you have seen the value of using intelligent bots to automate repetitive manual processes so that users can redirect to high-value activities and processes.
RC: In my opinion, using intelligent bots to automate helps to reduce a lot of the manual work.
When looking at the logistics, we can see that the major manual efforts required are for Purchase and Sales order creations.
By using bots, we can automate the process so the manpower can be used to complete other tasks at hand and achieve business values such as improved operations, increased service quality, increased compliance, and reduced cycle times.
AP: Early in your career, NTTF had close partnerships with market leaders like Accenture, Tata Steel, SKF, Dell and others. In fact, you got started with one of them, TVS Motor Company, the motorcycle manufacturer. When you come in contact with students and recent graduates, what kind of tips and advice do you give them on taking advantage of university strategic partnerships to get a foot in the door on a high-quality job and career journey? RC: That’s a great question!! Firstly, all colleges or universities might not have partnership with companies, so if your college has partnerships or not, just follow your passion and do what you WANT to do.
On LinkedIn, I see college graduates asking questions such as, “In SAP, which module has a good demand and salary package?” For all of them, my answer is to not run behind demand and packages because those are not stable; it continually changes.
And also, don’t be in a hurry to climb the ladder with shortcuts. It doesn’t matter how fast you climb because you might fall down one day…
Your foundation should be strong, and to be strong one should understand the product or technology in which he or she works with. Not only with SAP, but any domain. If our basics are strong and if we are open for adopting new technologies, automatically opportunities come to you and the career journey will be much more thrilling and rewarding!
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