In a bid to empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and further enable the campaign for “a self-reliant India” or Atmanirbhar Bharat, two pioneering initiatives have recently been launched under Global Bharat — an SAP for SME movement created to help organisations leverage technology for growth and future-proofing.
An increasing number of SMEs today are exploring how operational efficiency and agility could help them address business challenges and seize new opportunities along the way. According to the IDC Info Snapshot in association with SAP titled Business Reimagined: Driving Greater Efficiency and Resiliency, 33{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of SMEs regard “becoming more agile and flexible” as a top-five priority. Indeed, COVID-19 has pushed the concept of ‘Digital First’ to the forefront with organisations looking for more ways to establish agile, resilient, and responsive models for their business processes.
In India, going digital is being considered by more and more SMEs as a way of surviving, recovering, and growing during the pandemic. With this, SAP’s Global Bharat launched in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), NASSCOM Foundation, and Pratham InfoTech Foundation strengthens the Indian government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign by equipping the industry with the latest digital technologies and making significant investments to help establish their respective businesses.
Following the success of last year’s Leaders of Global Bharat series, which was focused on Indian SMEs affected by pandemic-related lockdowns, TV9 Network and SAP India have decided to team up again to introduce two groundbreaking initiatives that aim to engage SMEs in more meaningful endeavours and facilitate collaboration with new entrepreneurs, as well as recognise their contribution to the country’s growth. Dubbed as Mentors of Global Bharat and Dare2Dream Awards, these programs pave the way for more interaction between entrepreneurs and industry leaders and allow them to have a platform that can guide businesses to emerge from the pandemic.
Global Bharat: An SAP for SME Initiative Empowering Indian Businesses
Expressing his delight at the company’s partnership with SAP India to empower homegrown enterprises, Raktim Das, Chief Growth Officer of Television & Digital at TV9 Network, stressed that the SME sector is ultimately the growth locomotive of Indian business and economy as it delivers crucial depth to the manufacturing and service industries, create substantial employment, and foster entrepreneurship. He explained:
“Enabling and empowering them to build an Atmanirbhar Bharat is an imperative. While Mentors of Global Bharat will be a platform where aspiring entrepreneurs will meet business icons and get to learn from their success stories and business best practices, Dare2Dream Awards will look at recognising business leaders who had the resilience to not only tide over the pandemic induced crisis but also come out stronger by resetting their business models.”
Meanwhile, Paul Marriott, President at SAP APJ, also reflected on the latest programs introduced by SAP India and TV9 Network, noting that no manual or prescription can guide businesses to emerge from the unprecedented adverse impact of the pandemic and recover rapidly. He maintained:
“In the many interactions that we have had with our SME customers we realised that many entrepreneurs felt the need to interact with mentors who have successfully traversed the same path before. Peer-to-peer learning and recognition of digital-led innovation are both very important in these times and any platform that facilitates these is a step in the right direction.”
Moreover, SAP Indian Subcontinent President and Managing Director Kulmeet Bawa has earlier stated that the SME sector is one of the key pillars of SAP India’s strategy. He emphasised that it is an area where the leadership team can “actually make a dent and help the Indian economy.” Commenting on the German tech giant’s continuous support to the industry, he said that the company will take Global Bharat forward to further contribute to the number of SME transformations that have taken place since its launch last year.
“While the Mentors of Global Bharat program is designed to help SME entrepreneurs to learn and get inspired by industry leaders and peers who have successfully navigated the new normal, the Dare2Dream Awards series was established to recognise visionaries in the SME sector who have demonstrated innovation and digital mindset and create business impact in adverse times,” he highlighted.