SAP Australia names head of Centre of Excellence for the Public Sector

SAP Australia has named Ryan Mitchelmore as the head of its new SAP Centre of Excellence for the Public Sector. 

He will lead a new Canberra-based specialist team focused on supporting the potential of digital transformation for Federal Government agencies in Australia and New Zealand.

His experience spans organisations such as Defence, Services Australia, the Digital Transformation Agency, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Macquarie Bank.

The Centre of Excellence will operate as a permanent organisation of 12 core employees with additional specialists rotating based on demand.

The Centre of Excellence will grow to employ 20 Australian citizens over the next 24 months, providing industry-specific expertise. Its focus is helping to accelerate federal agencies' transformation from legacy ERP systems to modern cloud platforms, helping those organisations adopt AI, data analytics and automation.

The Centre joins a global network of similar resources and is on track to be fully staffed by the middle of 2026, with recruitment of the remaining roles underway.

Brian Senior, EGM for Federal Government at SAP Australia and New Zealand, said federal agencies manage some of Australia's most critical systems, from healthcare delivery to defence logistics, and many already rely on SAP as their enterprise backbone.

"This Centre of Excellence is a direct response to feedback shared by these agencies with SAP earlier in the year," he said.

"It seeks to connects the dots across these systems, helping agencies chart the clearest path to a secure digital future, while leveraging AI, data analytics and sovereign cloud capabilities."

Mitchelmore said agencies need a clear, practical path from legacy environments to AI‑ready operations.

"Our team provides best-practice advice on the recommended journey and appropriate guardrails - from business case and proofs of concept to clean‑core architecture and migration plans to enable better informed decisions," he said.