First hire will build a specialist team of Australian-citizens to accelerate digital transformation and boost productivity across federal agencies.
December 2, 2025 – SAP Australia Pty Ltd. today announced Ryan Mitchelmore as the Head of its new SAP Centre of Excellence for the Public Sector.
In this role, Ryan will lead a new Canberra-based specialist team focused on supporting the full potential of digital transformation for Federal Government agencies in Australia and New Zealand. Bringing nearly three decades of leadership across major transformation programs in government, finance and banking, Ryan has consistently delivered complex projects on time and within budget. His extensive experience spans organisations such as Defence, Services Australia, the Digital Transformation Agency, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Macquarie Bank, demonstrating a proven ability to drive successful change and innovation at scale.
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 to lift productivity, increase efficiency and boost citizen services. The Centre joins a global network of similar resources that accelerate innovation for SAP customers in industry sectors. It is on track to be fully staffed by the middle of 2026, with recruitment of the remaining roles underway.
Brian Senior, Executive General Manager – Federal Government, 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. 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.”
Addressing unique challenges of federal government
The Centre of Excellence builds on SAP’s global network of specialised teams. It aims to address the unique challenges facing federal agencies as they modernise mission-critical system and harness AI, while meeting stringent security and sovereignty requirements.
Ryan Mitchelmore, Head of Public Sector Centre of Excellence, SAP Australia and New Zealand, 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.”
The Centre of Excellence will operate as a permanent organisation of 12 core employees with additional specialists rotating based on demand. All team members hold Australian citizenship and appropriate security clearances, ensuring sensitive government data remains within trusted hands while accessing world-class enterprise capabilities.
