HFS PODCASTS

A short, no-nonsense breakdown of the key decisions, risks, and realities shaping mid‑market SAP transformation.

Mid-market companies need straight answers to navigate cloud timing, S/4HANA moves, and budget-friendly SAP modernization. Success comes from clear requirements, trusted partners, and early risk mitigation, supported by transparent execution tools. Ultimately, overcoming the fear of failure is what enables confident, value-driven transformation.

Evaluate your own SAP roadmap and identify where you need straight answers and guidance to move forward with confidence.

AI-first is table stakes; instead, outcomes-first delivery in collaboration with a partner ecosystem unlocks growth, access, and resilience.

Key discussion points include:

• AI-first is no longer differentiating, but outcomes are. Most providers claim AI-first, but the real shift is to outcomes-first delivery tied to better health, better experience, lower cost, and equity.
• The old delivery playbook won’t survive the revenue headwind and patent cliff era. Life science enterprises need a new operating model, Services-as-Software, to rewire discovery-to-commercial and drive measurable impact.
• Winning suppliers become growth partners, not just capacity providers. The next wave is precision medicine, real-world evidence, global resilient supply chains, and continuous patient engagement; vendors that bring IP/platforms and ecosystem innovation move from Horizon 2 toward Horizon 3.

Listen to this conversation and review our perspective at https://www.hfsresearch.com/research/life-sciences-suppliers-black-hole/

Read the HFS Horizons Report on Life Sciences Service Providers, 2025: https://www.hfsresearch.com/research/hfs-horizons-life-sciences-service-providers-2025/

In this HFS Unfiltered conversation, Krishnan Ethirajan, Chief Digital & AI Officer at Mosaic Insurance, and Selva Vaidiyanathan, Chief Business Officer – BFSI at WNS, join Saurabh Gupta to discuss how Mosaic and WNS are building a new model for insurance — one defined by trust, speed, and intelligence.

From founding a capital-light hybrid insurer to scaling globally with AI-first operations, Mosaic’s journey is reshaping how underwriting works. Together, Mosaic and WNS show how “partnership with a purpose” drives innovation, agility, and real transformation across the insurance value chain.

Key takeaways:

• Culture of Trust: True innovation starts with partnership, not paperwork.
• Clean-Sheet Design: With no legacy baggage, Mosaic built AI-ready, data-first operations from day one.
• AI as a Force Multiplier: Automating underwriting, risk selection, and claims for faster, smarter decisions.
• Operational Agility: A nimble, distributed model scaling to 7 offices and $1B+ in premiums.
• Purposeful Partnership: WNS and Mosaic prove that transformation accelerates when both sides row in the same direction.

LucyRx & Veltris on vertical AI for PBMs—omnichannel member experience, specialty savings, faster time-to-therapy, net-cost wins.

Key points discussed include:

• Vertical AI is the key to unlocking speed-to-market in a PBM industry dominated by heavyweights.
• Omnichannel, human-first member experience reduces friction and operating load.
• Measure what matters and moves from rebate dynamics to net-cost and specialty affordability at scale.

Modernize PBM prescription workflows now using “vertical AI” and a services-as-software approach.

In this Unfiltered Stories episode, Hansa Iyengar sits down with NewRocket CEO Harsha Kumar to dismantle the AI hype and get real about how enterprises can drive outcomes, not just experiments. The conversation zeroes in on building AI you can trust, redefining services as software, and what enterprise leaders must do now to avoid becoming irrelevant in the AI-first era.

The key takeaway from the discussion includes:

• AI is disrupting both low-end and high-end IT services models.
• Intelligent agents are transforming workflows, but you must design them right.
• Trust is the new differentiator for AI.
• Leaders must treat AI as a new operating model, not a side experiment.
• The ROI conversation must shift from cost savings to value realization.

Enterprise leaders who treat AI as a science experiment will lose to those treating it as a new business operating model. The pilot phase is over—budget for AI, train for AI, and build for scale—or prepare to be disrupted.

Also, check the HFS market impact report: “Reinvent your ServiceNow service model with agentic AI”, here: https://www.hfsresearch.com/research/servicenow-services-model/

In this episode of HFS Unfiltered, Saurabh Gupta, President at HFS Research, sat with Hiral Chandrana, CEO and Board member of Veltris, to explore how verticalized AI is transforming digital product engineering, reshaping pricing and delivery models, and redefining what true customer-centricity looks like in an AI-native world.

Hiral shares real-world insights on AI readiness, micro-industry innovation, leadership transformation, and why the next generation’s mindset will shape the next few decades of technological progress.

The key discussion points include:

• Understanding Verticalized AI
• Shifting from Traditional Models to Agile Practices
• The Role of Leadership in a Changing Landscape
• Delivering Value through Domain Expertise and Product Mindset

Read the recently published HFS Challengers Code Report titled “Vertical AI is a real win as Veltris lifts growth for micro-industries” on the HFS website here: https://www.hfsresearch.com/research/veltris-lifts-growth-micro-industries/

The last six months have seen CEOs seize the opportunity to reengineer their businesses with AI, particularly Agentic AI.

HFS Research Executive Research Leader David Cushman and HCLTech’s Alan Flower, EVP, Global Head AI Labs, dive deep into what’s changed and why every enterprise leader should be paying attention.

Key points discussed include:

• After moving from POCs to production, the next significant shift is business engineering with Agentic AI.
• Client confidence is growing every day as enterprises reconfigure for a world of digital employees.
• As organizations notch up early wins with AI, they’re coming back for more and scaling fast.

TCS was recognized as a Horizon 3 Market Leader in the HFS Workday Services Horizons 2025 report for its advisory-led, industry-focused, and AI-infused transformations.

The discussion highlights:

• How TCS’s Crystallus Framework, proprietary accelerators, and GenAI capabilities are redefining Workday-enabled HR and finance transformation.
• The conversation also explores the rise of the “superworker” and how TCS is collaborating with Workday and ecosystem partners to drive the next phase of intelligent enterprise transformation.

Explore the full report: HFS Horizons: Workday Services, 2025, on the HFS Research website: https://www.hfsresearch.com/research/hfs-horizons-workday-services-2025/

GBS is moving from a cost-center to a growth-engine.

AI-first models and platforms are rewiring enterprise operations. In this Unfiltered Stories episode, Ashwin Venkatesan, Executive Research Leader at HFS Research, sits down with Saurabh Gupta, President at HFS Research, and Shashidhar N, VP & Global Head of Platforms at EdgeVerve, to discuss what next-gen GBS really looks like—beyond slideware.

What you’ll learn:

• From “shared services” to “Generative Business Services” — AI-led, data-driven, value-obsessed.
• AI-first delivery = beyond productivity — shift from cost saves to revenue, speed, and innovation.
• What’s blocking progress — silos plus technical, data, and cultural debt (and how leaders break them).
• Why platforms matter — unifying people, process, data, and tech for scalable, AI-powered ops.
• The GBS of tomorrow — AI-first by design, built for agility, collaboration, and continuous value.

Also, check the companion HFS report: “Your GBS model is outdated: Fix it, or risk falling behind in the AI economy”, here: https://www.hfsresearch.com/research/your-gbs-model-is-outdated-fix-it-or-risk-falling-behind-in-the-ai-economy/

HFS Research and Ema discuss how agentic AI is transforming enterprise operations. From AI pilots to AI employees, learn what defines an agentic system, how to scale responsibly, and what the human-plus-AI workforce of the future looks like.

The key takeaways from the discussion include:

• Enterprises are moving from AI experimentation to AI as a core operating model.
• True agentic systems are goal-oriented, autonomous, and continuously improving.
• “AI employees” represent accountable, cross-functional digital colleagues.
• Success depends on governance, measurable outcomes, and C-suite ownership.
• The future workforce blends human creativity with AI execution for end-to-end transformation.

Explore the full report: The Enterprise Guide to Agentic Business Transformation, on the HFS Research website: https://www.hfsresearch.com/research/agentic-business-transformation/