Corporate
Luis Aused: driving core enterprise evolution
Article
Aug 24, 2026
Businesses and governments are racing to modernize their core applications, realize greater value from the cloud and harness the power of AI. But no organization can shut down during the transformation process. The challenge, then, is how to reposition or even reinvent an organization at scale without disrupting operations or stifling growth. Newly named Kyndryl Distinguished Engineer Andreas Nonnenmacher helps customers answer that question. With decades of experience in the SAP ecosystem and an infectious exuberance for tackling tough problems, Andreas advises some of the world’s most important critical infrastructure organizations on their strategic transformations.
Here, Andreas offers insights into how automation is accelerating SAP modernization, why cloud adoption is inseparable from business strategy and how AI is driving a historic shift in enterprise technology.
When it comes to SAP business development and portfolio growth, what’s your pitch to business and technical leaders?
Andreas Nonnenmacher: SAP customers are at a crossroads. Many are still running SAP ECC and have yet to migrate to S/4HANA and cloud environments. This creates a substantial modernization opportunity for them. Kyndryl stands alone as the firm best qualified to help guide these transformations because of our experience modernizing our operations while simultaneously launching a new company and maintaining outstanding customer service. We were our own first customer, and the results speak for themselves: We transformed at scale and applied emerging technologies without interrupting the business. When you hire a guide, you want somebody who’s actually been there and knows the terrain. Simply knowing how to read a map and follow directions isn’t enough.
Our customers pay us for results. They want automation to advance to the point where AI agents can execute increasingly complex business processes. Everybody knows that AI is improving in speed and quality across many areas of IT. We help customers separate the narrative from the noise and identify useful improvements that deliver innovation and return on investment. For these customers, that means leveraging SAP RISE, modern SAP platforms and AI capabilities to move forward with confidence.
How do you help customers formulate their business strategies?
Nonnenmacher: You start by listening so you can understand the customer’s objectives. You have to get that right before thinking about which technologies to deploy. Customers need to know how their processes will operate in an AI-transformed environment. To that end, an enterprise should focus on its business processes so that we can visualize together how AI agents will execute tasks independently of underlying data structures. That requires viewing SAP as more than just a collection of databases and technical configurations.
Strategizing to achieve results comes first. Developing the transformation protocol comes second. Kyndryl’s partnership with SAP allows us to work with SAP at the customization level to serve our customers. I then help customers evaluate which avenues to pursue and develop realistic goals that align with their business objectives.
We help customers separate the narrative from the noise and identify useful improvements that deliver innovation and return on investment.
What passions drew you to this line of work?
Nonnenmacher: I became fascinated with computers at an early age. I always wanted to understand what they did and how they worked. I guess the root of that is my interest in logic and my enjoyment of challenges. New technologies still excite me, and I always challenge myself to discover how to use them to help Kyndryl’s customers.
I suppose technology is a bit of an addiction for me. Or maybe “calling” is a better word? I find the emergence of AI and other new technologies especially energizing. The bottom line is that doing what you enjoy seldom feels like work, and this is nothing new. For me, it keeps things interesting, which in turn drives me to be even more engaged.
What were you like growing up? And what advice would you give to your younger self?
Nonnenmacher: My father was a manager at German industrial company BASF and helped establish one of its early IT groups. I was fortunate to grow up in a highly technical environment that allowed me to pursue my curiosity and gain access to advanced computing systems. I started working with computers when I was 12 and began developing software for audio samplers and automation control systems as a teenager. I didn’t always have everything I needed to build things easily, so I had to be creative and improvise, which helped me develop my technical skills.
I studied civil engineering at university, but was drawn primarily to computer-aided design (CAD) and construction technologies. I’ve always been curious about how things work. Because technologies constantly evolve, I’ve been able to satisfy my curiosity while building new tools to meet the industry’s changing requirements.
As for advice, I’ll tell you what I tell my children: Do what you love and strive to be the best at it. If you’re intrigued and engaged, you’ll be motivated and happy. I believe that happiness and success are closely connected and that one leads to the other in a virtuous circle. By the same token, it’s much more difficult to succeed without being happy. So pursue what you love.
What activities do you enjoy in your spare time?
Nonnenmacher: My wife and I have two sons, one in university and one in secondary school, so family is a major focus. We live near Munich, close to the mountains, so we enjoy hiking, skiing and spending time outdoors. I also enjoy reading. My curiosity doesn’t stop at the end of the workday. I like to experiment with LLMs and personal AI models and, of course, keep current with developments in the world of technology.
