From Service Provider to Transformation Engine: 5 Themes from the GBS Innovators of 2026

Global Business Services is an industry that is constantly changing. While cost containment remains crucial, GBS leaders are also targeting scope expansion, value creation, and revenue generation. Whilst these goals sound great in theory, not all GBS organisations are achieving them. Those that are, need to be celebrated, which is why Hypatos has created our 20 GBS Innovators for 2026 Report to showcase GBS leaders that are pushing the boundaries of the model and the executives leading the charge.  

If you haven’t read the full report, the below breaks down the key themes:  

1. GBS is being judged on the value it creates, not the services it delivers.

Almost every contributor to our GBS Innovators report describes moving away from the cost-centre identity. Whilst to Siemens this looked like running a "fully managed business" with hard metrics it is accountable for, to Bayer it is working on revenue, margin and cash. But how do you go from transactional to value-add? Chris Gunning, NIQ offered the most succinct answer: "Centralization creates efficiency, but maturity creates value."

2. Redesign the process around AI instead of adding AI to the old process.  

Despite fundamental differences in the technology, many organisations still approach Agentic AI implementation in the way they tackled RPA e.g. find the blockers in your process, automate them and create marginal gains. However, although this may save you a few dollars per invoice, it fundamentally misses out on the opportunity presented by Agentic AI’s capabilities. A better approach is to start with the outcome, i.e. that is, what do I want to achieve, and work back from that.  In the report, Aneta van den Kieboom, RHI Magnesita shares: “teams look at a process designed for people and ask where AI fits. Next, they will ask what agents can own end to end and design the human steps and controls around that.”  Bayer's AI programme likewise starts with process re-imagination rather than the technology.  

3. The workforce of the future is part human, part agent, and leaders will manage both.

Eckard Eberle, CEO of Siemens Global Business Services, stated that he expects every team leader to lead humans and agents very soon. This isn’t merely single agents, as Anand Singh, Heidelberg Materials shared; GBS is moving from "supervising bots" to orchestrating agents. These agents will be operating end-to-end workflows while people provide judgement, governance and exception handling. As this future becomes a reality, our GBS leaders stressed that skills must change: more AI literacy, plus stronger judgement, critical thinking and business partnering. Siemens supplies the strongest proof point: 97.5% accuracy on some live agents and a roughly 74% no-touch rate in AP invoice validation.

4. The advantage goes to the best foundations, not the most AI.

Nearly all of our GBS Innovators had a common idea: the winners in the AI race will be those with the operating model, process ownership, data quality and governance to deploy AI at scale (not merely the most powerful models). Gunning lists the full set: agentic capabilities combined with mature processes, trusted data, strong controls, responsible governance and adaptable people.  

5. People, culture and sponsorship decide whether transformation lands.

Unsurprisingly, GBS remains a people business, and success is ultimately about people, not process or technology. Singh puts successful P2P transformation at a staggering 30% technology and 70% change management.  One of the most important ingredients to successful change management is executive sponsorship and several of our GBS Innovators pointed out that visible executive sponsorship sustained through the whole journey is a crucial aspect of AI success. This means not just passive approval, but a leader who aligns AI success with corporate OKRs, clears blockers between GBS and technical teams, and creates a culture where some level of trial and error is allowed.  

You can find part one of our report here and part two here.  

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