{"id":22456,"date":"2025-05-28T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=22456"},"modified":"2025-05-27T17:25:03","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T16:25:03","slug":"conversation-with-walid-abu-hadba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/conversation-with-walid-abu-hadba\/","title":{"rendered":"A conversation with Walid Abu-Hadba: Accelerating innovation with the Sage Platform"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTrends & Insights<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tA conversation with Walid Abu-Hadba: Accelerating innovation with the Sage Platform\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Asavin\"\t\t\t\tAsavin Wattanajantra<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

As Sage continues to rapidly expand its AI-powered solutions, we sat down with Walid Abu-Hadba<\/strong>, chief product and development officer, to discuss how the Sage Platform is driving faster innovation, transforming productivity, and reshaping the future for Sage customers and partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a world where innovation moves at incredible speed, Walid believes Sage is setting the pace.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBusinesses can’t afford delays,\u201d he explains. \u201cThey need technology that delivers immediate value, streamlining operations, automating tasks, and enabling smarter decisions. But just as important as speed is trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur customers need to know the solutions we deliver are secure, reliable, and built to last. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve invested significantly in the Sage Platform, enabling us to deliver products to market up to 30% faster and more securely than our industry counterparts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sage Platform serves as a powerful foundation for connectivity, enabling rapid integration of AI innovations like Sage Copilot across multiple Sage products.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than building solutions from scratch each time, the platform provides a consistent, reusable framework that allows quicker deployment and faster iteration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur platform fundamentally changes how we innovate,\u201d Walid highlights. \u201cIt allows us to rapidly connect new AI capabilities to multiple products simultaneously, significantly speeding up the overall innovation cycle, while ensuring every update meets the high standards our customers expect and trust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlocking growth with AI innovation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At the forefront of this AI-driven approach is Sage Copilot, which is available to over 40,000 SMBs and accountants across key markets including the UK, US, France, Spain, and Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sage Copilot automates routine accounting tasks and delivers actionable insights, empowering businesses to make smarter, faster decisions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSage Copilot is transformative,\u201d Walid says. \u201cIt removes routine tasks, freeing businesses to focus on strategic initiatives that drive sustainable growth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Security and compliance are fundamental to the design of the Sage Platform, incorporating robust safeguards at multiple levels including data handling, APIs, and AI models. \u201cSecurity is central to everything we do,\u201d Walid stresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve embedded guardrails directly into our platform, ensuring data protection and compliance while allowing innovation to thrive without compromise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flexibility is another strength of the Sage Platform.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its cloud-agnostic nature enables swift adaptation to changing industry dynamics and evolving customer needs, ensuring Sage continues to deliver innovation at the pace demanded by businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As more organisations join the platform’s digital ecosystem, Sage Network, they collectively benefit from increased accuracy, quicker cash flow, and streamlined compliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From concept to code<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Sage Platform isn\u2019t just helping customers innovate, it\u2019s transforming how Sage builds and delivers its own solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the core of this shift is Sage\u2019s AI infrastructure, which has dramatically increased internal developer productivity and shortened product development cycles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve built an environment where developers can work smarter and faster, using shared tools, frameworks, and built-in guardrails to focus on delivering innovation,\u201d Walid explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a repeatable system that accelerates time-to-market without sacrificing quality, security or compliance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This approach has also unlocked new ways to attract and retain top tech talent. \u201cOur approach to AI has become a major draw for developers,\u201d Walid notes. \u201cAs a result, we are closing roles faster than ever before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sage\u2019s quarterly AI hackathons are another key component of this internal acceleration.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sage\u2019s teams regularly experiment with new ideas in safe, fast-moving environments designed to promote learning and rapid prototyping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese events are changing how our teams engage with technology,\u201d Walid says. \u201cThey\u2019re not just about innovation, they\u2019re helping us scale up faster, onboard quicker, and build smarter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This investment has helped transform Sage developers into AI developers, without the need for extensive retraining, enabling faster innovation cycles and more consistent product delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re innovating at the speed our customers require because we\u2019ve built a platform that makes it possible,\u201d Walid concludes. \u201cThat\u2019s how we stay ahead, and how we help our customers and partners thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking ahead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Walid sees even greater opportunity on the horizon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the Sage Platform as its foundation, Sage is well-positioned to accelerate the delivery of AI-powered solutions, expand its connected ecosystem, and help businesses scale for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As innovation continues to reshape industries, Sage is helping businesses not only meet the demands of today, but also adapt and grow in the long term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re building with the Sage Platform goes beyond generative AI,\u201d Walid adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSage Copilot is just the beginning. We\u2019re already exploring Agentic AI, where intelligent agents will work across systems to complete tasks more proactively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s early days, but this is where things are heading, and the platform is designed to support that future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This evolution reflects Sage\u2019s long-term vision: building technology that simplifies complexity, removes repetitive admin, and empowers users to act with greater clarity and confidence, wherever they work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As AI capabilities evolve, Sage is enabling the next wave of innovation, moving from task assistance to workflow automation and towards intelligent agents that can act proactively across systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By embedding AI deeper into workflows, the Sage Platform is laying the groundwork for a future where businesses don\u2019t just react faster, they operate smarter by default.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur mission is clear,\u201d Walid concludes. \u201cWe\u2019ll keep innovating at the speed our customers require, helping them stay ahead, thrive, and achieve lasting success.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Walid Abu-Hadba, chief product and development officer at Sage, discusses how the Sage Platform is driving faster innovation, transforming productivity, and reshaping the future for Sage customers and partners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":356,"featured_media":22457,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,114],"tags":[50,180,51,136,16,15,159,125],"business_type":[4,3,115],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[67,68,71,72,73,74,75],"imagine_tag":[331,330,329,309,328,91,96,103,109],"coauthors":[351],"class_list":["post-22456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology-innovation","category-trends-insights","tag-ai","tag-business-performance","tag-cloud","tag-fintech","tag-grow-accounting-practice","tag-grow-business","tag-midsized-business","tag-workplace-technology","business_type-small-business","business_type-medium-sized-business","business_type-accountants"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Asavin Wattanajantra","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/05\/Sage-Walid-Abu-Hadba-scaled-1.jpg","imagine_tags":{"331":"AI accountants","330":"AI FP","329":"AI HRP","309":"AI Hub","328":"AI small","91":"Growing business","96":"Medium businesses","103":"Payroll software","109":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/356"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22456"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22456\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/22457"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22456"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=22456"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=22456"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=22456"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=22456"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=22456"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=22456"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=22456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}