Column5 Consulting Expands Services In Support Of SAP® BusinessObjects EPM Solutions To Asia

Jan. 14, 2011 - PRLog -- Scottsdale, Ariz- Column5 Consulting, a global leader in enterprise performance management (EPM) professional services, today announced that it is expanding its practice to Asia with the hiring of Gary Hawton as Practice Lead for the Asia-Pacific-Japan (APJ) region.  Column5’s first major event in the region will be co-sponsorship of and participation in SAP’s 2011 Field Kickoff Meeting (FKOM) in Singapore, being held January 17-18.
SAP’s 2011 FKOM, being held in Singapore, is one of the largest conferences dedicated to SAP field employees and partners.  It provides the opportunity for partners to learn about SAP product developments and directions, understand SAP’s strategy and visions for the region, and network with SAP field employees and other partners to develop avenues for business growth. This strategic event provides an ideal platform to acquaint SAP executives with Column5’s history of success with the SAP® BusinessObjects™ enterprise performance management (EPM) solutions.
“Column5 has a proven track record of successful implementations of SAP BusinessObjects EPM solutions, including the SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation application, in the U.S., so we are excited that they have selected Southeast Asia to make their initial entry into the region,” said Judd Sanchez, regional director, Ecosystem and Channels Group, SAP Southeast Asia.  “In 2011, Column5 has committed to investing in their Asia-Pacific-Japan business and to becoming the leading sales and delivery partner for SAP in the region.  Making this investment as a gold sponsor at SAP’s 2011 FKOM in Singapore is evidence of their dedication to this goal.”  
Prior to joining Column5,Gary Hawton was director of Business User Practice at HCL AXON , a leading implementations provider and SAP services partner, where he was responsible for the successful delivery and implementation of SAP software, including SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation,  at numerous client sites.  While at HCL AXON, Hawton hired and trained staff in Malaysia, Singapore and China in order to develop a practice in support of SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation within the region. He successfully closed the first project within the APJ region within two months of starting the practice.  He also was instrumental in starting a practice in Australia, also in support of SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation.  Prior to HCL AXON, Hawton was a practice manager at SAP and OutlookSoft, responsible for managing implementations of SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation at Fortune 1000 clients throughout North America.
“Our expansion into Asia opens up a new market for Column5,” added David Den Boer, CEO of Column5. “But even more importantly, it enables us to provide truly global support to our multinational clients, while bringing top performance management expertise to the ecosystem for SAP customers in Asia.  We’re fortunate to have recruited a talented executive with the ideal background to lead this effort in Gary Hawton, who has a proven track record in delivering successful projects in support of SAP solutions in Asia.”
Based in Singapore, Column5 Consulting SEA Pte. Ltd. is now offering consulting, training, sales and technical support to customers throughout Asia. Column5 has plans to open additional offices in the region during 2011, including in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and China.
“I am very pleased to lead Column5’s continued global expansion efforts,” said Gary Hawton.  “In my decade of international business experience, nothing has excited me more than leveraging Column5’s reputation for success and commitment to the EPM space. I look forward to success throughout the Asian and Australian markets.”
Column5 Consulting is a leading provider of EPM consulting services, helping finance and operational managers plan and manage their businesses. Using SAP’s market leading suite of products, Column5 develops planning, budgeting, reporting, consolidation, analytics and other management applications for its clients. For more information about business analytics solutions included on the SAP EcoHub marketplace – from SAP and its partners, including Column5 – visit http://www.sap.com/about/newsroom/press.epx?pressid=14491.

# # #

About Column5 Consulting: Column5 is an SAP channel and services partner supporting SAP BusinessObjects enterprise performance management solutions, including SAP BusinessObjects Planning and Consolidation, SAP BusinessObjects Profitability and Cost Management and SAP BusinessObjects Strategy Management applications, as well as SAP business intelligence solutions. Column5 has helped many organizations worldwide leverage these solutions to improve how they plan and manage their businesses. More information is available at www.column5.com or email info@column5.com.


SAP and all SAP logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries.
Business Objects, BusinessObjects and the Business Objects logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects in the United States and/or other countries. Business Objects is an SAP company.
All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.