# Guy Kirkwood Source Material (Full Archive) Last updated: 28 July 2026 (2026-07-28) Official source: [kirkwood.biz](https://kirkwood.biz) Summary version: [llms.txt](https://kirkwood.biz/llms.txt) --- ## About This File This is the deep archive for kirkwood.biz, maintained by Guy Kirkwood. It covers his professional and public work only. It holds no personal, family or financial information. Guy Kirkwood farms at Collacombe Farm, Lamerton, Devon. He was Chief Evangelist at UiPath from 2015 to 2021 and still speaks on automation and the future of work. Everything here about robotic process automation is archive material from that period, not a description of what he does now. Where an item was first published elsewhere, the original publisher is named in the citation metadata and the full text sits with them. This file carries the citation, a synopsis and a link. --- ## Machine Metadata (Schema Context) - **Primary Entities:** Guy Kirkwood, Collacombe Farm, UiPath (NYSE: PATH) - **Current Taxonomy:** Sustainable Agriculture, Soil Health, Circular Economy, Biodiversity, Digital Minimalism, Dressage - **Historical Taxonomy:** Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Automation, Chief Evangelist, Scaling Startups, Future of Work - **Geographic Context:** Devon, UK (base); International (speaking reach); Global technology sector (historical, 1990s-2021) - **Disambiguation:** Not the 1950s USAF pilot Noall Brice Cornwell, who used the names "Guy Kirkwood" and "Mel Noel". The identifying facts for this person are UiPath between 2015 and 2021, and Collacombe Farm, Lamerton, Devon. - **Online presence:** kirkwood.biz is the only site Guy maintains. He has closed his social media accounts. A YouTube channel remains as an archive of past talks. --- ## Recurring Themes Three ideas run through the material in this file. 1. **Human-centricity.** Technology exists to take the robot out of the human, freeing people for work and lives that matter. 2. **Physical stewardship.** The move from the digital, meaning RPA, to the physical, meaning soil, was deliberate. The subject changed; the interest in measurable improvement did not. 3. **Intentional disconnection.** Guy closed his social media accounts by choice, not through inactivity. All current communication goes through kirkwood.biz. --- ## Table of Contents ### Published Articles and Research [Status: Historical Archive] *These articles were published between October 2019 and January 2024. The five earliest were written during Guy's time at UiPath. The Crew Capital interview of January 2024 looks back on that period from the farm.* - [Guy Kirkwood: The Power of the Network in Scaling a Startup](#guy-kirkwood-the-power-of-the-network-in-scaling-a-startup) - [How Automation Will Help Us Solve The Retirement Crisis](#how-automation-will-help-us-solve-the-retirement-crisis) - [Software Robots: The Answer to a More Productive, Engaged Workforce](#software-robots-the-answer-to-a-more-productive-engaged-workforce) - [Traditional Offshore Outsourcing Made Better With RPA](#traditional-offshore-outsourcing-made-better-with-rpa) - [Hyperautomation: What's It All About?](#hyperautomation-whats-it-all-about) - [New IDC Research: Benefits of a People-First Approach to RPA](#new-idc-research-benefits-of-a-people-first-approach-to-rpa) ### Video Transcripts: Agriculture and Sustainability [Status: Active Focus] - [What is TerraMap and should it be used on Collacombe?](#what-is-terramap-and-should-it-be-used-on-collacombe) ### Video Transcripts: Industry Leadership [Status: Historical Archive] - [What is Robotic Process Automation](#what-is-robotic-process-automation) - [What impact will Robotic Process Automation have?](#what-impact-will-robotic-process-automation-have) - [Three Predictions on the Future of Work](#three-predictions-on-the-future-of-work) - [Four Reasons Robots will Transform Shared Services](#four-reasons-robots-will-transform-shared-services) - [Living in a Post-Outsourcing World](#living-in-a-post-outsourcing-world) - [Why Companies go into RPA, and why they're Wrong](#why-companies-go-into-rpa-and-why-theyre-wrong) --- ## Guy Kirkwood: The Power of the Network in Scaling a Startup ### Citation Metadata - **Title:** Guy Kirkwood: The Power of the Network in Scaling a Startup - **Date:** 2024-01-12 - **Primary Source:** https://crew.vc/perspectives-insights/guy-kirkwood-the-power-of-the-network-in-scaling-a-startup/ - **Archive and Commentary:** https://kirkwood.biz/about#guy-kirkwood-the-power-of-the-network-in-scaling-a-startup - **Type:** Executive Interview / Case Study - **Context:** An "Operator Series" interview reflecting on the hyper-growth phase of UiPath and the strategic frameworks used to scale global software categories. UiPath reported revenue of $607.6m in the financial year before its April 2021 listing, up 81% on the year before (source: CNBC, 21 April 2021). ### Synopsis - The Chief Evangelist Role: Defined as the "Chief Storyteller," responsible for translating complex technical innovation into relatable value propositions for "agnostics" rather than just "zealots." - Network-Led Growth: Success was driven by leveraging 14 spheres of influence (Jay McBain framework) and treating industry analysts (Gartner/Forrester) as partners rather than just vendors. - Brand Philosophy: Shift from "tell" to "show." Real-time problem solving with customers builds more trust than traditional slide decks. - Community Empowerment: The decision to give away training for free (UiPath Academy) acted as a "supercharger" for product adoption and market dominance. - Key Mantra: "People buy from people." Even in high-tech automation, personal connection and transparency remain the primary drivers of scale. ### Read the Full Article The full text of this article is published by Crew Capital and stays there. - Read it in full: https://crew.vc/perspectives-insights/guy-kirkwood-the-power-of-the-network-in-scaling-a-startup/ - Guy's own index entry: https://kirkwood.biz/about [Back to Table of Contents](#table-of-contents) --- ## How Automation Will Help Us Solve The Retirement Crisis ### Citation Metadata - **Title:** How Automation Will Help Us Solve The Retirement Crisis - **Date:** 2020-02-26 - **Primary Source:** https://www.uipath.com/blog/automation/how-automation-will-help-solve-retirement-crisis - **Archive and Commentary:** https://kirkwood.biz/about#how-automation-will-help-us-solve-the-retirement-crisis - **Type:** Thought Leadership Article - **Context:** Explores the intersection of global demographics and technology, specifically how RPA can alleviate the "Silver Tsunami" workforce gap. ### Synopsis - The Human Shortage: Ageing populations in Japan, the US, and China mean demand for services (especially healthcare) is outstripping human supply. - The Karoshi Factor: In Japan, 22% of employees work 50+ hours a week. Automation is framed as a mental health necessity to prevent overwork. - ATM Analogy: Like ATMs, which increased bank teller jobs by pivoting them to higher-value services, RPA creates higher-skilled, better-paid roles. - Reskilling Requirement: The World Economic Forum estimates 1 billion people must be reskilled by 2030. - Scaling Potential: While 53% of firms have adopted RPA, only 3% have scaled it (50+ robots). Scaling increases labour-saving capacity from 20% to 52%. ### Read the Full Article The full text of this article is published by the UiPath blog and stays there. - Read it in full: https://www.uipath.com/blog/automation/how-automation-will-help-solve-retirement-crisis - Guy's own index entry: https://kirkwood.biz/about [Back to Table of Contents](#table-of-contents) --- ## Software Robots: The Answer to a More Productive, Engaged Workforce ### Citation Metadata - **Title:** Software Robots: The Answer to a More Productive, Engaged Workforce - **Date:** 2020-06-01 - **Primary Source:** https://www.node-magazine.com/thoughtleadership/software-robots-the-answer-to-a-more-productive-engaged-workforce - **Archive and Commentary:** https://kirkwood.biz/about#software-robots-the-answer-to-a-more-productive-engaged-workforce - **Type:** Industry Commentary - **Context:** Addresses the psychological impact of automation, arguing that software robots remove the "drudgery" of work, leading to higher human employee engagement. ### Synopsis - Augmentation over Replacement: Clarifies the common myth of job loss, citing PwC research that AI/Robotics will create 7 million jobs by 2037 (a net gain of 200,000). - Engagement Gap: Addresses the Gallup stat that 87% of workers are not engaged; RPA is positioned as a tool to reclaim long-hours (2.5 extra weeks a year) to improve work-life balance. - Productivity Metrics: 52% of C-level respondents reported increased productivity via automation. - Revised Risk: Oxford's 2013 prediction of 50% job risk was revised by the OECD to just 10-12%. - Corporate Responsibility: 82% of firms identify Change Management as the primary challenge, emphasizing that upskilling is valued by employees more than financial incentives. ### Read the Full Article The full text of this article is published by Node Magazine and stays there. - Read it in full: https://www.node-magazine.com/thoughtleadership/software-robots-the-answer-to-a-more-productive-engaged-workforce - Guy's own index entry: https://kirkwood.biz/about [Back to Table of Contents](#table-of-contents) --- ## Traditional Offshore Outsourcing Made Better With RPA ### Citation Metadata - **Title:** Traditional Offshore Outsourcing Made Better With RPA - **Date:** 2019-10-15 - **Primary Source:** https://www.uipath.com/blog/digital-transformation/offshore-outsourcing-better-with-rpa - **Archive and Commentary:** https://kirkwood.biz/about#traditional-offshore-outsourcing-made-better-with-rpa - **Type:** Strategic Analysis - **Context:** A critical look at the BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) industry, detailing the shift from "labour arbitrage" to "digital-first" service delivery. ### Synopsis - The Death of Traditional Outsourcing: Moves beyond simple cost-cutting (labour arbitrage) toward a model driven by cloud and automation. - Three Main Hurdles: Traditional BPO faces challenges in the modern labour landscape, economic instability, and gaps in operational oversight. - Risk Mitigation: Cites the 2014 RBS fine (56 million pounds) caused by manual error in an offshore operation as a primary reason for automating high-stakes tasks. - Performance Gains: Mentions DNA (Finnish telecom) achieving a 10x increase in performance by combining automation with agile methodologies. - Process Sediment: Warns against stacking disconnected tools, which creates layers of technical debt and confusion. - The New Partnership: Modern vendors must provide technical expertise and automation-literacy, not just cheap manpower. ### Read the Full Article The full text of this article is published by the UiPath blog and stays there. - Read it in full: https://www.uipath.com/blog/digital-transformation/offshore-outsourcing-better-with-rpa - Guy's own index entry: https://kirkwood.biz/about [Back to Table of Contents](#table-of-contents) --- ## Hyperautomation: What's It All About? ### Citation Metadata - **Title:** Hyperautomation: What's It All About? - **Date:** 2020-05-20 - **Primary Source:** https://www.controlengeurope.com/article/184297/Hyperautomation--what-s-it-all-about-.aspx - **Archive and Commentary:** https://kirkwood.biz/about#hyperautomation-whats-it-all-about - **Type:** Technical Strategy Guide - **Context:** Defines the "Gartner-coined" term hyperautomation, providing a roadmap for combining RPA, AI, and Process Mining in industrial settings for end-to-end automation, AI/ML integration, Schneider Electric case study, Democratization of IT. ### Synopsis - Definition: Hyperautomation is the combination of advanced technologies (AI, ML, process mining) to deliver end-to-end automation, moving beyond simple task-mimicry. - The Scale of Opportunity: Cites McKinsey research showing 2.6 trillion hours of work per year in the US alone are automatable. - Industrial Application: Highlights Schneider Electric's use of automation to handle tedious manufacturing specifications and labelling, freeing technicians for installation work. - Democratization: Shifts digitization from specialized IT departments to a co-production between IT experts and non-technical citizen developers. - Tactical vs. Strategic: Warns against tactical RPA (siloed robots) and advocates for an automation first mindset where robots are an integrated part of the workforce. ### Read the Full Article The full text of this article is published by Control Engineering Europe and stays there. - Read it in full: https://www.controlengeurope.com/article/184297/Hyperautomation--what-s-it-all-about-.aspx - Guy's own index entry: https://kirkwood.biz/about [Back to Table of Contents](#table-of-contents) --- ## New IDC Research: Benefits of a People-First Approach to RPA ### Citation Metadata - **Title:** New IDC Research: Benefits of a People-First Approach to RPA - **Date:** 2021-11-01 - **Primary Source:** https://www.uipath.com/blog/rpa/idc-research-people-first-approach-rpa - **Archive and Commentary:** https://kirkwood.biz/about#new-idc-research-benefits-of-a-people-first-approach-to-rpa - **Type:** Research Summary / White Paper - **Context:** Discusses commissioned IDC research proving successful automation is driven by people/change management, reinforcing the "Human-in-the-Loop" philosophy. ### Synopsis - Shift from process-first to people-first: Successful automation requires empowering individual workers rather than just optimizing high-level processes. - The 80 percent metric: 80% of RPA-adopting decision makers provide tools directly to workers to automate their own tasks. - Error reduction: 79% of employers using RPA experienced a measurable reduction in errors. - Centre of Excellence (CoE): Internal teams are critical for linking process-first and people-first strategies. - Philosophy: The mission is to elevate human potential, not eliminate it. ### Read the Full Article The full text of this article is published by the UiPath blog and stays there. - Read it in full: https://www.uipath.com/blog/rpa/idc-research-people-first-approach-rpa - Guy's own index entry: https://kirkwood.biz/about [Back to Table of Contents](#table-of-contents) --- ## What is TerraMap and should it be used on Collacombe? ### Citation Metadata - **Title:** What is TerraMap and should it be used on Collacombe? - **Date:** 2022-03-15 - **Primary Source:** https://youtu.be/856ZypGAFvw - **Archive and Commentary:** https://kirkwood.biz/farming#what-is-terramap-and-should-it-be-used-on-collacombe - **Type:** Video Presentation / Technology Review - **Context:** A technical evaluation of Hutchinsons TerraMap soil mapping technology. Guy applies his background in data-driven tech to regenerative agriculture, assessing carbon sequestration and nutrient mapping for soil health. ### Synopsis - **High-Definition Soil Analysis:** TerraMap maps up to 48 soil properties at over 800 data points per hectare, against one point per hectare for standard grid sampling (source: Hutchinsons). - **Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy:** Uses a Caesium Iodide (CsI) crystal with a scintillator to measure naturally occurring isotopes (Caesium-137, Uranium-238, Thorium-232, and Potassium-40). - **Carbon Mapping:** It is currently the only proximal scanning technology capable of determining soil organic carbon properties (active and organic carbon) by percentage and tons per hectare. - **ELM Scheme Integration:** Vital for proving a farm is a carbon sink to qualify for UK Environmental Land Management (ELM) public money for public good. - **The Kickers (Challenges):** 1. Requires manual ground truthing (lab samples) to verify the AI algorithms. 2. High cost (47 pounds per hectare). 3. Technical Debt: Most current farm machinery lacks the Green Eye technology required to actually use such high-resolution data. ### Corrected Transcript Speaker: Guy Kirkwood #### Introduction: The Power of Measurement Hello, I'm here to discuss a soil scanning technology called TerraMap. My name is Guy Kirkwood, and I'm considering using this system on my farm in Devon. You can't improve what you don't measure. The fact that this is a misquote of Peter Drucker doesn't make it any less powerful. Drucker was talking about general management, but what applies in other industries particularly applies in precision agriculture. Data is king, and of course, data requires measurement. Nowhere is this more important for farming operations than when considering soil nutrient dynamics through soil analysis, according to research by Dungait et al. (2012). There are numerous options to carry out soil analysis; for instance, George (2020) identified solutions from companies such as DroneAg (Skippy Scout), Small Robot Company, Mantara, and Hutchinsons. These technologies vary in sensitivity, ranging from: - Remote Sensing: A broad-brush approach (as seen in the Guitaut et al. study of 2011). - X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) Spectrometry: Very fine, detailed analysis (as carried out by Wendorf and Chakraborty in 2020). The key is to determine the accuracy required for any particular task, based not only on available technology but also on a careful cost-benefit analysis to assess its suitability. #### Technical Specifications of TerraMap The technology from Hutchinsons (as mentioned in the George study) is called Omnia TerraMap. It is white-labelled from the Canadian business SoilOptix. It consists of a gamma-ray scanner mounted on the front of a Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV). Mahmood et al. (2013) describe gamma-ray spectroscopy - also known as radiometrics - as a promising way to provide information on soil properties at a high spatial resolution. The TerraMap system is the highest-definition soil analysis scanner available to date. It achieves this by using a Caesium Iodide (CsI) crystal with a scintillator to measure the amount of naturally occurring gamma radiation. Mechanism: The gamma radiometer measures energy in a spectrum, allowing it to identify individual isotopes within the soil. Deployment: The crystal is housed in a non-contact, pre-calibrated sensor mounted 60 cm from the soil. Operation: It operates at speeds of up to 20 km/h, with every pass covering a 12-meter wide swath. #### Isotopes Measured The sensor measures natural geological properties emitting from source decay, specifically: - Caesium-137 - Uranium-238 - Thorium-232 - Potassium-40 #### Data Density and Performance As demonstrated by Adamchuk et al. (2011), the overriding advantage of this scanning compared to traditional methods is data density. Hutchinsons publishes a resolution of over 800 data points per hectare, against one sample point per hectare for standard grid sampling (a scheme recommended as far back as T.R. Peck in 1967). #### Predictive Capabilities In a Canadian experiment by Ji et al. (2019), the system was used to predict: Soil Organic Matter (SOM), pH, and Lime Buffer Capacity. Concentrations of Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), and Aluminium (Al). Hutchinsons also reports detection of: Soil texture, Sodium, Boron, Copper, Iron, Zinc, Sulphur, Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), and plant-available water. #### The Algorithm The SoilOptix prediction algorithms are a trade secret. However, in the Ji study, data was analysed using Partial Least Square Regressions (PLSR). Different sensor combinations were tested using sensor data fusion and compared using data mining algorithms, including: - Support Vector Machines (SVM) - Found to provide the best predictions. - Random Forest. - Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS). - Regression Trees. #### The UK Perspective: ELM and Carbon According to Wilson (2021), the Omnia proposition is currently the only proximal scanning technology in the UK able to determine Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) properties, including active and organic carbon (by both percentage and tonnes per hectare). This is innovative and helpful for farmers moving toward Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes as Basic Farm Payments scale down toward 2027. By determining levels of active and organic carbon (as of May 2022), farmers can demonstrate public good under ELM and prove how regenerative practices improve soil health over time. To be blunt: if I can prove the good, I want the money. #### Challenges and Limitations It is not all rainbows and unicorns. There are three major kickers outlined by Ji (2013) and local experts: Ground Truthing: TerraMap still requires manual, lab-based soil samples to verify the algorithm's predictions. Oliver Wood (Hutchinsons) noted in March 2022 that the database isn't yet large enough to operate without real-world checking; the reinforcement learning model is not yet ready. Expense: At 47 pounds per hectare, it is a significant investment. On my 670-acre farm, that is roughly 12,000 pounds at a time when input prices are at historic highs. Machinery Gap: Nigel Warner (RAU) noted in February 2022 that almost no existing farm machinery can utilize this high-resolution data. Only modern sprayers with Green-on-Brown or Green-on-Green technology (auto multi-section control) are compatible. Otherwise, it's like using an axe for open-heart surgery. #### Conclusion Does Omnia TerraMap work? Yes. It is an exciting technology that can prove farms are carbon sinks rather than emitters. Am I going to use it? No - not yet. Until the need for manual sampling is removed and standard sprayers can be economically retrofitted, the limitations outweigh the expense. #### Recommendations for Adoption DEFRA: Should include this technology in the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF) to provide grants to offset costs. Software Integration: Companies like Landmark, Farmplan, and Agri-Data should be educated on the benefits to create positive network effects (Guggenberger, 2021). Academic Focus: These are prime areas for future research by ATSM students at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU). Thank you very much for listening. [Back to Table of Contents](#table-of-contents) --- ## What is Robotic Process Automation ### Citation Metadata - **Title:** What is Robotic Process Automation - **Date:** 2015-03-15 - **Primary Source:** https://youtu.be/Unw_a7kWhtQ - **Archive and Commentary:** https://kirkwood.biz/speaking#what-is-robotic-process-automation - **Type:** Keynote / Industry Primer - **Context:** Guy's most-watched presentation recorded before joining UiPath. It establishes the foundational business case for RPA. ### Synopsis - **The End of Labor Arbitrage:** Wage inflation and a perceived drop in quality in offshore markets (India/Philippines) have made traditional BPO models unsustainable. - **RPA Defined:** Software that works through the existing User Interface (UI) using virtual mice and keyboards. No underlying IT integration or process re-engineering is required. - **The Glue Concept:** Humans currently act as the glue between disconnected IT systems (cutting, pasting, cleaning data). RPA automates this glue. - **Key Metrics:** A robot costs roughly 1/3 of an offshore worker, operates 24/7, and is 4x to 20x faster. - **Proven Results (Dell Case Study):** 53% headcount reduction, 23% overall cost reduction, and quality increased to over 99%. - **Employee Retention:** A 5% reduction in attrition as workers shifted from transactional lights-on activity to higher-value strategic roles. ### Corrected Transcript Speaker: Guy Kirkwood Thank you for tuning in. Sutherland was founded in 1986 and is a $1 billion turnover BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) company headquartered in New York State. We have 35,000 employees across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Importantly, we are still privately owned, which gives us the flexibility to innovate without the pressure of quarterly reporting schedules - hence the creation of our Innovation Labs. The way we operate is different. When Sutherland delivers Integrated BPO, we provide services integrated into the front, middle, and back offices of our customers. Most other providers talk about integrating down the technology stack, but for many, a new technology platform is but a telephone call and a credit card away. The utility nature of technology is becoming so commoditized that business leaders can now focus more time on actually doing business. Our raison d'etre is to look at the future of outsourcing and shared services to help customers adapt rapidly. #### What Companies Really Want: The Table Stakes On this ridiculously busy slide by analyst firm HFS Research are the results of a survey of 312 companies. All the things outsourcers have tried to sell for the past 10 years have now become expected or rather, demanded just to start a conversation. These are the table stakes. We believe you can go further by providing differentiators that outsourcers are only just beginning to deliver, particularly regarding Automation. #### The Journey to Automation: Moving Beyond Cheaper Fingers Traditionally, automation was the preserve of the IT department, seeking a globally integrated single-instance ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) platform. However, when we ask companies when this journey will be complete, the answer is always three years, regardless of how long they've already been working on it. To plug the gaps, many companies moved work to low-cost countries. In India alone, there are over 3 million people providing what Cathy Tornbohm of Gartner describes as cheaper fingers. However, this Labor Arbitrage model is becoming unsustainable due to: - Dramatic wage inflation. - Currency fluctuations. - Socioeconomic changes. - Perceived drops in quality from FTE-based (Full-Time Equivalent) pricing models. Professor Ilan Oshri (Loughborough University) found that 40% of the 200 US and UK companies he polled have re-shored work over the past three years - leaving transactional lights-on activity offshore but bringing high-value elements back home. #### Introducing Robotic Process Automation (RPA) The smartest leaders are replacing manual intervention altogether through Robotic Process Automation (RPA). What is Robotics? It is a software platform - not a physical humanoid robot - that moves information between technology systems. User Interface (UI) Based: It works exactly like a human, using a username, password, virtual mouse, and keyboard. Non-Invasive: It uses existing business rules, meaning you don't have to change the underlying technology or the process itself. Speed & Security: Implementation is fast and carries no additional security risk, even in highly regulated environments. #### Benefits: Cost, Quality, and Control The benefits boil down to four things: - Cost: A robot costs roughly one-third of an offshore employee. - Efficiency: Robots operate 24/7 and are 4 to 20 times faster than humans. - Auditability: Every step is recorded. Audits take an hour rather than a week because the data is in the system, not in people's heads. - Scalability: New robots can be switched on and fully functional within 20 minutes. You can't do that with people. #### How the Model Works: People as the Glue In most companies, people act as the glue between systems - handling manual data entry, cleaning data, and managing exceptions. RPA automates most of these manual interventions. We say most because humans are still better at: Pattern recognition, Indexing handwritten notes, and Interpreting long email trails. From a process standpoint, the robots sit in two secure, onshore data centres and access your systems via a Citrix connection. Our platform uses an object-oriented approach - once a robot learns to interact with a specific screen, it remembers it for the next time. #### Case Study: High-Volume Order Processing We have a client with a $57 billion turnover and a 20-year-old order processing system. They tried to change the system six times, but the risk was too high. They had nearly 1,000 FTEs carrying out transactions, 96% of whom were offshore. We implemented RPA in February 2014 with startling results: - 53% reduction in headcount (from 1,000 to 438). - 23% reduction in cost (with a 20% instant ROI from day one). - 99% quality rate. - 5% reduction in attrition, as people moved to higher-value work. #### Next Steps: The RAPID Assessment To start, think about your processes with the highest volume of manual tasks. Based on six key questions, we can provide a rough estimate of FTE savings. We then perform a RAPID Assessment: A granular, step-by-step map of your processes. Our robotics engineers use this to program the robots. This business case and the RAPID deliverables are provided at no charge. Sutherland offers an alternative to building it yourself (via Blue Prism or Automation Anywhere) or going to a global BPO (like Accenture or TCS) that may still prioritize offshore margins. [Back to Table of Contents](#table-of-contents) --- ## What Impact Will Robotic Process Automation Have? ### Citation Metadata - **Title:** What impact will Robotic Process Automation have? - **Date:** 2015-10-10 - **Primary Source:** https://youtu.be/8OFpQGXbTb8 - **Archive and Commentary:** https://kirkwood.biz/speaking#what-impact-will-robotic-process-automation-have - **Type:** Executive Presentation / Historical Milestone - **Context:** The presentation that led to Guy being identified by UiPath's seed backers as a leader for the company's hyper-growth phase. ### Core Observations - **ERP vs. RPA:** 80% of European shared service organizations are nowhere near completing ERP programs. RPA acts as the glue or bridge to handle swivel-chair processing without the change-management monster of ERP. - **The Golden Record:** Master Data Management (MDM) software often costs 1.2M+ Euros plus implementation. RPA delivers the Golden Record (single version of truth) as a free by-product because every keystroke is recorded and auditable. - **Virtual User:** RPA is a virtual user following existing business rules, not a humanoid robot or true AI. ### Proof Points (2015 Status) - **Dell:** 53% headcount reduction (from 1,000 to 438) and 23% cost reduction in 8 months. Quality increased to >99%. - **SAS:** 50% headcount reduction in airline fare distribution by eliminating the need for a second human checker. - **Humana:** 98% reduction in manual work in provider credentialing (50 people reduced to 1 robot and 1 person). - **Instant ROI:** Guaranteed 20% savings against existing costs from Day 1. ### Corrected Transcript Speaker: Guy Kirkwood Thanks for watching. Sutherland's Innovation Labs have been working in robotics for about four years, and the market finally seems to be catching up. What you see here is the Gartner Hype Cycle, and robotics is currently right at the top of the Peak of Inflated Expectations. So, is robotics the silver bullet that will radically transform your operations? Many organizations have tried to increase efficiency by implementing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platforms with the aim of creating Straight-Through Processing (STP). However, ERP is extremely expensive and takes months, if not years, to roll out. There are currently 1,800 shared service and captive organizations in Europe, and 80% of them are not even close to completing their ERP programs. If this sounds familiar, it means you still have people transferring information between different systems - known as swivel-chair processing. This manual transaction processing is the glue making your business work. #### RPA as a Bridge, Not a Silver Bullet You should think of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) not as a silver bullet, nor as an alternative to ERP, but as a bridge. It is an operations package that addresses the nightmare of interfaces. In this way, you achieve the same benefits without the disruptive technology or process changes that ERP requires. While components like macros and screen scraping have been around for years, RPA provides the programming capability to turn tactical productivity tools into fully automated operations - essentially macros on steroids. #### The Shift to Nearshoring and Poland RPA works regardless of location, whether your business operates in Asia, the Eurozone, the UK, or the US. We are here in Poland for this conference because ABSL (Association of Business Service Leaders) members are ideally positioned in both skills and location to capitalize on the global trend of moving work back to neutral locations. The Trend: Professor Ilan Oshri polled 200 US and European businesses, and a staggering 40% have brought work back (reshored) in the last three years. The Prediction: Because RPA does not rely on large numbers of people, I predict that Poland can double the amount of transactional work it services by 2018. Industry analysts from Gartner, Ovum, HFS, Everest, and IDC are all saying the same thing. #### What We Mean by Robotics Our automation systems are not humanoid robots, nor are they what you would traditionally call Artificial Intelligence (AI). In fact, they aren't intelligent at all. Think of RPA as a virtual user using the same desktop to access standard applications as a human processor. They follow your existing business rules. As virtual machines, they can sit in your data centre, ours, or the cloud. #### RPA vs. Big Data and Master Data Management (MDM) Many businesses try to achieve results through Big Data or Master Data Management (MDM) projects. Their goal is the Golden Record - a single version of the truth. However, for a company with 19 ERP platforms across nine semi-autonomous business units, this is a nightmare. They spend millions on MDM software and even more on implementation. Why? Because every task and keystroke performed by a robot is recorded and auditable. Because robots can put information into any system, the Golden Record is actually a free byproduct of RPA. #### Case Studies: Results in Practice I cannot stress enough the flexibility and speed of RPA compared to the classical change management monster of ERP. Dell: Dell has a $57 billion turnover but an order processing system that is 20 years old. They tried to change it six times but failed due to cost and risk. By implementing RPA, they achieved: - 53% reduction in headcount (from 1,000 to 438). - 23% reduction in cost. - 99%+ quality rate. SAS (Scandinavian Airlines): We took over centres in Estonia and Sweden responsible for fare distribution. This is critical; if fares are wrong, the airline is either uncompetitive or unprofitable. We achieved an instant 50% reduction in headcount by removing the need for a second person to check every transaction. Humana: For this healthcare insurer, we replaced 50 people doing provider credentialing with one robot and one person - a 98% reduction in manual work. #### Next Steps: The Six Key Questions If you are under pressure to do more with less, implementing an RPA pilot is a low-risk way to start. We are so confident that we guarantee to be 20% cheaper than your existing costs, providing instant ROI on day one. To identify the best processes for automation, ask yourself these six questions: 1. Input: What is the main input? How does the data arrive (Legacy systems, Excel, etc.)? 2. Current Automation: How much automation is already used (e.g., are there existing macros)? 3. Volume: How many people work on the process? 4. Complexity: How many steps do the users need to take? 5. Platforms: How many technology platforms or systems are involved? 6. Duration: How long does the process take to transact? #### Conclusion: The Zero-Cost Back Office Gartner has reported that one-third of all jobs will be automated by 2020. While there will still be tasks machines don't understand (like complex handwriting), we are working on ways to impact source these micro-tasks. Ultimately, the smartest leaders will use RPA-driven services to commercialize their Global Business Services (GBS) operations, creating an enterprise that delivers frictionless processing and a financial return - effectively a zero-cost back office. [Back to Table of Contents](#table-of-contents) --- ## Three Predictions on the Future of Work ### Citation Metadata - **Title:** Three Predictions on the Future of Work - **Date:** 2019-02-10 - **Primary Source:** https://youtu.be/sdc4BU9t6Dw - **Archive and Commentary:** https://kirkwood.biz/speaking#three-predictions-on-the-future-of-work - **Type:** Strategic Interview - **Context:** Insights on workforce transformation and how technology reshapes the skills required for future careers. This is by far the most biographical and personal of all transcripts. It is the true voice of Guy Kirkwood. ### Synopsis - **The Role of Evangelism:** Guy defines his role as a storyteller and bi-directional listener who translates market needs back to product teams. - **UiPath Origins:** Details the journey from a 7-person team in an apartment in Bucharest (under the original name DeskOver) to a company valued at $35 billion pre-IPO (the NYSE IPO in April 2021 opened at a market cap above $30 billion). - **RPA as a Category:** Discusses how UiPath had to create a new software category, becoming the fastest-growing enterprise software segment in history. - **Cultural Tenets:** Highlights UiPath's four pillars: Be Bold, Be Fast, Be Immersed, and most importantly, Be Humble. - **Analyst Relations:** Shares a pro-tip for startups: Trust and humility with analysts (Gartner, Forrester, Everest) are more important than mere briefings. - **The BPO to RPA Pivot:** Describes a breakthrough with a $57 billion client where traditional labour arbitrage had failed, and only automation could drive new value. - **Resilience through Redundancy:** Guy shares the personal lesson that being made redundant multiple times built the resilience needed to thrive in a high-growth startup environment. - **Democratizing Automation:** UiPath's strategy to give away training via the UiPath Academy (750,000+ trained) and the Academic Alliance (800+ universities) was a pivotal move to expand the ecosystem's good ideas. - **The Four Pillars of Understanding:** Guy predicts that AI tools will eventually disappear as distinct technologies, becoming part of the fabric of life like electricity. This involves: Visual Understanding (Computer Vision), Document Understanding (Intelligent OCR), Process Understanding (Process Mining), Conversational Understanding (NLP/Intent analysis). - **The Indicator for Engagement:** Citing Forrester research, Guy notes that the top indicator for employee engagement is whether an individual feels their work takes the business forward - a feeling automation restores by removing drudgery. - **Advice for Startups:** Read broadly, find mentors you can trust, and identify what you are uniquely good at. ### Corrected Transcript Speakers: Guy Kirkwood and Stephen McIntosh Stephen McIntosh: Hi everyone, my name is Stephen McIntosh, host of the AI Pioneers podcast. Today I'm joined by Guy Kirkwood, Chief Evangelist of UiPath. Guy, please introduce yourself. Guy Kirkwood: Thanks, Stephen. My name is Guy Kirkwood. I'm the Chief Evangelist with UiPath. It is both the best and the worst job title in the world and I'll explain why in a minute. #### Defining UiPath and RPA Stephen: For anyone who doesn't know about UiPath - though I'm sure that's a small number in our audience - could you tell us what it is? Guy: UiPath's fundamental aim is to reshape how people work. That sounds like a spectacular thing to aim for, but the reason we can do it is our platform: Robotic Process Automation (RPA). The Goal: To take away the boring, repetitive, mundane work that office workers have to endure. The Mechanism: We use software robots (not hardware robots) to take on that work. This elevates humans, allowing them to focus on innovation, ingenuity, and tasks that actually make sense to us as people. #### What is a Chief Evangelist? Guy: Regarding the role itself, I wasn't the first in the world, but I was the first in the RPA market. The role actually originated at Apple with a man named Guy Kawasaki. The Origin Story: Steve Jobs asked Kawasaki to find ways to sell Apple to everyone. Kawasaki realized you couldn't change the minds of zealots (MS-DOS or Windows users), but you could sell to the agnostics. In the early days of RPA, we had to create the Category. A category is a group of technologies that analysts (Gartner, Forrester, IDC) and the press use to define a market. RPA remains the fastest-growing enterprise software category. #### The Operating Model: Storytelling and Listening Stephen: What does your day-to-day role involve? What is your responsibility during the week or quarter? Guy: Being an evangelist is bi-directional. Storytelling: I talk to technology partners, implementation partners, customers, and analysts (the Gartners and Foresters of the world) to tell the UiPath story. Listening: I actually spend more time listening than talking. By listening to what the market anticipates and wants, I can go back to our product, sales, marketing, and partner teams so we can adapt and stay ahead. The Worst Part of the Title: I still get an inordinate number of people on LinkedIn who are thrilled that Jesus has entered my life. I have to gently explain that I'm evangelical about RPA, not necessarily in a religious sense! #### The Power of the RPA Acronym Stephen: The acronym RPA is an incredibly powerful marketing construct. It personifies the software as a robotic worker. Multiple stories can be laid on top of that. Guy: That was down to two people: Phil Fersht (HFS Research) and Pat Geary (Blue Prism). They came up with the acronym. Some people argue it doesn't involve robots in the physical sense or that it's more task-oriented than process-oriented, but the name stuck. At UiPath, we are moving from being a product company to a platform company. You can think of us as a platform of platforms. We use AI tools and Machine Learning to facilitate software robots working both horizontally and vertically across an organization. #### The 35 Billion Dollar Valuation Stephen: UiPath is now a highly valued business. Public reports (as of early 2021) place the valuation around $35 billion, which is incredible. [Editorial note: This interview pre-dates the April 2021 NYSE IPO. The $35 billion figure reflects the final private valuation; the IPO market cap opened above $30 billion.] #### Career Beginnings: Psychology and the Pre-HTML Era Stephen: Tell us a bit about yourself, Guy. Who is Guy Kirkwood? How did you get started in this industry and with UiPath? Guy: I was interviewed recently by a journalist who asked me to take him through my career. I laughed because I haven't really had a career; I've had a collection of jobs. Every one of those jobs led to where I am today, but it wasn't planned - it was just luck. I did two degrees. My first was in Psychology, and my second was a Master's in Philosophy. During my Master's, I worked for a technology startup in computer-based training. To give you an idea of how old I am, the very first lesson in our program was How to Use a Mouse. At the time, I was researching how the brain assimilates information. I realized that people don't learn linearly, but I couldn't find software to support that until I found a small company in Edinburgh called OWL. One of the directors there was Tim Berners-Lee, and we actually used a precursor to HTML to build our platform. An insurance company eventually liked the business so much they bought it. #### Publishing and the Scottish Licensed Trade Guy: After that, I moved into publishing as a production editor for the Scottish Licensed Trade Guardian. This meant my terrible job was to visit an endless number of pubs, distilleries, and hotels. #### The Military Years: From Sandhurst to the Scots Guards Guy: For some unknown reason, I then decided to join the Army. I hadn't done the Officer Training Corps (OTC) in university, but I joined the Territorial Army (TA) and then applied for a full-time regular commission. I went to the Regular Commissions Board in Westbury. I did well on the mental tests but appallingly on the physical ones. When they asked how long I'd wanted to join the army, I honestly replied, About two weeks. Because I was a 25-year-old fat boy, they sent me to Rowallan Company - a gruelling three-month course designed to see if you'll quit by making you run around Wales in the pouring rain. I didn't quit. I ended up in the Scots Guards for four very happy years. My service ranged from: Operational Duties: Being shot at while running around Belfast. Public Duties: Changing the guard at Buckingham Palace and being part of the Keys ceremony. #### The Pivot to Technology and Headhunting Guy: When I left the Army in June, I had a job lined up for September at SG Warburg (an investment bank) to be a trainee fund manager looking at tech stocks. I had a gap of a few months and wanted to know who knew the most about technology. I realized it was the headhunters. Back then, headhunters were like priests 200 years ago - they knew what was happening before it actually happened. I was living in Windsor at the time, so I went to interview with a man named Roger Baker. I took a job as a part-time researcher with headhunter Roger, and it opened my eyes. Our clients were organizations like KPMG and Perot Systems (founded by Ross Perot). Perot Systems had just closed a massive deal with East Midlands Electricity (EME). This was during the privatization of the 12 regional electricity companies in the UK. At the time, EME was at the bottom of the pile in terms of shareholder value because their IT was completely shot. The Transformation: Perot Systems didn't just run the IT; they used Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) consultants to transform the entire business. Shareholder Value: EME jumped from 12th to 6th place among its peers. Deal Growth: The initial $300 million deal doubled to $600 million. Global Impact: Using EME as a case study, Perot won a $1.2 billion deal with California Light and Power. I realized then that anything that could make that much difference to the provider, the organization, and the people involved was the future. #### Top Tip: If You're Not Selling, Join Marketing Stephen: In these roles, were you essentially a salesperson? Guy: My top tip is this: If you aren't actively selling, don't join a sales organization. I was doing demand generation. In sales, when a new director comes in, they look at the list of stars and average performers. Then they see the person at the bottom who never sold anything - that was me every time. If you do demand generation, join the Marketing department. That's where you belong. #### The Aha Moment at Sutherland Global Services Guy: Later, while at Sutherland Global Services, we were working with Dell. Their order processing system was 20 years old and so deeply embedded that they had failed to change it six times. They had 1,000 people manually re-keying data into green screen legacy systems - classic swivel-chair processing. We proposed the standard BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) play: Take over the staff, Consolidate into a shared service, Move it offshore. Dell's response? We've already done that. 96% of those people are already offshore. How else can you help? We realized the only way to add value and make money was to automate. #### Finding DeskOver in Bucharest Guy: We looked at a company called Blue Prism, and then we found an even smaller organization consisting of just seven people in an apartment in Bucharest. It was called DeskOver, run by Daniel Dines and Marius Tirca. We used what eventually became UiPath technology. Sutherland was essentially the first major customer of what the platform could truly do, and the results were staggering. I had that exact same feeling I had during the Perot Systems deal - where I thought, Outsourcing is the future - when I found out about this automation stuff. Usually, technology is a solution searching for a problem. You see something whiz-bang and ask, How is this going to help us? But with automation, you could see right from the start that it was going to have a fundamental impact on global organizations. Even back in 2013 and 2014, the impact was obvious. #### Joining UiPath: Seed Rounds and Unicorns Guy: When Daniel Dines raised his seed round, it was just under $1 million at an $8 million valuation. He hired a few people, and I was one of them. The round was led by Earlybird and Seed Camp. For your listeners: Earlybird is easily the most intelligent early-round investor in Europe. They have a brilliant knack for identifying unicorns early on. I originally joined as Chief Operating Officer (COO), but after about six or seven months, I switched to Chief Evangelist and have been happily doing that ever since. #### Cultural Pillars: The Power of Humility Stephen: You realized your skill set was in demand generation, and you found the best output for that in the Evangelist role within Marketing. Guy: It was actually Daniel's idea for me to become the Evangelist, and he was right. At UiPath, we have four core tenets: Be Bold, Be Fast, Be Immersed, Be Humble. Humility is the most important. If you aren't humble, you spend your time defending your corner and you don't listen. If you don't listen, you can't change. That humility is what makes us stand out culturally more than the technology itself. #### The New Priests: Analyst Relations as Strategy Stephen: What gives you the most satisfaction in your job? Guy: Making sure we do well in analyst reports. If headhunters were the priests of the industry 200 years ago, that role is now held by the analysts. They talk to everyone: implementation partners, technology providers, customers, and the investment community. The greatest satisfaction is when I find out they are talking about us when we aren't in the room. Most startups treat Analyst Relations (AR) as an afterthought, but it needs to start at Day Zero. Pro-Tip for Startups: You want to get onto the Gartner Magic Quadrants, the Forrester Waves, and the Everest PEAK Matrixes. Why? Because organizations tend to look at the top three and send their RFP (Request for Proposal) or RFI (Request for Information) to them first. Getting into that top tier early gives you full sight of the market. It took us only six months to go from nowhere to being on the first Forrester Wave, which is unheard of. My success is measured by the strength of our relationship with the analyst community across all geographies and industries. #### Expert Recommendation Guy: For anyone who really wants to understand how to navigate this, there is one person they need to talk to: Sven Litke. He has been working with us as long as I have with you. He runs a company called Kea Company, and they specialize in analyst relations. They are brilliant, so if anyone wants to get in touch with either of us, we can pass on the details. He and his team are fantastic. Thinking about the story you told - from the Scots Guards at the beginning of the outsourcing market to the genesis of RPA - it's a natural disruptor of that entire process. In that timeline, have you had any mentors who helped you or gave you a steer to help you grow? #### Andrew Kris and Mining for Corporate Gold Daniel Dines, obviously, made me what I am today in terms of the Chief Evangelist role. But prior to that, there was a guy I worked with at a company called Borderless Executive Search in Brussels. His name is Andrew Kris. He still runs Borderless with his wife. He was a true mentor because he had confidence in me. Even though I was bad at sales, he saw that I was good at building relationships. He basically supported me for two years while I got my act together. The reason he was such a mentor - and the link to what I've done since - is that prior to executive search, he was a very senior leader at Johnson & Johnson. He decided he wouldn't do what was politically expedient to climb the ladder, so they gave him the difficult jobs: Finance, Procurement, and HR. As a business builder, he turned those operations into what we now know as Shared Service Operations or Global Business Ownership. He actually wrote the book on it called Mining for Corporate Gold. It's a bit older now, but it's brilliant. That combination of people, process, and technology was writ large by Andrew. He was wonderful with people and incredibly humble. #### A Global Perspective and Family Life Andrew encouraged us to think beyond our normal boundaries. At the time, my children were five and seven. We were headed toward the traditional British prep and public school route (where, ironically, public school isn't public). At the Borderless Christmas parties in Brussels, there were so many nationalities that the children were all switching between Italian, Flemish, French, and English. We thought, This is amazing. So, we bought a place in France and threw our children into a French school. They didn't speak a word of French, but a year later, they were speaking without an accent. It was the best thing we ever did. #### Life on the Devon-Cornwall Border Currently, I am based at home. After moving back from France, we settled on the Devon-Cornwall border near the River Tamar. We live in the Tamar Valley, very close to a UNESCO World Heritage site known as the Devon Great Consols. In the 18th century, about 75% of the world's copper came from those mines. As for my pets - we tend to collect them: 3 Great Danes and 1 Norfolk Terrier (the terrier is definitely in charge). 7 Horses. My wife and children do dressage; I just try to stay on. I make a good passenger! #### Lessons on Success, Failure, and the Future of Work We've been extremely lucky during lockdown to have space for the dogs and horses. We have friends from university having a very hard time psychologically because they are stuck in flats. It really matters. Forrester noted there are 18 million more people working from home this year than last year in the U.S. alone. We have to look after people. #### Dealing with Failure In terms of lessons or failures, I've been fired or made redundant from almost every job I've ever had. I'm not sure that's a negative; eventually, I became quite relaxed about it. It's about finding your place, even if it takes a long time. I'm 54 years old, and the majority of people at UiPath are half my age. To join a rocket ship - as Eric Schmidt (often attributed to Larry Page) once said: When you're offered a seat on a rocket ship, don't ask which seat. Just get on. #### Supporting the Next Generation It is hard for young people entering the workforce now. Scott Galloway writes great articles about how this next generation has a lower earning potential than their parents for the first time in history. If the world of work is going to change, it is up to the vendors and the ecosystem to ensure people aren't left behind. That's why we are doing work with the World Economic Forum, the EU, and the UN. If we are to be a generational business, we must support the generations to come. My colleague Margareta Chesaru is doing fantastic work on this. #### The Democratization of RPA: UiPath Academy One of the things I am most proud of is the decision to open up our platform to a much broader community. When I joined, the industry standard was for vendors to charge for training because license revenue wasn't yet substantial. I pushed back and argued that we had to give it away. I didn't use the word democratize at the time, but the goal was to get the software into as many hands as possible. Having seen the success of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), I realized that success doesn't just come from expanding the user base - it comes from expanding the pool of people who come up with good ideas. Even as we grew to nearly 3,000 people, we realized we don't have a monopoly on innovation. Our community provides the best ideas. Whether it's someone in Kazakhstan, Bangalore, or Bristol, if they have the tools to experiment, they will find powerful new ways to use them. Impact: The UiPath Academy has now trained over 750,000 people worldwide, creating entirely new roles in the global economy. #### The Academic Alliance We followed the Academy by launching the Academic Alliance in early 2019. Much like Google, Apple, or Microsoft provide hardware to students to build platform loyalty, we went to universities with a different proposition: Broad automation will fundamentally impact the future of work regardless of a student's degree. We expected a slow uptake, but as of now, over 800 universities worldwide are teaching RPA as part of their curriculum. #### The Future of the Automation Ecosystem There is a common misconception about AI. A few years ago, I made headlines for saying AI is bollocks - not because the technology isn't real, but because C-suite executives often treat AI as a single thing rather than an ecosystem of different tools. #### The Fabric of Everyday Life I believe that eventually, these technologies will disappear. Not because we stop using them, but because they will become part of the invisible fabric of our lives - much like electricity. You don't think about how electricity is generated when you flip a light switch; you just expect the light to come on. This fabric is being built on four pillars of understanding: - Visual Understanding: Computer vision and interface interaction. - Document Understanding: Intelligent OCR and data extraction. - Process Understanding: Mining and analysing how work actually flows. - Conversational/Communications Understanding: Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand emails, calls, and human-centric processes. #### Market Consolidation and Disruption We are seeing a squeeze in the market. Core RPA vendors are expanding outward into cognitive services, while ERP, CRM, and BPM companies are moving inward to automate their own stacks. We've seen Microsoft and SAP make major moves, and I expect Google, Amazon, and Salesforce to follow suit over the next few years. #### The Shift to Knowledge Work While the last few years focused on clerical back-office work, the next battleground is the disruption of the knowledge worker. Professional services have traditionally functioned through human-centric channels: emails, calls, and meetings. We are now entering an era of perceptual infrastructure. Systems will be constantly listening, learning, judging, and routing work in symbiosis with humans. As Dave Johnson at Forrester has noted in his studies, it doesn't matter what your job title is - everyone has mundane or boring elements of their role that they would rather delegate to a digital assistant. The next few years will be about automating those specific tasks to free people for higher-value work. #### Employee Engagement and the Why of Work According to Dave, the key indicator for employee engagement isn't salary or recognition. It is whether an individual believes the work they are doing is important and moves the business forward. High staff turnover is often a direct result of people feeling their tasks are insignificant. Automation helps solve this across every profession - lawyers, doctors, scientists, and teachers alike. By removing the mundane, we allow people to focus on the work that actually matters. #### Vertical Trends: The Rise of the Public Sector Historically, RPA adoption began in Finance (BFSI), insurance, and manufacturing. However, we have seen a massive uptake in the Public Sector over the last year. Driven largely by the pressures of the pandemic, the public sector has become one of the most exciting and innovative areas for automation today. #### The Future for Guy Kirkwood As for my own future, I love what I do. I've been in business for 30 years and I've never truly known what's next - I have a bit of a happy-go-lucky approach to my career. If I ever do decide to move on, it would likely be to something completely different. Note: Since this interview, Guy has successfully transitioned into a completely different field: agriculture. He now runs an arable farm in Devon, focusing on biodiversity and soil health, proving that his happy-go-lucky openness to new chapters leads to interesting places. #### Advice for Startups and Entrepreneurs For any young startup looking to emulate the success of a company like UiPath, here is my advice: - Read Broadly: Don't just stick to your industry or category. Ideas can be triggered by anything - newspapers, magazines, or even in-flight journals. Understand the broad milieu in which you operate. - Build a Trust Circle: Find people you can trust. This includes your investors, the analyst community, and mentors. - Focus on Your Strengths: Don't try to do everything yourself. Identify what you are naturally good at and practice it relentlessly. - Overcome Fear through Practice: I used to be terrified of public speaking. I took drama and mime training - I was a terrible actor, but it taught me how to perform. The more you do something, the easier it becomes. [Back to Table of Contents](#table-of-contents) --- ## Four Reasons Robots will Transform Shared Services ### Citation Metadata - **Title:** Four Reasons Robots will Transform Shared Services - **Date:** 2016-05-20 - **Primary Source:** https://youtu.be/FRZwoTN5Y5s - **Archive and Commentary:** https://kirkwood.biz/speaking#four-reasons-robots-will-transform-shared-services - **Type:** Industry Interview (SSON) - **Context:** A forward-looking analysis of RPA's impact on global shared services organizations. ### Synopsis - **Virtual Employee Model:** RPA is defined as the capability to transfer work traditionally moved onshore or offshore to Virtual Employees (software robots). - **Non-Invasive Integration:** A software robot operates within an organization's existing technology structure. It interacts with systems exactly like a human through the user interface, meaning no underlying technology changes are required. - **Filling the ERP Gap:** While a full instance of ERP is the theoretical ideal, it is prohibitively expensive and slow. With 80% of the 1,500 European shared service operations lacking an ERP, RPA fills the gap without massive investment. - **Universal Applicability:** RPA is geography, sector, and function-agnostic, capable of handling processes in finance, procurement, HR, and industry-specific tasks in any language. - **The Technologist Hurdle:** Business leaders generally embrace RPA, but technologists often view it as a threat to their big shiny new systems and the associated consulting/integration business cases. ### Corrected Transcript Interviewer: Guy, we're here at the SSON event in Dublin. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) seems to be the topic on everyone's lips. Can you explain exactly what it is and why it's such a game-changer? Guy Kirkwood: Robotic Process Automation, or RPA, is the capability of transferring work that would traditionally be moved onshore or offshore to virtual employees - essentially software robots. Unlike a physical robot, a software robot operates within an organization's existing technology structure. Because it interacts with systems the same way a human does, you don't need to change any of your underlying technology. You can use your existing systems regardless of their quality or age. #### Filling the ERP Gap While the Nirvana for many businesses is a full ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) implementation, those projects are incredibly expensive and time-consuming. The Reality: There are roughly 1,500 Shared Service operations across Europe, and 80% of them do not have a unified ERP system. The Solution: Robotics fills this gap without requiring massive capital investment. #### The Versatility of Automation RPA is industry-agnostic and function-agnostic, meaning it can be applied almost anywhere: sectors include Banking, Insurance, Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Telecommunications. Functions include Finance & Accounting, Procurement, HR, and Industry-specific processes. Geographically, it operates in any language across any global location. #### Case Study: Massive Efficiency Gains In one instance, a client had a captive offshore operation of 1,000 people. By implementing RPA, we were able to: Reduce headcount by over 50%. Increase efficiency to 99%. Reduce attrition by 5%. This represents a much more dramatic ROI than a traditional BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) deal. #### Overcoming Hurdles: Business vs IT The biggest hurdle to RPA adoption isn't the business side; it's the technologists. IT departments often view RPA as a threat to their big, shiny new systems. They have built business cases for expensive platforms that require consultants and system integrators. RPA can achieve equal or better savings without that level of investment. My Advice: Don't wait. Trial it. Pilot a robot inside your organization. The cost of entry is almost zero. Pick a pain point process somewhere people are just manually moving data from one system to another and put a couple of robots on it. The benefits will speak for themselves. #### The Value of the SSON Network The Shared Services and Outsourcing Network (SSON) is critical to the development of Shared Services and the emerging area of GBS (Global Business Services). Our organization supports SSON conferences in both the US and Europe. We don't just see these events as sales opportunities; we see them as opportunities to learn. By listening to what practitioners are actually talking about on the ground, we can adapt our services to meet the real-world needs of the market. [Back to Table of Contents](#table-of-contents) --- ## Living in a Post-Outsourcing World ### Citation Metadata - **Title:** Living in a Post-Outsourcing World - **Date:** 2017-09-12 - **Primary Source:** https://youtu.be/21jettRK7vw - **Archive and Commentary:** https://kirkwood.biz/speaking#living-in-a-post-outsourcing-world - **Type:** Analyst Event Keynote (Forrester) - **Context:** Discussing the "End of Offshoring" trend and how automation allows for localized service delivery. ### Core Observations - **The End of Offshoring:** Offshoring as a business model based on labour arbitrage is over. 15 years ago, Mumbai was 1/3 the cost of Manchester; today, a robot is 1/3 the cost of an offshore resource. - **9x Improvement:** A single robot costs roughly 1/3 of an offshore human resource but performs the work of 3 to 5 people, representing at least a 9x efficiency gain per dollar spent. - **ERP vs. RPA:** 80% of European shared services lack a single ERP instance, leading to manual glue (people moving data). RPA is the only fast solution where straight-through processing (STP) is missing. - **The Human-in-the-Loop:** Even in complex processes (e.g., BMW intern hiring), automating the front-end data entry and back-end system loading reduced a 25-minute task to 2 minutes, even with a human decision in the middle. ### Proof Points - **RPA Growth:** Cited a 90% CAGR for RPA, while UiPath specifically grew 400% in one year. - **Market Penetration:** In 2017, only 5% of $1B+ companies had implemented RPA; predicted to hit 15-18% within 15 months (the Crossing the Chasm moment). - **Efficiency Metric:** Robots provide a minimum 9x improvement in productivity-to-cost ratio compared to traditional BPO. ### Corrected Transcript Speaker: Guy Kirkwood Pascal mentioned that operations should be outside-in, and he's right - but that only works if the in bit functions properly. Today, I want to talk about life in a post-outsourcing world. Looking at the audience, how many of you have outsourced or are currently outsourcing any of your operations? (A fair few). And how many organizations are currently implementing - not just a POC, but actually implementing - Robotic Process Automation (RPA)? If you look at operational excellence, it's the way organizations drive activities that benefit customers. To make that work, you need a slick operation. There are currently 1,800 shared service operations across Europe; 80% of those do not have a single instance of ERP. This means you have people manually transferring information between multiple systems. Ultimately, the goal of the CIO is to create a bright, shiny new system with Straight-Through Processing (STP). If you have that, you don't need robots. However, the vast majority of organizations do not have that luxury. #### The Explosive Growth of RPA RPA is growing incredibly fast. Actually, I cheated there; 140% was the growth rate of steam power from 1800 to 1815. What we're seeing here isn't necessarily new, but it is explosive. Sarah Burnett of Everest calculated that the actual CAGR for RPA is about 90% over the next two or three years. Our company personally grew by 400% last year, and we've already doubled that in the first five months of this year. #### Why is this happening now? It's driven by three major changes: Technology: Automation has existed for decades (screen scraping, macros, etc.). The difference now is that RPA can perform unattended work, replacing the manual labor where people transfer information between systems. Service Maturity: Shared services started 20 years ago, matured into captive operations, then offshoring, and finally Global Business Service (GBS) units. Automation is the next logical evolutionary step. Mentality: When Blue Prism created the RPA market around 2003, the definition was end-to-end automation. Today, people realize RPA can be used in specific bits of a process and still achieve hundreds of percent in ROI within the first year. #### Example: BMW We worked on a process for BMW that previously took 25 minutes. It involved identifying if a new hire could work in Germany - a step that wasn't fully automatable. However, we automated the front bit (transferring data from the intern to the HR system) and the back end (loading data into SAP). That reduced the time to two minutes, even with a human-in-the-loop. #### Crossing the Chasm According to Gartner, only 5% of global organizations with revenue over $1 billion have implemented RPA. They predict that number will jump to 15-18% within the next 12 to 15 months. This is critical because, per the book Crossing the Chasm, that is the point where a technology becomes mainstream. Ten years ago, it was hard to find ten companies working on Machine Learning. In ten years' time, it will be hard to find ten that aren't. RPA follows that same trajectory. #### The Four Pillars of RPA Success When implementing RPA, only four things really matter: - Breadth: How many processes can be automated? - Velocity: How fast can you automate them? - Agility: What happens when things change (especially when operating on Citrix/Bitmaps)? - Security: This is the table stakes for operating in this space. We always recommend using a partner for early iterations. Many RPA projects stall because they are done in silos. Using a consultant or system integrator helps you build a Centre of Excellence (CoE) and trains your people to become self-sufficient. #### The End of Labor Arbitrage I believe offshoring (as we know it) is dead. In February, the industry was worrying about two things: Automation and Trump. Recently, Infosys announced a significant period of de-growth. The business model of labour arbitrage - doing things cheaper overseas - is over. Fifteen years ago, a worker in Mumbai cost a third of one in Manchester. Today, even moving to Tier 3 cities in India won't save the model. A robot costs a third of an offshore resource and does the work of three to five people. You are looking at a 9x improvement per dollar spent. #### The Future: Cognitive, AI, and Self-Learning RPA is great for structured data and rules-based tasks. However, the future lies in Cognitive and AI for unstructured data (like invoices in 100,000 different formats). Partnerships: We are working with ABBYY to turn unstructured data into structured data that our robots can read. Integration: We are feeding into APIs from the big guys like Microsoft, Google, and IBM Watson. Self-Learning: We are developing self-building robots. Software will sit on a user's desktop, record actions, and create its own robot to perform the task. We are about 12 to 18 months out from that. Chatbots: We are implementing machine learning where a robot can ask a human how to handle an unfamiliar invoice via chat or voice, learn from the answer, and never ask again. #### Building a Community Any successful software needs two things: an open platform (so you can build your own IP on top) and a community. We have 13,000 developers globally, and we expect that to hit 100,000 by year-end. Through the UiPath Academy (our MOOC), anyone can train on RPA for free. Firms like Deloitte are training thousands of risk advisors, and insurers like Generali are training their Green and Black Belts so that automation becomes a standard part of their operational excellence. [Back to Table of Contents](#table-of-contents) --- ## Why Companies go into RPA, and Why They're Wrong ### Citation Metadata - **Title:** Why Companies go into RPA, and why they're Wrong - **Date:** 2018-11-08 - **Primary Source:** https://youtu.be/EaftjazZMY0 - **Archive and Commentary:** https://kirkwood.biz/speaking#why-companies-go-into-rpa-and-why-theyre-wrong - **Type:** Thought Leadership Keynote (Forrester) - **Context:** A mature look at RPA implementation, focusing on why internal organizational change is more important than the software itself. ### Core Observations on Transformation - Automation should do the crappy tasks people don't want to do. - Every person will eventually have a robot assistant. - The shift is from Process First to People First. - Success is measured in terms of compliments rather than complaints. ### Corrected Transcript Speaker: Guy Kirkwood Hello Everyone, hands up who went to the Chicago event today? What really impressed me with that event was actually the Rene Murphy presentation when she was talking about NSA Barbie. If you get the opportunity, download the video; it is (a) terrifying, (b) hilarious, and (c) really informative. I'm hoping we're going to get some of that energy today. I threw away all my corporate slides, so instead, we're getting these pictures. We are going to talk about why companies adopt RPA (Robotic Process Automation) and why they are often wrong about their initial motivations. #### The Shift from Tech to Culture This talk stemmed from a conversation I had with a Forrester analyst named Dave Johnson. Dave is focusing on culture, and we are going to be working on a joint paper together on this exact topic. While we started from different angles, our ideas are now merging. As Diego mentioned, the adoption of new technologies must be embedded as part of your organization's change process. You need to use the technology, and use it right - but you are going to need some help. I love this slide: You do need some help. That help is provided by robots. The trouble with Robotic Process Automation is that it has the word robot at the front, which confuses the hell out of everyone. I never use a picture of a physical robot when talking about what we do. RPA is basically taking structured data and rules-based activities and automating them. As Diego said, automate what you can. In fact, one of our competitors, Automation Anywhere, says that anything that can be automated, will be. That is the world we live in, and the adoption rate has been staggering. HFS Research: 81% of 1,200 polled enterprises plan to significantly or dramatically increase RPA adoption. Everest Group: In a recent webinar with 1,000 participants, the projected growth for 2018 eclipsed anything I saw during my background in BPO and outsourcing. We are seeing growth rates of 100% to 500%+. #### Case Study: Admiral Group The building you see here is the corporate headquarters of Admiral, a UK insurance organization. It has 12 floors. Eighteen months ago, Neil Davis started with just one evaluation license of UiPath. Today, they are in 10 of those 12 departments. It cuts across every part of their business: - First notice of loss - Broker dealings and claims processing - Corporate functions (Finance, Accounting, Procurement, HR) - Customer service and call centre operations Our own organization has grown from seed funding to a unicorn in 36 months because the adoption rate is so dramatic. #### The Myth of Headcount Reduction One of the great myths about automation is that organizations do it primarily to reduce headcount. They are wrong. The value of the people in your organization is much higher than you think. Just because someone is doing a monkey job doesn't mean they are monkeys. Organizations are finding that automation actually improves the effectiveness of their people. The Financial Times recently ran an article about automation's impact on the UK economy. The only people who are truly worried are recruitment companies. Why? Because instead of constantly hiring new bodies, organizations are reusing the talented people they already have to become more agile. #### The Historical Context Think of this as the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In the first one (circa 1763), 98% of humans worked the land. Today, that number is around 2% globally. Does that mean 96% of us are unemployed? Of course not. When organizations say they want automation to reduce headcount, it usually happens through natural attrition, not mass redundancies (except perhaps in some Indian outsourcing firms). Melanie from Google (Capital G), one of our backers, says the automation itself isn't the point - it's the kernel of ROI (Return on Investment). Intelligent automation is relatively quick and cheap to implement compared to massive legacy IT projects. #### Structured vs. Unstructured Data RPA is excellent at dealing with structured data and rules-based activities. It is, frankly, crap at dealing with unstructured data because exception levels are too high. To solve this, we work with AI startups. Our latest software release includes: - Machine Learning - Natural Language Processing (NLP) - Intelligent OCR For example, a native PDF is structured data, but a JPEG is not. Outsourcers love us because we can handle data over Citrix. While Citrix displays a bitmap (easy for humans, a nightmare for most robots), we are particularly good at it. By combining these tools, you create Intelligent Automation. #### Market Maturity Last year, research showed RPA adoption among billion-dollar enterprises was between 3% and 5%. Today, it is 15%. According to Geoffrey Moore's Crossing the Chasm, 15% to 18% is the tipping point where technology moves from early adopters into the mainstream. #### Real-World Results Big Four Audit Firm: Using a combination of RPA, ML, and NLP, they achieved an 85% accuracy rate (compared to 25% with IBM Watson) at a much lower cost. 45% of their core audit business is now automated. Hollard Insurance (South Africa): Working with our partner Larc AI, they use Watson, Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit, and ABBYY for email processing. They use NLP and sentiment analysis to route communications. 98% of those emails never see a human, and transaction costs have dropped by 91%. #### The Future: Artificial Intuition (LTL) We are moving toward Linear Temporal Logic (LTL), which Julie Shaw at MIT is researching. It isn't just AI; it's Artificial Intuition. Alphago (Human-built) vs. Alphago Zero (Self-taught via LTL). It took Alphago Zero only two weeks to beat its predecessor. If RPA mimics human physical activity (moving data), LTL mimics the cognitive activity of decision-making. We are at the very beginning of this 10-year journey. #### The Ecosystems Craig LeClair at Forrester talks about this in terms of ecosystems. We have four: - Development Community: 150,000 people using UiPath. - Implementation Partners: Consulting firms (EY, Deloitte, PwC) and SIs. They own the C-suite relationship and see RPA as the first step in digital transformation. - AI Companies: Companies like ABBYY and Microsoft want to bake their tools into our platform because our ARR grew 850% last year. - The Big Players: Oracle, SAP, Salesforce, and ServiceNow. We sell to Business Operations, not just IT, providing them a new route to market. (e.g., Oracle Cloud now has our robots ready to switch on.) #### Closing Thoughts: Training and Culture We decided to give all our training away for free via the UiPath Academy. It covers the tech and the business strategy (skills, communication, etc.). We believe automation will be as critical to consultants as ERP was in the 90s. Ultimately, we are moving toward one robot per employee. Just as everyone has a laptop now, everyone will have a robot to handle the crappy tasks. As the CEO of Generali (an 80-billion euro insurer) said: We now measure our success in terms of compliments rather than complaints. That is the culture change we are looking for. [Back to Table of Contents](#table-of-contents)