Approyo

Christopher Carter is the founder, Chairman, and CEO of Approyo, a Wisconsin-based managed services company that was one of the first to put SAP systems into the cloud (back in 2002). He founded Approyo in December 2013 to provide full SAP technology services with extensive capabilities in hosting, managing, upgrading, and migrating.

Summary of Podcast

Key Takeaways

• Data Quality is the AI Blocker: AI’s value is limited by the “crap in, crap out” problem. Carter advises a mandatory data cleansing project before any AI initiative, as AI tools alone are insufficient and require human oversight.
• Human-in-the-Loop Governance: Carter advocates for a human-in-the-loop for all critical AI processes to prevent compounding errors. He criticized McKinsey’s reported plan for 30,000 autonomous bots, arguing they should be tools to augment human employees, not replacements.
• Mugatu AI Prevents Data Leaks: Mugatu AI is an AI security tool that uses predictive analytics and homomorphic encryption to prevent accidental data leaks. It flags risky emails (e.g., with sensitive spreadsheets) and suggests secure alternatives like shared links.
• Early Cloud Adoption: Carter was an early pioneer in virtualising SAP systems on VMware and Azure, which initially met with corporate resistance but ultimately proved to be a cost-saving, flexible innovation for the SAP ecosystem.

The “Crap In, Crap Out” Problem

• Carter’s core message: AI’s effectiveness is directly tied to data quality.
• Problem: Legacy systems contain decades of “dirty data” from acquisitions, stagnant records, and inconsistent formats.
  • Example: One client had 27 years of uncleansed EDI data.
  • Example: Another client’s acquisitions created duplicate part numbers (e.g., 7 different codes for the same part).
• Solution: A mandatory data cleansing project before any AI initiative.
  • AI tools can assist with scraping and matching, but human oversight is essential for validation.
  • The goal is a human-AI partnership to ensure data accuracy.

Human-in-the-Loop Governance

• Carter advocates for a human-in-the-loop for all critical AI processes to prevent compounding errors.
• Critique of McKinsey’s Bot Strategy: Carter questioned McKinsey’s reported plan for 30,000 autonomous bots, arguing they should be tools to augment human employees, not replacements.
• Relevance to Finance (FP&A): Clean data and human-AI collaboration enable rapid scenario planning (e.g., 4 forecasts instead of 1), a major game-changer for finance teams.

Mugatu AI: Preventing Accidental Data Leaks

• Mugatu AI is an AI security tool named after the villain in the movie Zoolander.
• Function: Prevents accidental data leaks by flagging risky outbound emails.
• Mechanism: Uses predictive analytics and homomorphic encryption to analyse content in milliseconds.
• User Feedback: Provides a “security score” (0-100) and suggests secure alternatives (e.g., a shared link instead of an attachment).
• Status: 14,794 end-users across 3 major corporations; acquisition interest from companies like NVIDIA.

Career as a Tech Innovator

• Carter’s career is marked by early adoption of disruptive tech, often ahead of corporate policy.
• SAP & Cloud Virtualisation:
  • Pioneered virtualising SAP systems on VMware and later on Azure.
  • This innovation initially met with resistance from SAP executives, who had not yet formalised a partnership with VMware.
• Re-engagement with SAP:
  • After a negative client experience, Carter left the SAP ecosystem.
  • A conversation with a friend (SAP’s VP of Oil & Gas) over a bottle of Macallan scotch introduced him to SAP HANA, reigniting his interest.
• Carrick Rangers FC:
  • A minority owner of the Northern Ireland Premier League football club.
  • His involvement stems from a lifelong passion for soccer, including a past role as VP of Sales/Marketing for a professional team.

Clips from the Podcast

A Bottle of Macallan and Coming out of Retirement 

 

What is SAP?

 

Dirty Data

 

Carrick Rangers

 

MugatuAI

 

Testimonial

 

The Next 100 Days Podcast Co-Hosts

Graham Arrowsmith

Graham founded Finely Fettled in 2014 to provide data from The UK High Net Worth Database to marketers targeting affluent and high-net-worth customers.  He’s the founder of MicroYES, a Partner for MeclabsAI, creating lead generation AI Agents & Workflows and introducing the MeclabsAI Platform. Graham also provides an Answer Engine Optimisation solution to get your website in shape to be found by LLMs.

Kevin Appleby

Kevin specialises in finance transformation and implementing business change. He’s the COO of GrowCFO, which provides both community and CPD-accredited training designed to grow the next generation of finance leaders. You can find Kevin on LinkedIn and at kevinappleby.com