Exclusive: Celonis' Kerry Brown warns CIOs to 'remove chaos'

Celonis is stepping up its focus on Australia and New Zealand as enterprises across the region grapple with how to turn widespread AI experimentation into measurable outcomes, with the company arguing that process intelligence can provide "a unifying framework" for value, governance and trust.

Kerry Brown, Celonis' Transformation Evangelist, is in Australia this week meeting customers, partners and technology leaders, using the visit to gauge how local organisations are approaching AI amid economic uncertainty and ongoing skills constraints.

"I think what's most exciting in particular for Celonis is our relevance as it relates to the enterprise-wide opportunities for our customers," said Brown, during a recent interview.

"The scaling of our digital twin capabilities has matured so much that existing customers tackling AI can use a footprint, guidance-map view across an entire enterprise to be smart, targeted and value-oriented around AI."

Brown said the message resonated strongly in Australia and New Zealand, where organisations often face structural constraints that differ from larger markets.

"The marketplace is continuing to be volatile," said Brown. "That variability isn't going to go away. Being able to work smarter, not harder, whether with existing resources or using AI to augment, accelerate, add or replace, means the intentionality can be much more deliberate and effective."

"What's interesting is that everyone here has the same excitement around AI as the rest of the world," said Brown. "Organisations are challenged by the scale and size of the country versus the resources they have."

She drew parallels between Australia, New Zealand and Canada, pointing to geography and population as common constraints.

"AI is an opportunity to increase competitiveness and reach," said Brown. "AI is really an opportunity for organisations to give everyone a free intern."

Brown said this dynamic is particularly relevant in ANZ, where organisations are often required to support large geographic footprints with relatively small teams. "The things you didn't get around to, the things you couldn't do, suddenly become possible," she said.

Brown pointed to examples discussed with local leaders where AI-enabled engagement delivered commercial benefits.

"They were finding their conversion rates going up with customers who were engaging with AI," said Brown. "The input through the AI model was solid enough and compelling enough that customer engagement rose."

She added that these results challenge assumptions that human-only engagement is always more effective. "The intelligence of what is being fed back is changing the customer experience," said Brown.

"I think we're in our best memory state," said Brown. "If everyone did everything right all the time, Celonis wouldn't need to exist."

She said many ANZ leaders underestimate how work actually happens inside their organisations. "Without facts, ignorance can be bliss, but the opportunity isn't there," said Brown.

"The lack of facts can lead to more friction and less predictability," she added. "That adds to fatigue and frustration at a time when people already feel stretched."

Brown referenced industry research showing that many AI initiatives fail to deliver. "Ninety-five per cent of use cases aren't working," said Brown. "When you double-click, a significant part is user adoption. Stress and fatigue are high, and fear around volatility is real."

Brown said enthusiasm for AI in Australia risked turning into fragmentation without coordination. "What they should stop doing is a free-for-all," said Brown. "Collect and coordinate action around prioritisation, impact and outcomes."

She argued that process intelligence can provide a neutral way to prioritise AI investment. "Having a digital twin gives an easy way to prioritise around process," said Brown. "Collecting that up so everyone feels there's a plan, not chaos, matters."

"Jobs don't go away with AI. Tasks go away," said Brown. "Knowing which tasks are going away lets you be mindful of people, remove uncertainty and plan resourcing."

She said this was a recurring theme in conversations with Australian CIOs.

"Being intentional and deliberate means the surprise factor isn't there for leadership or individuals," said Brown. "You can plan for change rather than react to it."

Brown linked workforce sentiment directly to productivity. "If I don't feel good about what I'm doing or feel safe, my productivity is lower," she said. "That's counter to the goal of AI."

"What I'm hearing across APAC is the need to know ourselves before we can fix ourselves," said Brown. "Limited resources need to be applied to known problems with expected value outcomes."

She said Celonis' focus in the region remained firmly on measurable impact. "The bias Celonis has is around value," said Brown. "We're metric-oriented on the bottom line."

For local organisations, that focus is increasingly urgent. "The opportunity is to quantify where to put energy and time so teams build momentum rather than feel they're spinning their wheels," she added.

"Know your organisation," said Brown. "Understand the intersection of your business roadmap, technology roadmap and people roadmap."

She said Australian CIOs are under particular pressure to demonstrate both innovation and responsibility. "How do you build trust with your board through governance, and trust with your people that it's not just about the business?" said Brown.

Brown warned against treating workforce impact as an afterthought. "We're often guilty of fixing technology and then asking what it did to people," she said. "If you know the impact earlier, you can be deliberate, avoid surprises and reduce disruption."

"If things aren't going well, your best people are the first to look elsewhere," added Brown. "That undermines productivity."

"I'm excited to make this more tangible and impactful," said Brown. "What's old is new again. The tools and data we can bring to change are changing how we manage it."

"The intersection of people, process and technology is more robust and tangible," she added. "We're in a disruptive macroeconomic climate. Let's do our best to be less disruptive and not add to the chaos."