{"id":14937,"date":"2026-02-10T09:23:39","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T09:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/outsourcing-today.ro\/?p=14937"},"modified":"2026-02-10T09:23:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T09:23:41","slug":"catalin-badescu-head-of-business-services-capgemini-romania-our-strength-comes-from-a-combination-of-long%e2%80%91term-ai-investment-scalable-data-and-cloud-architecture-and-a-strong-focus-on-the","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/outsourcing-today.ro\/?p=14937","title":{"rendered":"C\u0103t\u0103lin B\u0103descu, Head of Business Services, Capgemini Romania: Our strength comes from a combination of long\u2011term AI investment, scalable data and cloud architecture, and a strong focus on the human side of transformation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">As 2026 began, <em>Outsourcing Today<\/em>, the business services industry\u2019s integrated networking and news platform, continues its interview series with leaders shaping the future of business services and related sectors. We explore their perspectives on the year ahead, strategic priorities, and growth opportunities.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read below the key standpoints and perspectives of <strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">C\u0103t\u0103lin B\u0103descu, Head of Business Services, Capgemini Romania.<\/span> <\/strong>Experienced manager with extensive experience in mechanical engineering and IT\/HR service management, <strong>C\u0103t\u0103lin B\u0103descu<\/strong> stands for people management, transition\/project management, customer relationship management and operational efficiency among other capabilities and responsibilities within the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><em><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">A common misconception is that AI is a \u2018plug\u2011and\u2011play solution\u2019 that immediately generates ROI. The hard work happens behind the scenes \u2013 building the right data foundations, establishing governance, integrating AI into operations, and ensuring teams are ready to work alongside these technologies. Many organizations are now discovering this as the conversation shifts from hype to practical value<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\"> The AI\u2011based technologies changing competitive edge in 2026<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the past year, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a real accelerator for the way we operate and deliver value across Capgemini. We\u2019re well past the stage of isolated pilots. AI is now embedded across our business services, helping us work faster, more efficiently, and with greater precision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This shift mirrors a broader global trend\u2014<strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">nearly 38% of organizations have already moved generative AI use cases into production<\/span><\/strong><sup><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\"> (1)<\/span><\/sup>, and long\u2011term investment in AI continues to rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What makes a difference today is not just using AI but investing in it consistently. Companies that take a multi\u2011year approach to AI gain compounding advantages that late adopters simply cannot catch up with. And that\u2019s exactly the mindset we have at Capgemini \u2013 we\u2019re building enterprise\u2011wide intelligence that strengthens our competitive edge year after year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Better understanding the AI impact<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A common misconception is that AI is a \u2018plug\u2011and\u2011play solution\u2019 that immediately generates ROI. The hard work happens behind the scenes \u2013 building the right data foundations, establishing governance, integrating AI into operations, and ensuring teams are ready to work alongside these technologies. Many organizations are now discovering this as the conversation shifts from hype to practical value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another misconception is that AI replaces people. What we\u2019re seeing is the opposite: <strong>66% of organizations report productivity gains when humans and AI work together. <sup>(1)<\/sup><\/strong> AI augments judgment, speeds up analysis, and enhances creativity however, people remain at the center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">The <strong>AI\u2011led<\/strong> business decisions <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>AI plays a growing role as a decision\u2011support partner across our global operations. More than half of executives worldwide already rely on AI to support strategic decision\u2011making, and this trend continues to accelerate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Business Services, we\u2019re using AI to improve:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>capacity planning and forecasting<\/li><li>pricing and risk modelling<\/li><li>workflow orchestration<\/li><li>talent allocation and capability mapping<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We realized, AI doesn\u2019t replace human judgment it enhances it. It helps us make decisions that are faster, better informed, and more cost\u2011efficient, reflecting industry\u2011wide patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">AI changing the customers&#8217; expectations <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our clients now expect intelligence to be built into the experience from day one. Across industries, AI maturity has reset expectations. Today, customers want:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>faster delivery<\/li><li>predictive and actionable insights<\/li><li>frictionless human\u2011AI workflows<\/li><li>operations that learn and improve over time<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This aligns with the broader move toward intelligent, end\u2011to\u2011end operations, where processes are orchestrated dynamically instead of being handled in silos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are also seeing an increased demand for trustworthy and explainable AI, as data sovereignty and responsible use have become strategic priorities for most organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">How to stay differentiated in the market? What tools and competitive advantages are leveraged in 2026?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our strength comes from a combination of long\u2011term AI investment, scalable data and cloud architecture, and a strong focus on the human side of transformation. Organizations that commit to AI consistently \u2013 rather than treating it as a series of isolated experiments \u2013 build advantages that only grow with time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also invest heavily in our people. Globally, more than <strong>60% of organizations are redefining skill sets and upskilling their workforce to build \u201chuman<\/strong><strong>\u2011<\/strong><strong>AI chemistry,<\/strong><strong>\u201d <sup>(1)<\/sup><\/strong> and this is an area where we continue to lead with purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Balancing rapid innovation and responsible and ethical AI use<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Responsible AI is built into the way we work. Governance, transparency, and data control are not afterthoughts \u2013 they are the design principles. More than half of organizations globally view strong governance as essential for scaling AI, and we fully share that view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We balance speed with responsibility through:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Robust governance frameworks<\/li><li>Clear data and AI sovereignty policies<\/li><li>Risk and explainability assessments<\/li><li>Keeping human oversight at the center<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We want to innovate quickly, but never at the expense of trust. Ethics is not just a compliance requirement for us, it is a core part of our identity as a responsible business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">What technology trend beyond AI should businesses be paying attention to now?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have observed that beyond AI, Cloud 3.0 is emerging as one of the most important shifts for businesses. Hybrid, multi\u2011cloud, sovereign, and edge environments are becoming the foundation for running AI at scale balancing performance, regulation, and resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another powerful trend is intelligent operations. As automation, AI, and analytics converge, we\u2019re seeing value chains evolve into adaptive, self\u2011optimizing ecosystems. This will fundamentally change how back\u2011office and business services operate across industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>References:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol type=\"1\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.capgemini.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Digital-191226-CRI-AI-research-brief-Davos.pdf\">https:\/\/www.capgemini.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Digital-191226-CRI-AI-research-brief-Davos.pdf<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>* <strong><em>The views and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not, in any manner, represent, reflect, or align with the official views, policies, or positions of Capgemini. Capgemini does not endorse or support any of the statements expressed by the author.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As 2026 began, Outsourcing Today, the business services industry\u2019s integrated networking and news platform, continues its interview series with leaders shaping the future of business services and related sectors. We explore their perspectives on the year ahead, strategic priorities, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14939,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4,19,18,871,6,3,8,148,5,17,317,13],"tags":[120],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/outsourcing-today.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14937"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/outsourcing-today.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/outsourcing-today.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outsourcing-today.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outsourcing-today.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14937"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/outsourcing-today.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14937\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14940,"href":"https:\/\/outsourcing-today.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14937\/revisions\/14940"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outsourcing-today.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/outsourcing-today.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outsourcing-today.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/outsourcing-today.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}