Defusing Commercial Bombs
When major projects, transformations and commercial relationships come under pressure, the decisions leaders make will determine whether they recover — or continue to unravel.
Drawing on experience from more than 700 high-stakes commercial escalations over three decades, Ashley Saltzman shares his insights and equips leaders with practical strategies to recognise warning signs early, navigate difficult conversations, restore trust and get critical initiatives back on track.
Ashley doesn’t speak from theory. He speaks from experience.
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
The stories, decisions and turning points that determine the fate of major transformations
Ashley Saltzman takes audiences inside the high-stakes commercial crises he has encountered throughout his career, sharing compelling stories of troubled programmes, difficult negotiations and relationships on the brink. Through these real world experiences, he reveals how seemingly manageable problems escalate into major crises - and what it takes to defuse them before they derail transformation.
A story led keynote that combines real world drama with insights leaders can apply to their own challenges.
PRACTICAL SESSION
Why Transformations Go Wrong - and How Leaders Get Them Back on Track
Understand the warning signs, common traps and leadership decisions that determine whether troubled transformation programmes recover or deteriorate. Drawing on real world experience, Ashley shares practical approaches to restoring trust, rebuilding alignment and moving programmes forward.
PRACTICAL SESSION
Negotiation Skills for Transformation Leaders
Develop practical techniques for navigating difficult conversations, managing competing interests and resolving commercial disputes. Learn how to approach high-pressure negotiations constructively and achieve outcomes that help complex transformation programmes progress.
INTERACTIVE BREAKOUT SESSION
More than a keynote. Keep the conversation going.
Extend the conversation with Ashley’s signature 60-minute Roundtable - an interactive “Ask Me Anything” session where the audience joins the conversation, raising the questions and challenges on their minds.
Negotiation | Problem Resolution | Leadership Under Pressure
THE CHALLENGE
Major projects, transformations and commercial relationships rarely go wrong overnight.
They unravel when issues aren’t addressed early, expectations aren’t aligned, difficult conversations are avoided, accountability becomes unclear and trust begins to erode.
What starts as a manageable problem can become a much harder situation — with competing versions of what happened, finger-pointing, damaged relationships and, ultimately, escalation.
The problem you can see is most often not the problem you need to solve.
THE TAKEAWAYS
Recognise the warning signs: See problems before they become crises.
Find the real problem: Look beyond the obvious.
Handle difficult conversations: Deal with issues before they escalate.
Navigate competing interests: Find a way forward when people don’t agree.
Resolve, don’t just negotiate: Turn difficult situations into practical outcomes.
Practical lessons leaders can use when the pressure is on.
WHY LEADERS TRUST ASHLEY
Ashley brings more than 30 years of experience stepping into high-stakes situations when major projects, commercial relationships and transformations come under pressure. His experience includes:
Lead Strategic Negotiator at Accenture, supporting complex technology and transformation programs across international markets.
Former Head of Commercial Escalations at SAP across Asia Pacific and UK/Ireland, personally involved in more than 160 S/4HANA escalations.
Former Dispute Resolution Executive at IBM resolving more than 500 major escalations across large-scale technology programs.
700+ high-stakes commercial escalations across his career, giving him first-hand experience of what happens when projects, relationships and commercial interests collide.
Deep expertise in problem resolution, commercial negotiation, escalation management and executive-level conversations under pressure.
Experience on every side of the table — vendor, system integrator, client, contracts and delivery.
Book Ashley for your next event?
Read Ashley’s contribution in the 2026 ANZSAP Magazine out now:
Available at all major online book stores
Driven by curiosity and built on purpose, this is where bold thinking meets thoughtful execution. Let’s create something meaningful together.