Defusing Commercial Bombs: Why Transformations Go Wrong — and How Leaders Get Them Back on Track
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.
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 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.