What does it take to thrive in an era shaped by artificial intelligence and rapid technological change? In the first episode of Season 3 of Her Voice, the podcast from The Choice by ESCP Business School, Valérie-Anne Ramis Cladera reflects on her journey from scientific research to the tech industry and shares her perspective on the skills professionals need to navigate the digital age of AI.
From chemistry to tech strategy
After completing a PhD in chemistry, Ramis Cladera began questioning what the next step might look like. Now Regional Senior Value Advisor at SAP, her role sits at the intersection of strategy, innovation, and technology—but her career path into the field was far from conventional. While she loved science, she felt drawn to broader questions about how innovation shapes industries and organisations. That curiosity led her to ESCP’s MBA programme, which opened new perspectives and new career possibilities.
She now works with companies undergoing digital transformation, helping executives understand how technology investments (from cloud systems to AI) can deliver concrete value for their organisations: “We show where companies stand today and where they could be in five or ten years,” she explains. “Technology has to translate into measurable impact.”
Using AI as a tool, not a solution
Artificial intelligence is one of the most discussed technologies today, but Ramis Cladera believes its real value depends entirely on how people use it. “AI is a powerful tool,” she says, “but it still needs human guidance.”
In her work advising companies on digital transformation, AI can support the analysis of organisations, generate insights, or help simulate future scenarios. These tools can be useful when building business cases, evaluating investment decisions, or exploring how technology might impact a company’s operations over time.
But technology alone is not enough. The results AI produces are only meaningful when paired with human judgment and strategic thinking: “You always need to challenge the tool,” she explains. “If you don’t understand the problem you’re trying to solve, the answers AI gives you won’t be meaningful.”
For Ramis Cladera, this is where human expertise remains essential. While AI can accelerate analysis, organisations still rely on people who can interpret the results, connect them to real business challenges, and translate technological possibilities into tangible value. As she puts it: “Human expertise is still relevant, and customers are still looking for it.”
Understanding people behind the technology
Working in the tech industry also means operating in a landscape that evolves almost daily. To stay up to date, Ramis Cladera relies heavily on conversations and constant exchange with others. Rather than limiting herself to her immediate field, she regularly speaks with colleagues from different departments, from sales to R&D, as well as professionals across industries. These discussions allow her to track emerging trends and understand how technological shifts affect different sectors.
Yet when it comes to digital transformation, the biggest challenge is rarely technological. More often, it is human. For organisations adopting new tools, success depends on helping teams understand how to use them and why they matter. In that context, adapting to customers’ culture and level of understanding becomes essential: “When you adapt to people, when you try to understand their culture and their language, relationships change,” she explains.
This empathetic approach has proven particularly valuable in international negotiations, helping build trust with clients from diverse backgrounds and ensuring that technological innovation translates into real business impact.
Ultimately, Ramis Cladera’s experience highlights a simple but powerful idea: even in the age of AI, technology alone does not drive transformation. People do.
