.png)
.webp)
As SAP's CEO (1988-1998), Dietmar Hopp co-founded the company where it started as a mid-sized software firm into a global enterprise software giant.
SAP R/3's launch in 1992 drove revenue growth from €700M to €4B.
The company's NYSE listing in 1998 marked its emergence as a major player in tech.
Its workforce grew from 2,700 to 19,000 employees under his tenure.
Hasso Plattner co-founded SAP in 1972 and built its first real-time accounting system.
As co-CEO with Dietmar Hopp, he established SAP's core business: integrated enterprise software.
In 1998, he became sole CEO alongside Henning Kagermann, where he led SAP's NYSE listing and launched mySAP.com.
Henning Kagermann led SAP through critical transitions from 1998 to 2009.
As co-CEO with Hasso Plattner (1998-2003), then sole CEO (2003-2009), he transformed SAP from a traditional software vendor into a technology innovator.
His key achievements included launching the SAP NetWeaver platform and enterprise SOA architecture in 2004.
He strengthened SAP's consulting capabilities by merging SAP SI with the company's core consulting unit.
Despite the 2001-2003 tech downturn, his methodical leadership and customer-first approach maintained SAP's market dominance.
By investing in emerging technologies like in-memory computing and cloud platforms, Kagermann set SAP's trajectory for the next decade, driving record revenues through 2010.
Léo Apotheker served as SAP's co-CEO from April 2008 to February 2010.
He led SAP's acquisition of Business Objects, strengthening the company's position in business software and analytics.
He expanded SAP's leadership by recruiting executives Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe, and launched the company's first Sustainability Report.
The SAP supervisory board declined to renew his contract in 2010.
As SAP's CEO from 2014-2019, Bill McDermott transitioned the company into a cloud computing leader through strategic acquisitions like Ariba and Concur.
He joined SAP in 2002, becoming co-CEO in 2010 after turning around multiple business units.
A 2015 accident that cost him his left eye sharpened his focus on core business priorities.
SAP expanded its technology partnerships with Intel and Microsoft.
During his co-CEO tenure at SAP (2010-2014), Jim Hagemann Snabe led the company's pivot to cloud computing and mobile technology.
With co-CEO Bill McDermott, he launched SAP HANA, an in-memory database that processed data in real-time.
The leadership pair streamlined operations while reshaping company culture to emphasize innovation and customer needs.
Jennifer Morgan led SAP as co-CEO from October 2019 to April 2020, becoming the first woman to head a DAX-listed company.
During her 16 years at SAP, she led the Cloud Business Group and joined the Executive Board in 2017.
She left in April 2020 when SAP shifted to single-CEO leadership under Christian Klein during the COVID-19 crisis.
Christian Klein became SAP's co-CEO in October 2019 and sole CEO in April 2020.
He led SAP through COVID-19 disruptions while pushing for a complete shift to cloud computing.
This strategy initially dropped SAP's market value and drew critics, but chairman Hasso Plattner backed Klein's decision.
The cloud transition succeeded, improving SAP's performance and market position.
SAP extended Klein's contract to 2028, with Plattner specifically praising his strategic vision on AI adoption.
.png){kind=logo}
.webp)
.webp)
