Board chairman Hasso Plattner lines up successor to take ERP giant into uncharted territory
SAP has begun the succession process which will see the replacement of co-founder Hasso Plattner as chairman of the German software giant’s supervisory board amid a seismic change in technology landscapes.
The company has proposed that former Deloitte CEO Punit Renjen stands for election as a new member of the power team and is designated successor to Plattner, who helped launch the company in 1972.
Under the plans, the handover will take place when Plattner’s current term expires in May 2024, three months after his 80th birthday.
Although he has not held a direct managerial position since he stepped down as co-CEO in 2003, Plattner has exerted influence over SAP by helping select company leaders and, on occasion, making his feelings known.
As a custodian of SAP’s founding vision – which saw it embed the concept of ERP in the tech world’s collective consciousness – his presence was perhaps difficult to ignore.
Since handing over direct operational control, Plattner has overseen the appointment of several CEOs including US executive Bill McDermott, who became the co-CEO of SAP in 2010 and then sole CEO in 2014. He instigated an acquisition spree that saw Sybase, SuccessFactors, Ariba, Concur, Qualtrics and Fieldglass among others come under the German vendor’s ownership.
