9 February 2010 I Amy Rowe
The chief executive of German software giant SAP has unexpectedly resigned, following a mutual decision not to renew his contract.
Léo Apotheker, sole head of the company since July 2009, had been with SAP for more than 20 years.
Executive board members Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe will now jointly lead the company. In addition, chief technology officer Vishal Sikka has been appointed to the SAP executive board.
In a statement, Hasso Plattner, SAP co-founder and chairman of the supervisory board, assured customers that the company would continue to deliver.
“The new leadership team will continue to drive forward SAP's strategy and focus on profitable growth, and will deliver its innovations in 2010 to expand SAP's leadership of the business software market,” he said.
Some of SAP’s largest e-procurement clients include British American Tobacco and Johnson Controls.
The company’s shares fell by more than 2 per cent yesterday following the resignation.
