The global and independent platform for the SAP community.

The Eternal Chairman

Professor Hasso Plattner will forever be the leading figure at SAP and in the SAP community, whether he is Chairman of the Executive Board, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, or retired. It is hard to imagine the SAP universe without Plattner.
Peter M. Färbinger, E3 Magazine
June 10, 2024
avatar

Hasso Plattner has many good qualities. The two most important are his unwavering determination to succeed, even in the face of the greatest opposition, and a visionary gift that allows him to recognize vague trends long before anyone else. Now, after many years of procrastination, delay and debate, Professor Hasso Plattner has resigned as chairman of the supervisory board.

According to an interview with Plattner in the German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche (WiWo), there is a consulting contract for him that is intended to keep the SAP co-founder's expertise at the global ERP market leader for the benefit of both parties. This contract could guarantee SAP access to Plattner's extensive knowledge while ensuring that Plattner retains a certain amount of influence. However, as WiWo reports, the deal has not yet been signed, and Plattner himself is unsure.

Beyond compliance, it has always been important for Hasso Plattner to influence the development of SAP. As CEO, it was necessary, right, and logical. As chairman of the supervisory board, his well-intentioned advice bordered on good corporate governance. For Professor Hasso Plattner, flawless compliance was not a priority, and the SAP Executive Board took a sporting view of crossing the line.

The dilemma regarding good corporate governance in the sense of relevant compliance at SAP did not begin with Hasso Plattner’s well-meaning advice, but with the composition of the Supervisory Board under Plattner's leadership.

Of course, board members are officially delegated or nominated by outside bodies, corporations, and interest groups, and then elected. So much for the theory. In practice, Hasso Plattner, as the largest single shareholder, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, and leading figure at SAP, has had and continues to have a lasting influence on the development of the global ERP market leader.

Hasso Plattner has influenced and controlled the composition of the Supervisory Board more than any other chairman. While other companies have for years hired specialized agencies to search for and select members of the Executive Board and Supervisory Board, at SAP what ultimately counted was Hasso Plattner's word and gut feeling.

Hasso Plattner has influenced and controlled the composition of the Supervisory Board more than any other chairman. While other companies have for years hired specialized agencies to search for and select members of the Executive Board and Supervisory Board, at SAP what ultimately counted was Hasso Plattner's word and gut feeling.

Plattner's dominance in appointing Executive Board and Supervisory Board members of course had its advantages and disadvantages. As a co-founder of SAP, Plattner has an almost infinite wealth of experience, but he also has a very intimate relationship with his SAP, which sometimes prevented him from taking a critical, constructive, and analytical view. Many of Plattner's personnel decisions were emotional acts of conviction. Many former friends, associates, and employees quickly found their way onto the Supervisory Board. 

avatar
Peter M. Färbinger, E3 Magazine

Peter M. Färbinger, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief E3 Magazine DE, US and ES (e3mag.com), B4Bmedia.net AG, Freilassing (DE), E-Mail: pmf@b4bmedia.net and Tel. +49(0)8654/77130-21


Write a comment

Working on the SAP basis is crucial for successful S/4 conversion. 

This gives the Competence Center strategic importance for existing SAP customers. Regardless of the S/4 Hana operating model, topics such as Automation, Monitoring, Security, Application Lifecycle Management and Data Management the basis for S/4 operations.

For the second time, E3 magazine is organizing a summit for the SAP community in Salzburg to provide comprehensive information on all aspects of S/4 Hana groundwork.

Venue

More information will follow shortly.

Event date

Wednesday, May 21, and
Thursday, May 22, 2025

Early Bird Ticket

Available until Friday, January 24, 2025
EUR 390 excl. VAT

Regular ticket

EUR 590 excl. VAT

Venue

Hotel Hilton Heidelberg
Kurfürstenanlage 1
D-69115 Heidelberg

Event date

Wednesday, March 5, and
Thursday, March 6, 2025

Tickets

Regular ticket
EUR 590 excl. VAT
Early Bird Ticket

Available until December 20, 2024

EUR 390 excl. VAT
The event is organized by the E3 magazine of the publishing house B4Bmedia.net AG. The presentations will be accompanied by an exhibition of selected SAP partners. The ticket price includes attendance at all presentations of the Steampunk and BTP Summit 2025, a visit to the exhibition area, participation in the evening event and catering during the official program. The lecture program and the list of exhibitors and sponsors (SAP partners) will be published on this website in due course.