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The SAP CEO Alternate

SAP CEO Christian Klein is a dedicated and hard-working executive. Following the departure of three members of the SAP Executive Board, he has been required to assume responsibility for a number of additional tasks. Klein is adept at multitasking and consistently maintains a high level of productivity. However, the ERP company is lacking in innovation.
Peter M. Färbinger, E3 Magazine
September 19, 2024
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SAP Management vs. ERP Innovations

SAP CEO Christian Klein is spearheading the ERP company’s transition to the public cloud. This results in a notable degree of standardization and organization that is unprecedented in SAP's history. Consequently, Christian Klein and SAP CFO Dominik Asam can simultaneously pursue margin expansion and staff reduction. At first glance, the public cloud seems to have achieved a state of stability.

The public cloud is both an infrastructure and a management tool. If SAP continues to lose numerous developers, it will be unable to implement planned innovations in its ERP system. It is certainly possible to manage a public cloud with the remaining staff.

SAP has a substantial portfolio of inventions, disruptive business processes, and ERP innovations. These resources are currently generating good capital. However, if SAP does not foster an innovation culture, these resources will dissipate over time. These resources will remain available until the end of S/4 maintenance in 2040; however, Klein and Asam's strategy is not a sustainable long-term approach.

The SAP Alternate Thomas Saueressig

There are sound reasons for optimism within the SAP community. SAP Executive Board member Thomas Saueressig is gradually but surely establishing himself as a key figure in the company. Following the reorganization of the SAP Executive Board at the beginning of this year and the departures of Julia White, Scott Russell, and Jürgen Müller, Thomas Saueressig has assumed a more prominent role with expanded authority and responsibility, reporting directly to SAP CEO Christian Klein.

Christian Klein's willingness to cede the limelight to his colleague will be evident at the DSAG Annual Congress 2024 in Leipzig. The traditional SAP keynote speech will not be delivered by the Head of SAP himself. Instead, Thomas Saueressig will be among the speakers and will then provide information about the ERP market leader's goals and plans in a press conference.

While Christian Klein oversees the ERP company, Thomas Saueressig engages with the SAP community and spearheads innovative initiatives. This dynamic aligns with the perception that Christian Klein epitomizes the legacy of SAP, shaped by the likes of Hasso Plattner and Gerd Oswald. Thomas Saueressig, on the other hand, embodies the future of SAP, working alongside the new Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Pekka Ala-Pietilä.

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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


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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.