Léo Apotheker is chief executive officer (CEO) of SAP AG, a position he has held since 2008. To ensure a smooth handover from his predecessor Henning Kagermann, Apotheker and the latter were co-CEOs from April 2008 until Kagermann's retirement in May 2009.
A software industry veteran, Apotheker's passion for technology developed in the 1980s, and today he knows the industry in and out. Initial forays into software programming helped him identify his true talent and strengths: working with customers to demonstrate the value of innovative software solutions. In the course of his career, he has visited thousands of customers, gaining unique insight into their industry-specific needs and global business processes.
Apotheker recognizes the impact that information technology (IT) has on individuals personally and professionally and its strategic significance to businesses and organizations. This realization has shaped his belief in the power of software in particular to address the challenges of global issues. By fostering clarity and transparency, Apotheker is convinced that IT enables the formation of a holistically sustainable economy commensurate with a shared responsibility for the planet as a whole.
A deep commitment to corporate diversity and corporate social responsibility is inextricably linked to his passion for the future of the global economy. Apotheker drives the optimization of internal processes at SAP, helping transform the company into an even more efficient organization by applying the principles of lean management.
Born in 1953, Apotheker spent his formative years in Germany, Belgium, and Israel before finally settling in France. Though he holds a German passport, Apotheker describes himself as a "citizen of the world" and is fluent in English, French, German, Dutch, and Hebrew. Apotheker has earned a reputation as an outspoken, hard-driving executive who sets high standards for himself and his team. A dry sense of humor and a profound interest in the fine arts are additional dimensions of this cosmopolitan executive.
Apotheker has been a member of the SAP Executive Board since 2002. Since joining SAP in 1988 as head of SAP France, he has held several senior leadership positions within the company, including president of Customer Solutions and Operations and president of SAP Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).
He sits on the supervisory boards of AXA and Schneider Electric SA. Apotheker holds a degree in international relations and economics from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. In 2007, he was appointed "Knight of the French Legion of Honor" in recognition of his business leadership and contribution to innovation in French industries.
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SAP Co-CEO Léo Apotheker Speaks with PricewaterhouseCoopers
SAP co-CEO Léo Apotheker speaks with PricewaterhouseCoopers about the economic crisis, risk mitigation, the need for government action, and sustainability.
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Léo Apotheker Appears on
Charlie Rose Show (January 6, 2009)
Léo Apotheker, co-CEO and member of the Executive Board of SAP AG, recently joined Andrew McAfee of
the Technology and Operations Management Unit at Harvard Business on the Charlie Rose show to discuss how IT
can give companies a competitive advantage.
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The Other Transition (Economist.com – December 30, 2008)
Léo Apotheker will take the helm at SAP at the end of January 2009, after being co-CEO for nine months.
Since its founding, SAP has practiced this type of "smooth" transition in different forms with different
leaders to suit the firm's needs at the time.
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Investing in
IT Makes Sense in Troubled Times (November 21, 2008)
Leading IT, business, and government experts joined SAP co-CEO Léo Apotheker in a panel discussion in New
York, sharing research and insights into IT strategies and investments for lean economic times.
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Linking the Business to its Network (SAPPHIRE 08 Keynote – May 6, 2008)
Léo Apotheker, SAP co-CEO, addresses how companies depend on business networks and IT processes
to keep them on their paths for growth.
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