Technology
SAP with Surprising Change: Plattner Successor Replaced on Supervisory Board
SAP Turmoil: Before Plattner's Resignation, Successor Renjen Rejected – Substitute for the Software Giant Already Found.
SAP Changes Course: Just Before Co-Founder Hasso Plattner's Planned Retirement from the Supervisory Board, the Software Giant Parts Ways with Designated Successor Punit Renjen. The Surprising Split is Announced by the European Software Industry Leader, SAP, and the Designated Supervisory Board Chairman Punit Renjen.
Renjen, an American who was intended to succeed Hasso Plattner, will step down from his position on the supervisory board at the annual general meeting in May, as announced by the DAX heavyweight on Sunday evening in Walldorf. Differences concerning the future role as chairman of the supervisory board are cited as the reason for the separation.
As a replacement for Renjen, SAP introduces the former Nokia executive Pekka Ala-Pietilä. The Finn is proposed for election to the supervisory board and is also intended to become the chairman of the committee.
It had been nearly a year since SAP, with great effort and after a long search, introduced Renjen as Plattner's successor. Renjen joined the supervisory board already in May of the previous year.
His professional experience as the former head of the consulting firm Deloitte was supposed to bring in particularly the customer perspective to the company and thereby provide impetus. Yet SAP has now abandoned its plans. According to reports, Renjen could not come to terms with the role of supervisor of the executive board as legally required in Germany.
Instead, an old acquaintance, Ala-Pietilä, will now return. He already served on the supervisory board of Walldorf from 2002 to 2021. He was the president of Nokia from 1999 to 2005 and has contributed to various expert committees on artificial intelligence.
The crucial surprise, however, is that SAP has decided to part ways with Punit Renjen. The designated successor of Hasso Plattner will vacate his seat on the Supervisory Board before he could even assume leadership.
Instead, Pekka Ala-Pietilä, an experienced manager in the technology industry, will now take over the role of the future chairman of the supervisory board from Renjen. It remains to be seen how this turn of events will affect the future of SAP.
