Wednesday, February 07, 2007
How To Succeed In Business - Forbes.com
How To Succeed In Business - Forbes.com: "Léo Apotheker, 53, runs sales, marketing and operations from SAP's base in Walldorf, Germany. The German-born, no-nonsense executive helped ensure SAP's 6.5% annual sales growth the past five years.
Apotheker's competition is Shai Agassi, who runs technology strategy and development out of Palo Alto, California. At age 7 the Israeli was programming on punch cards. In 2001, at 32, he sold his software firm TopTier to sap for $400 million. A year later he joined SAP's executive board, the youngest member by more than a decade and the only non-German.
The two contenders have been subtly trying to trip each other in the race to the top. One former strategist for SAP says Apotheker, in executive meetings, has been frequently lamenting the pace of technology development and tells his best salespeople to let Kagermann know when the software isn't good enough to sell (a sure shot against Agassi's efforts). Agassi is rumored to be including Kagermann on upbeat progress e-mails to his staff, a change from the past. Insiders say Apotheker will win. If so, Agassi would be ripe for poaching, says tech headhunter Mel D. Connet."
Apotheker's competition is Shai Agassi, who runs technology strategy and development out of Palo Alto, California. At age 7 the Israeli was programming on punch cards. In 2001, at 32, he sold his software firm TopTier to sap for $400 million. A year later he joined SAP's executive board, the youngest member by more than a decade and the only non-German.
The two contenders have been subtly trying to trip each other in the race to the top. One former strategist for SAP says Apotheker, in executive meetings, has been frequently lamenting the pace of technology development and tells his best salespeople to let Kagermann know when the software isn't good enough to sell (a sure shot against Agassi's efforts). Agassi is rumored to be including Kagermann on upbeat progress e-mails to his staff, a change from the past. Insiders say Apotheker will win. If so, Agassi would be ripe for poaching, says tech headhunter Mel D. Connet."
