Monday, April 30, 2007
The 'true' reason Agassi left SAP?
A bigger leadership shift came with the departure of Agassi. Longtime SAP executive Leo Apotheker, who leads SAP marketing as president of Customer Solutions & Operations, also became Kagermann's deputy CEO last month. President of Americas Bill McDermott added oversight of Asia-Pacific. Kagermann split among several executives the oversight of products and technology.
Agassi was "brilliant in presenting," Kagermann says, but "it's good to have several people with product experience."
Agassi's resignation is telling of SAP's unwillingness to bend its culture.
SAP was asking Agassi to serve as co-CEO alongside Apotheker for five years, and then after that, commit to at least five years as solo CEO. SAP would ask for such a commitment from anyone seeking the top spot, Apotheker says.
SAP is part of an industry in transition, and it's made changes, too--in management, in technology, and in the types of customers it's pursuing. But it also knows what it doesn't intend to change.
From:
http://www.informationweek.com/shared/printableArticle.jhtml?articleID=199202333
Agassi was "brilliant in presenting," Kagermann says, but "it's good to have several people with product experience."
Agassi's resignation is telling of SAP's unwillingness to bend its culture.
SAP was asking Agassi to serve as co-CEO alongside Apotheker for five years, and then after that, commit to at least five years as solo CEO. SAP would ask for such a commitment from anyone seeking the top spot, Apotheker says.
SAP is part of an industry in transition, and it's made changes, too--in management, in technology, and in the types of customers it's pursuing. But it also knows what it doesn't intend to change.
From:
http://www.informationweek.com/shared/printableArticle.jhtml?articleID=199202333
