Henning Kagermann

German physicist and businessman (born 1947)

Kagermann in 2011

Henning Kagermann (born 12 July 1947) is a German physicist and businessman.[1] He was the former chairman of the Executive Board and Chief Executive Officer of SAP.

## Early life and education

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Born in Braunschweig, Kagermann studied physics in Braunschweig and Munich. He received his doctorate degree in theoretical physics in 1975 from the TU Braunschweig and was promoted to professor there in 1980.[1] He taught physics and computer science at TU Braunschweig and University of Mannheim from 1980 to 1992.

## Career at SAP

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Henning Kagermann (center)

Kagermann joined SAP in 1982 and was initially responsible for product development in the areas of cost accounting and controlling.[1] Together with Hasso Plattner, co-founder of SAP, he was co-chairman of the SAP Executive Board and CEO from 1998 to 2003. During that period, his responsibilities included sales, global customer relations, strategic development projects and consulting.[2]

Following Plattner's election as chairman of the SAP Supervisory Board in May 2003, Kagermann became sole chairman of the SAP Executive Board and CEO. At the time, he had overall responsibility for SAP's strategy, business development and also oversaw the areas of global communications, global intellectual property, internal audit and talent management. In the following years, he increased SAP's share of the market for enterprise resource planning (ERP) programs with more than one function from 35% to 43%.[3] Also under his leadership, SAP acquired Franco-US software BusinessObjects for €4.8 billion.[4] In a 2005 reorganisation, Léo Apotheker assumed additional responsibility for marketing from Kagermann, who instead focused on strategy.[5] In 2007, Kagermann's contract was extended to 2009. Shortly after, he overhauled the company's management again after the surprise resignation of Shai Agassi, its top software executive.[6] For several months in 2008, he led the company alongside Apotheker instead.[7] Kagermann retired in May 2009, when his term expired after several extensions.[8]

## Political activities

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During and after his time at SAP, Kagermann became a close adviser to Chancellor Angela Merkel on technology.[9][10] From May 2010, he chaired the German National Platform for Electric Mobility.[11] Later that year, Merkel appointed Kagermann to chair a working group on innovation policy.[12] In 2014, he accompanied Merkel on an official visit to China.[13]

In June 2009, Kagermann assumed the office of the president of acatech – German Academy of Science and Engineering.[14] He is also known as one of the main proponents of the concept of Industry 4.0, which applies increased digitisation and the Internet of Things and Services to industrial production. In 2012, a working group led by Kagerman proposed the idea to the Federal Government of Germany.[15]

In 2016, Kagermann was appointed by Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure Alexander Dobrindt to serve on the German government's Ethics Commission on Autonomous Driving.[16]

## Other activities

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### Corporate boards

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* Mambu, Non-Executive Member of the Board of Directors (since 2018)[17]
* KUKA, Member of the Supervisory Board (since 2017)[18]
* WIPRO, Member of the Board of Directors (since 2009)[19][20]
* Deutsche Post, Member of the Supervisory Board (2009–2019)[21]
* Munich Re, Member of the Supervisory Board (-2019)[22]
* Deutsche Bank AG, Member of the Supervisory Board (2000–2018)[23][24]
* Haniel, Member of the Supervisory Board (2012–2016)[25][26][27]
* BMW, Member of the Supervisory Board (2010–2015)
* Nokia, Member of the Board of Directors (2007–2014)[28][29]

### Non-profit organisations

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* Deutsche Telekom Stiftung, Member of the Board of Trustees[30]
* Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, Member of the Honorary Senate[31]
* Technical University of Munich, Member of the Board of Trustees
* Max Planck Institute for Informatics (MPI-INF), Member of the Board of Trustees[32]
* Max Planck Society, Member of the Senate[33]

## Recognition

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Kagermann holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Magdeburg.

## See also

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* acatech

## References

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1. ^ a b c "Henning Kagermann" (in German). Wirtschaftswoche. Archived from the original on 13 February 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
2. ^ Neal E. Boudette (13 December 2000), SAP Names New Financial Officer, A Move That Should Free Up CEO Wall Street Journal.
3. ^ Gerrit Wiesmann (16 July 2006), SAP's quiet achiever makes a big noise Financial Times.
4. ^ Gerrit Wiesmann and Lina Saigol (8 October 2007), SAP buys Business Objects for €4.8bn Financial Times.
5. ^ Kevin J. O'Brien (2 March 2005), Management shuffle at SAP sets the scene for Israeli's rise to top New York Times.
6. ^ SAP earnings fail to meet expectations International Herald Tribune, 20 April 2007.
7. ^ Leila Abboud (3 April 2008), SAP Appoints Co-CEO, Paving Way for Succession Wall Street Journal.
8. ^ Georgina Prodhan (2 April 2008), SAP chairman says Kagermann to retire next spring Reuters.
9. ^ Anna Gauto, Daniel Schäfer and Jens Koenen (22 November 2018), Henning Kagermann im Porträt: Der Mann, dem Merkel in allen Tech-Fragen vertraut Handelsblatt.
10. ^ Anna Gauto (27 March 2019), Henning Kagermann: Verkehrskommission kommt nicht voran – Merkel-Berater in der Kritik Handelsblatt.
11. ^ "Kagermann as chairman of The German National Platform for Electric Mobility". Retrieved 16 December 2015.
12. ^ Alan Crawford (11 September 2010), Merkel Appoints Henning Kagermann to Head Panel on Innovation Bloomberg News.
13. ^ Ralf Schuler and Henrik Jeimke-Karge (7 March 2014), China-Reise: Mit diesen Managern reist Merkel ins Reich der Mitte BILD.
14. ^ "The structure of acatach". Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
15. ^ "Industry 4.0: Behind Germany's new economic push". 16 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
16. ^ Member of the Ethics Commission on Autonomous Driving Archived 30 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, press release of 30 September 2016.
17. ^ Leadership Mambu.
18. ^ KUKA Annual General Meeting: Executive Board and Supervisory Board granted discharge with large majority KUKA, press release of 31 May 2017.
19. ^ "Wipro appoints Dr Henning Kagermann to its board". Deccan Herald. 21 September 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
20. ^ Dhanya Ann Thoppil (22 September 2009), Ex-SAP Chief Joins Wipro Board Wall Street Journal.
21. ^ Heinrich Hiesinger: Ex-Thyssen-Chef soll in Aufsichtsrat der Deutschen Post Handelsblatt, 15 April 2019.
22. ^ Christian Schnell (18 October 2018), Nikolaus von Bomhard soll Aufsichtsratschef von Munich Re werden Handelsblatt.
23. ^ Deutsche Bank's Supervisory Board to nominate new members at Annual General Meeting Deutsche Bank, press release of 4 April 2018.
24. ^ Edward Taylor (16 March 2017), Deutsche Bank nominates Chairman Achleitner for another five yrs Reuters.
25. ^ Christoph Kapalschinski (9 May 2012), Kagermann zieht in Haniel-Aufsichtsgremium ein Handelsblatt.
26. ^ Annette Weisbach (10 May 2012), Haniel Puts Former SAP CEO Kagermann on Board, Handelsblatt Says Bloomberg News.
27. ^ 2016 Annual Report Haniel.
28. ^ Nokia nominates Kallasvuo, SAP's Kagermann to board Reuters, 5 March 2007.
29. ^ 2014 Annual Report Nokia.
30. ^ Board of Trustees Deutsche Telekom Stiftung.
31. ^ Honorary Senate Archived 29 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings.
32. ^ Board of Trustees Max Planck Institute for Informatics (MPI-INF).
33. ^ Senate, as of April 6, 2020 Max Planck Society.

## External links

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Media related to Henning Kagermann at Wikimedia Commons

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