Hasso Plattner, SAP's founder and chairman, said he expects Henning Kagermann will stay on as CEO beyond the end of his current contract which runs through the end of 2007. The Journal has the story, which originally appeared in a German newspaper interview and was subsequently confirmed by SAP officials.
..."In any case, we aim to have Kagermann available to us as CEO for at least one more year," Mr. Plattner said, adding that he expects Mr. Kagermann, 59 years old, to accept
Mr. Plattner made his comments in an interview with German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. A spokesman for SAP confirmed Mr. Plattner's comments. Company watchers had anticipated Mr. Kagermann to extend his contract, as the company is still in the midst of a transformation he orchestrated...
This is welcome news for SAP investors, customers and employees. SAP is not without potential successors, but continuity from one of the company's driving forces is a good thing as 2007 & 2008 are key transition years for the software giant.
Assuming Kagermann does indeed extend his employment contract, we can leave the discussion and analysis of who will (and should) succeed him as CEO for another day.
Note: At the time of this writing I, and/or funds I maintain discretionary control over, maintained a long equity position in SAP. We also may, at times, carry derivative options on underlying positions as a hedge.
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