Hasso Plattner stepped down as chair of SAP’s Supervisory Board at the company’s May 15, 2024 annual general meeting, ending a chairmanship that began in 2003. Pekka Ala-Pietilä became the new chair, and Plattner remained available to advise SAP. The change marked a governance and legacy transition—not a change in CEO: Christian Klein continued to lead SAP as CEO.
What changed at SAP when Plattner stepped down?
The change was at the top of SAP’s Supervisory Board. Plattner, a co-founder who had moved from the Executive Board to the Supervisory Board in 2003, left the board at the May 15, 2024 AGM after serving as its chair from 2003 to 2024. SAP said he would remain available as an advisor. SAP’s handover announcement described the transition.
It was a notable break with the past: a co-founder who had helped guide the company for more than two decades was no longer its board chair. But it was not a transfer of day-to-day executive authority. The Supervisory Board advises and supervises SAP’s Executive Board; the two are distinct bodies with distinct roles.
Who replaced Hasso Plattner as SAP chairman?
Pekka Ala-Pietilä became chair after shareholders elected him to the Supervisory Board at the AGM. SAP reported that 95.50% of votes supported his election. As chair, he took over leadership of the Supervisory Board, not the CEO role.
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The succession plan had changed before the meeting. SAP had designated former Deloitte CEO Punit Renjen for the chair role, but SAP and Renjen agreed to part ways after differing perspectives on the role. In February 2024, SAP named Ala-Pietilä as the intended successor. The final handover took effect at the AGM. SAP’s February 2024 announcement set out the revised plan.
In its published statement, Plattner said: “After two decades at the helm of SAP SE, the company I’ve nurtured from its inception, ensuring a successful handover of the leadership baton is paramount to me and crucial for SAP’s continued success.” The statement expressed Plattner’s view of the importance of the transition; it does not make the chairmanship equivalent to running the business as CEO.
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Did SAP’s CEO change too?
No. Christian Klein remained CEO. He had been SAP’s sole CEO since April 2020, and his executive appointment was separate from the Supervisory Board chair succession.
SAP announced in 2024 that Klein’s contract had been extended through April 2028. A later SEC filing states that his appointment was extended through April 30, 2030; that later end date supersedes the 2024 announcement. SAP’s 2025 SEC filing documents the later extension.
In SAP’s May 2024 CEO announcement, Plattner said Klein had “consistently driven SAP’s transformation to a cloud company.” That was Plattner’s assessment of Klein’s executive leadership, not an announcement that Plattner would continue as chair.
Why is the handover described as a turning point?
Plattner was one of SAP’s co-founders in 1972, alongside Dietmar Hopp and three other former IBM colleagues. SAP’s retrospective notes his move from the Executive Board to the Supervisory Board in 2003 and his involvement in the early development of SAP HANA. His departure therefore ended a long period in which a co-founder chaired the board, even as the company retained an advisory connection to him. SAP’s company history provides that chronology.
SAP also reported that its market capitalization rose from approximately €30 billion in May 2003 to approximately €200 billion in May 2024, spanning Plattner’s chair tenure. Those are SAP’s figures for the two points in time; the comparison does not establish that Plattner alone caused the increase. The company’s reported shareholder support for Ala-Pietilä’s election was 95.50%. SAP’s 2024 AGM announcement reports both figures.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How does SAP’s governance continue after the transition?
SAP’s Investor Relations governance page describes an 18-member Supervisory Board: nine members elected by shareholders and nine employee representatives. Its role is to advise and supervise the Executive Board, which is responsible for managing the company. The board structure provides institutional continuity beyond the tenure of any one chair.
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The Personnel and Governance Committee prepares Executive Board personnel decisions, including succession planning. That means succession is handled through formal governance processes rather than resting solely on the chair’s personal role. Board membership and committee assignments can change; SAP’s current governance page identifies Ala-Pietilä as chair and explains the board’s composition and responsibilities.
At the handover, Plattner said he was “happy to pass the baton to Pekka Ala Pietilä to accompany SAP’s ongoing successful transformation,” adding that Ala-Pietilä understood SAP and the technology industry. The advisory role preserved a channel for Plattner’s experience, while board authority passed to the newly elected chair and executive management remained with Klein and the Executive Board.
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