Leo Apotheker
Encyclopedia
Léo Apotheker is the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard
, having served in that position from November 2010 to 22nd September 2011, and the former CEO of SAP AG
, having served in that position from April 2008 to February 2010. He joined the SAP AG executive board in 2002 and was promoted to co-CEO of the company in April 2008 to ensure a smooth handover from his predecessor, Henning Kagermann
, when the latter's contract with the company expired. The succession plan was communicated in the business media early in 2008, including Forbes magazine. The transition received praise as an example of SAP's corporate culture, "a seemingly contradictory mix of internal consensus and competition".
Jews
who fled to the Russo-Chinese border after the Nazis
invaded Poland
at the outbreak of World War II
. After the war, they settled in Aachen
, Germany
, where Léo Apotheker was born on September 18, 1953. He later moved to Antwerp, Belgium
.
In high school, Apotheker organized a student strike, and had two of his teeth knocked out by a policeman on horseback in the melee that followed. At the age of 18 he moved to Israel
where he studied economics at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Prior to joining SAP in 1988, Apotheker held several financial and operations positions at European companies.
Apotheker is fluent in five languages—German, Dutch, French, English and Hebrew.
. He also articulated SAP's commitment to sustainability
.
Before his appointment as SAP's co-CEO, Apotheker was deputy CEO from 2007 to 2008, member of the SAP AG executive board and president of global customer solutions and operations from 2002 to 2007, and president of SAP EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa sales region) from 1999 to 2002. He was CEO and founder of SAP France and SAP Belgium (from 1995 to 1997) and president of SAP's South West Europe region (from 1997 to 1999).
During his career, Apotheker has also held senior positions with a variety of companies in the IT industry. He sits on the supervisory board
s of AXA
and Schneider Electric
SA.
Apotheker's appointment to lead SAP was the second occasion, after 1997 Ron Sommer's appointment as CEO of Deutsche Telekom, that a large German company was run by a Jewish executive whose parents escaped the Holocaust. When the Nazis invaded Poland, Apotheker's parents fled all the way to the Russo-Chinese border. After the war they settled in Aachen, near Belgium. Léo Apotheker was born there in 1953, and later moved to Antwerp. “If SAP had a pre-war history, I would never have joined the company,” he told The Economist
.
In a ceremony in Paris on December 5, 2007, Léo Apotheker was honored with the French Légion d'honneur
in recognition of his business leadership and contribution to the French economy. As the CEO and founder of SAP France and SAP Belgium, and later as president of SAP EMEA, Apotheker played a key role in increasing competitive capabilities and innovation for French industries.
On February 7, 2010, the SAP supervisory board reached an agreement with Apotheker not to extend his contract as a member of the SAP executive board. With this decision, he stepped down as CEO and resigned from SAP.
announced the election of Apotheker as the company's Chief Executive Officer and President, effective November 1. He succeeded Cathie Lesjak, who served as the company's interim CEO since August 6, following the abrupt departure of former CEO Mark Hurd. Hurd had been forced to resign after an internal investigation into a sexual harassment claim uncovered expense-account irregularities.
During Apotheker's tenure at HP the stock dropped about 40%. It dropped nearly 25% on August 19th, after it was announced that HP was discontinuing its webOS device business (mobile phones and tablet computers), acquiring British software firm Autonomy and would possibly sell its consumer PC division.
On September 22, 2011, the HP board of directors replaced Apotheker as CEO with fellow board member and ex-CEO of eBay
, Meg Whitman
. Though Apotheker served less than 11 months as CEO, he received over US$13 million in compensation: a severance payment of $7.2 million, shares worth $3.56 million and a performance bonus of $2.4 million.
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
, having served in that position from November 2010 to 22nd September 2011, and the former CEO of SAP AG
SAP AG
SAP AG is a German software corporation that makes enterprise software to manage business operations and customer relations. Headquartered in Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, with regional offices around the world, SAP is the market leader in enterprise application software...
, having served in that position from April 2008 to February 2010. He joined the SAP AG executive board in 2002 and was promoted to co-CEO of the company in April 2008 to ensure a smooth handover from his predecessor, Henning Kagermann
Henning Kagermann
Henning Kagermann was chairman of the Executive Board and Chief Executive Officer of SAP AG. Together with Hasso Plattner, co-founder of SAP, he was co-chairman of the SAP Executive Board and CEO From 1998 to 2003...
, when the latter's contract with the company expired. The succession plan was communicated in the business media early in 2008, including Forbes magazine. The transition received praise as an example of SAP's corporate culture, "a seemingly contradictory mix of internal consensus and competition".
Early life and career
Apotheker's parents were PolishPoles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
who fled to the Russo-Chinese border after the Nazis
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
invaded Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
at the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the war, they settled in Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where Léo Apotheker was born on September 18, 1953. He later moved to Antwerp, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
In high school, Apotheker organized a student strike, and had two of his teeth knocked out by a policeman on horseback in the melee that followed. At the age of 18 he moved to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
where he studied economics at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Prior to joining SAP in 1988, Apotheker held several financial and operations positions at European companies.
Apotheker is fluent in five languages—German, Dutch, French, English and Hebrew.
SAP
Apotheker took an early opportunity to set out his vision for the IT industry, and explained enterprise software in layman's terms (likening it to the human nervous system), in an interview with prominent American journalist Charlie RoseCharlie Rose
Charles Peete "Charlie" Rose, Jr. is an American television talk show host and journalist. Since 1991 he has hosted Charlie Rose, an interview show distributed nationally by PBS since 1993...
. He also articulated SAP's commitment to sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
.
Before his appointment as SAP's co-CEO, Apotheker was deputy CEO from 2007 to 2008, member of the SAP AG executive board and president of global customer solutions and operations from 2002 to 2007, and president of SAP EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa sales region) from 1999 to 2002. He was CEO and founder of SAP France and SAP Belgium (from 1995 to 1997) and president of SAP's South West Europe region (from 1997 to 1999).
During his career, Apotheker has also held senior positions with a variety of companies in the IT industry. He sits on the supervisory board
Supervisory board
A supervisory board or supervisory committee, often called board of directors, is a group of individuals chosen by the stockholders of a company to promote their interests through the governance of the company and to hire and supervise the executive directors and CEO.Corporate governance varies...
s of AXA
AXA
AXA S.A. is a French global insurance group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. AXA is a conglomerate of independently run businesses, operated according to the laws and regulations of many different countries. The AXA group of companies engage in life, health and other forms of...
and Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric is a French global company. It was founded in 1836 by two brothers, Eugène and Adolphe Schneider.In the first part of the 20th century, Schneider et Cie associated itself with Westinghouse Systems, a major international electrical group at the time. The group began manufacturing...
SA.
Apotheker's appointment to lead SAP was the second occasion, after 1997 Ron Sommer's appointment as CEO of Deutsche Telekom, that a large German company was run by a Jewish executive whose parents escaped the Holocaust. When the Nazis invaded Poland, Apotheker's parents fled all the way to the Russo-Chinese border. After the war they settled in Aachen, near Belgium. Léo Apotheker was born there in 1953, and later moved to Antwerp. “If SAP had a pre-war history, I would never have joined the company,” he told The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
.
In a ceremony in Paris on December 5, 2007, Léo Apotheker was honored with the French Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
in recognition of his business leadership and contribution to the French economy. As the CEO and founder of SAP France and SAP Belgium, and later as president of SAP EMEA, Apotheker played a key role in increasing competitive capabilities and innovation for French industries.
On February 7, 2010, the SAP supervisory board reached an agreement with Apotheker not to extend his contract as a member of the SAP executive board. With this decision, he stepped down as CEO and resigned from SAP.
Hewlett-Packard
On September 30, 2010, the Board of Directors of Hewlett-PackardHewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
announced the election of Apotheker as the company's Chief Executive Officer and President, effective November 1. He succeeded Cathie Lesjak, who served as the company's interim CEO since August 6, following the abrupt departure of former CEO Mark Hurd. Hurd had been forced to resign after an internal investigation into a sexual harassment claim uncovered expense-account irregularities.
During Apotheker's tenure at HP the stock dropped about 40%. It dropped nearly 25% on August 19th, after it was announced that HP was discontinuing its webOS device business (mobile phones and tablet computers), acquiring British software firm Autonomy and would possibly sell its consumer PC division.
On September 22, 2011, the HP board of directors replaced Apotheker as CEO with fellow board member and ex-CEO of eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
, Meg Whitman
Meg Whitman
Margaret Cushing "Meg" Whitman is an American business executive. She is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hewlett-Packard. A native of Long Island, New York, she is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School...
. Though Apotheker served less than 11 months as CEO, he received over US$13 million in compensation: a severance payment of $7.2 million, shares worth $3.56 million and a performance bonus of $2.4 million.