Special News: Bernd Leukert leaves SAP

But the "father-son relationship" did not last long and Plattner became aware of the mathematician Vishal Sikka in Palo Alto (California, USA). He was quickly adopted and established as the company's chief technology officer.

Sikka was allowed to present the SAP database Hana and wanted to see it, as a continuation of SAP MaxDB, at least "open source". There was another rift at SAP: Vishal Sikka had to leave overnight.

There were rumors on Friday, the Supervisory Board met on Sunday evening and Bernd Leukert presented himself as the new Chief Technology Officer on Monday. That was in 2014, and since midnight on Thursday, February 21, 2019, Leukert is no longer a member of the SAP Executive Board.

Before that, he had to give up his engineering job to the new "Plattner stepson," Jürgen Müller, who earned his doctorate at the Hasso Plattner Institute at the University of Potsdam.

Bernd Leukert would have succeeded Executive Board member Michael Kleinemeier in the Digital Business Services division. Leukert was once prepared for this role by ex-SAP Executive Board member Gerd Oswald (current SAP Supervisory Board member) because Kleinemeier was planning to retire at the end of 2019.

Michael Kleinemeier has now extended his contract by one year and will have to look for a new successor. It is not yet known what Bernd Leukert will do and it is also not known whether Gerd Oswald considers this development to be the right one from the perspective of an SAP Supervisory Board member.

The fact is, however, that years of personnel planning at SAP are currently imploding: Leukert will not succeed Oswald Kleinemeier, and the new SAP Chief Technology Officer is not Björn Goerke but Jürgen Müller - you have to study in Potsdam.

Goerke is currently the subject of a hot SAP community rumor that he is to switch to Google. SAP CEO Bill McDermott does not have an easy year ahead of him and if the SAP share price does not soon exceed the 100 euro mark, McDermott will also have to fear for his job.