SAP Names Rami Branitzky Labs North America Managing Director

SAP Solidifies Leadership Position in the North American Market, Further Extends Global Ecosystem and Partner Group Leadership Team;

S. Singh Mecker Joins SAP as Senior Vice President, Software Solution Partners

PALO ALTO, Calif. - SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced the appointment of Rami Branitzky as managing director of Labs North America. SAP also announced the appointment of S. Singh Mecker as senior vice president, Global Ecosystem and Partner Group, replacing Branitzky who previously held this role. With this move, SAP solidifies its leadership position in the North American market and further strengthens the global ecosystem leadership team.

Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, SAP Labs North America is a prominent player in Silicon Valley, leveraging the assets unique to Silicon Valley and the expansive U.S. and Canadian markets to create dynamic partnerships that foster collective innovation and drive strategic partnering, field support, and customer success. Over the past 10 years, SAP Labs North America has grown dramatically from 25 to more than 1,500 people in the United States alone.

To date, SAP Labs North America has contributed to major technical and product successes for SAP, such as the SAP NetWeaver® platform and enterprise service-oriented architecture (enterprise SOA), SAP xApps™ composite applications, and SAP solutions for RFID.

Branitzky Appointed Labs North America MD
As managing director, Branitzky will head SAP Labs North America strategy and operations, tapping Silicon Valley’s rich culture of innovation and entrepreneurship to deliver increasing value to SAP’s worldwide development organization and to SAP partners and customers in the United States and Canada.

Branitzky joined SAP following the acquisition of TopTier Software in 2001. He was an early member of the TopTier Software team, holding field and product leadership positions. Branitzky began his tenure at SAP as vice president, business development, in the global ecosystem and partner group. Since 2006, Branitzky served as senior vice president in charge of SAP global software solution partnerships. In these positions, Branitzky was instrumental in driving SAP ecosystem strategy and partnering practices. His many achievements include launching the “Powered by SAP NetWeaver” partner program, as well as the SAP Endorsed Business Solutions program.

Branitzky holds an MBA from New York University, Stern School of Business.

“The energy, experience and passion that Rami brings to this critical role is an exciting turning point for SAP Labs in North America and Silicon Valley,” said Doug Merritt, president of SAP Labs North America and member of the SAP Executive Board. “Under Rami’s leadership, we will continue to drive heightened levels of employee engagement, help deepen SAP’s contribution and commitment to our customers, partners and local communities.”

Former BearingPoint Exec to Lead SAP Global Software Solution Partner Programs
As senior vice president, Global Ecosystem and Partner Group, S. Singh Mecker will manage SAP global software solution partner activities. Mecker has a long and distinguished career in enterprise software, most recently serving as senior vice president, global solutions and alliances for BearingPoint. Previously, Mecker was CEO at Valdero Corporation (acquired by One Network). Mecker has extensive experience serving as a corporate executive, at companies including KPMG and Oracle.

“The successful track record that Singh has demonstrated will serve as a tremendous asset as we continue to foster a world-class partner community,” said Zia Yusuf, executive vice president, Global Ecosystem and Partner Group, SAP. “With thousands of partners worldwide, thriving communities of innovation such as SDN and BPX, and industry-leading solution co-innovation initiatives such as our industry value networks, the enterprise services community and the newly established co-innovation lab in Palo Alto, SAP is at the forefront of driving innovation through a customer-focused ecosystem. I want to thank Rami for the foundation he has laid. Now Singh is tasked with taking our already successful software solution partner program to the next level to provide sustained progress for SAP and its partners for years to come.”