SAP Asia Pacific (APAC) has appointed Simon Davies as its new Regional President, with immediate effect. Singapore-based Davies will be responsible for strategy, operations, sales, services, partnerships, and profitability for the newly merged APAC region of SAP SE. He replaces Paul Marriott, who is moving back to Europe after five years in the position.
With SAP market units based in Australia and New Zealand, Greater China, India, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia, Davies will have more than 31,000 employees spread across 78 offices. SAP has key customers in the region such as NEC Corporation, Coles Group, Wipro, Fujitsu Limited, Shiseido, Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Corporation, Himalaya, Cochlear, and Japan Airlines.
Davies has over 25 years of experience in IT solutions in Asia Pacific, having been a leader at Microsoft, Salesforce, and Oracle. He most recently held the position of Senior Vice President and General Manager of Asia Pacific and Japan at Splunk for more than three years. He is also on the boards of several pre-IPO tech companies and is an Australian Institute of Company Directors (MAICD) member.
Manos Raptopoulos, SAP's APAC, EMEA, and MEE Chief Revenue Officer, praised Davies' leadership, citing his experience in high-growth, innovation-focused markets and building teams. He added that SAP's future will be powered by cloud and AI innovation, and Davies is the right person to keep the momentum going that Marriott started.
Davies said he is looking forward to assuming the new position, pointing to the increasing need for digital transformation in the region. He pointed to the adoption of the cloud and use of business data as major growth drivers in artificial intelligence, data analytics, and sustainability.
SAP's selection of Davies demonstrates a continued focus on driving digital transformation and promoting innovation in Asia Pacific's dynamic and rapidly changing business environment.