Henning Kagermann joins Wipro board of directors

Wipro has announced that the former CEO of SAP AG, Henning Kagermann, would be joining its board from October 27 this year. Kagermann, who retired as CEO of the global business software maker SAP in May 2009, is currently president of Acatech (German Academy of Science and Technology). He would be joining Wipro’s 10 other board of directors.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Kagermann said, “I have for long admired Wipro as a company as much for its innovative approach to business as for its strong commitment to values. I am excited at the prospect of guiding the company as it prepares for its next phase of growth.”

With the addition of Mr Kagermann, seven of the 11 directors of Wipro will be independent directors that include Ashok Ganguly, BC Prabhakar, PM Sinha, Jagdish N Sheth, N Vaghul and William Arthur Owens.

Wipro chairman Azim Premji said: “We are delighted to welcome Mr Kagermann to our board. He brings in a unique combination of academic perspective, technical expertise and leadership experience. I am sure that Wipro will benefit from his rich knowledge, insights and wisdom.”

This is the second time that Wipro has inducted a former CEO of a global technology company onto its board. It earlier inducted William Arthur Owens, former CEO Nortel Networks in July, 2006. Besides Wipro, Mr Kagermann is currently a member of the supervisory boards of Deutsche Bank AG, Munich Re, Deutsche Post in Germany and in Nokia Corporation.

Prior to joining Acatech, Mr Kagermann was CEO of SAP AG, till 2009. Kagermann joined SAP in 1982 and was initially responsible for product development in the areas of cost accounting and controlling. Later, he oversaw the development of all administrative solutions, including human resources, as well as industry-specific development for banking, insurance, public sector, and healthcare.

His duties also included finance and administration as well as the management of all SAP regions. He has been a member of the SAP Executive Board since 1991.

Prior to joining SAP AG, Dr Henning Kagermann was Professor of Physics and Computer Science at the University of Tu Braunschwieg & University of Mannheim, Germany.

Agencies