 "Simon Dale To Head Tech, Innovation At SAP, APJ Region")
SAP AG has announced the appointment of Simon Dale as head of technology and innovation, Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ), effective 1 July 2011. His primary focus will be to drive adoption of SAP’s leading-edge innovations such as in-memory computing, cloud computing and mobility, across the APJ region. Simon joins a global team led by Dr. Vishal Sikka, member of the SAP Executive Board leading technology and innovation and will be supporting Dr. Christoph Kollatz, executive vice president, SAP HANA.
Simon takes on the role after 10 years with SAP APJ. In this new role, he will be the go-to person driving implementation of and ensuring support for new innovations from SAP in the region, including driving customer adoption, facilitating ecosystem relationships in the region and acting as Regional Lead for the regional innovation centres, including SAP Co-Innovation Labs, research centres and cloud infrastructures.
“APJ is a critically important region for SAP and I am very pleased Simon will join my team to drive our innovation and technology efforts there,” said Dr. Sikka. “With 10 years experience at SAP APJ leading Specialist Solution Sales combined with his previous experience as SAP APJ’s chief technology officer, I look forward to Simon assuming his new role in Singapore.”
“SAP has a superior business model built on choice, co-innovation and openness. We anticipate and drive the major IT innovation cycles which help our customers run their businesses in real-time,” said Simon. “By working closely with customers in the Asia-Pacific Japan region, I have developed a deep understanding of their needs and how SAP’s new technology solutions can help them expand and scale for the future.”
After graduating from Staffordshire University, U.K., with a BSc in Computing Science, Simon became a software developer. He subsequently worked at several technology companies in Europe, the latest being TopTier Software, which was acquired by SAP in 2001.