Hasso Plattner

Hasso Plattner
Hasso Plattner
Born	January 21, 1944 (age 82); Berlin, Germany
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, philanthropist, professor
Years active	1972–present
Known for	Co-founder of SAP SE
Notable work	Founder of Hasso Plattner Institute, founder of Hasso Plattner Ventures

Hasso Plattner (born 21 January 1944) is a German entrepreneur and one of the founders of SAP SE. He held the position of chairman of SAP's supervisory board from 2003 until 2024. As reported in August 2020 by Forbes, his net worth was estimated at approximately US$17.9 billion.

Early life

Plattner entered the world in Berlin, Germany, as the son of Horst Plattner (1918–2001), an ophthalmologist. His upbringing took place in Bavaria, and he completed a master's degree in communications engineering at the University of Karlsruhe in 1968.

Career

In 1972, Plattner and four associates departed from IBM to establish SAP. In 1998, he assumed the role of co-CEO alongside Henning Kagermann. He relinquished his CEO duties in 2003 upon reaching the age of 60.

Between 2003 and 2024, Plattner served as chairman of SAP's supervisory board, where he played a significant role in corporate governance and was instrumental in appointing co-CEOs Jennifer Morgan and Christian Klein in 2019. Over time, he has decreased his ownership share, holding 5.89% as of 2020, which remains the largest individual stake.

In 1998, Plattner established the non-profit Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI), where he leads the Enterprise Platform and Integration Concepts division and holds a professorship in Enterprise Systems.

He initiated the venture capital firm Hasso Plattner Ventures (HPV) in 2005 with an initial fund exceeding €25 million. By late 2009, HPV managed €150 million invested across 17 companies, including the online cruise booking platform Dreamlines. An affiliated fund, HPV Africa, was created in Cape Town in 2008 with €29 million to support five startups on the continent. Plattner is the primary financier behind these initiatives. In September 2010, HPV made a $6 million investment in Israeli software firm Panaya.

Sporting interests

In 2005, Plattner's maxi yacht, the maxZ86, set a new benchmark at the Transpacific Yacht Race by completing the course in 6 days, 16 hours, 4 minutes, and 11 seconds. This achievement earned him "the Barn Door" trophy, presented to the fastest monohull vessel. Later, in 2013, he secured victory at the German Dragon Championship as part of a trio that included Hamish Pepper.

An avid golfer, Plattner acquired the Fancourt Hotel and Country Club in 1994. This estate boasts three championship courses designed by Gary Player, along with ownership of the CordeValle Golf Club located in San Martin, California. The Links of Fancourt was the venue for the 2003 Presidents Cup, which was captained by Gary Player himself.

Plattner also holds investments in San Jose Sports & Entertainment Enterprises, the proprietor of the San Jose Sharks hockey team and associated assets, including management of the city-owned SAP Center at San Jose. In 2013, he purchased his partners’ shares within SJS&E and became the Sharks' delegate on the National Hockey League's board of governors. Nonetheless, day-to-day hockey operations remain under the direction of general manager Mike Grier and his team.

Philanthropy

In February 2013, Plattner committed to The Giving Pledge. Two years later, he founded the Hasso Plattner Foundation, which concentrates on advancing education, promoting art and culture, and supporting conservation efforts. Since 2017, this foundation has been based at Villa Wunderkind in Potsdam, previously owned by German fashion designer Wolfgang Joop.

HIV/AIDS

Maintaining a strong connection to South Africa, Plattner divides his time there while actively supporting charitable projects. He provides backing to both the KwaZulu Natal and Cape Town universities in their HIV/AIDS initiatives.

In 2003, he contributed €6 million to the Isombululo programme aimed at HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, which reportedly benefited around 360,000 individuals. Two years later, Plattner personally financed the 46664 benefit concert held at The Links of Fancourt—a golf course designed by Gary Player near Cape Town. This globally televised event raised funds for the Global Fund, co-founded by Nelson Mandela.

Architecture and visual arts

Plattner donated more than €20 million towards restoring the historic façade of the Stadtschloss in Potsdam, which had been damaged during World War II and demolished in 1959—representing Germany’s largest individual donation from a private donor at that time.

In 2016, he collaborated with art dealer Guy Wildenstein to create the Wildenstein Plattner Institute. This institution focuses on advancing art historical scholarship through digitizing and cataloguing primary source materials.

He was also instrumental in founding the Museum Barberini, where his collection featuring modern art, Impressionist works, and artists from former East Germany is displayed. Among his notable acquisitions is Monet’s 1890 painting Meules, purchased for $110.7 million in 2019—a record price for an Impressionist piece at auction. In 2022, Plattner inaugurated , a private museum in Potsdam dedicated to artists from East Germany after the Berlin Wall era.

Research

Since stepping down from SAP, Plattner has played a significant role as a private benefactor supporting technological research within Germany. In 1998, he established the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) for software systems engineering at the University of Potsdam and in Palo Alto, California, exclusively financed by the non-profit Hasso Plattner Foundation for Software Systems Engineering. Initially, Plattner committed €50 million over two decades, a pledge that has since grown to over €200 million. He provides full financial backing for HPI and remains actively involved as both director and lecturer specializing in Enterprise Platforms and Integration Concepts.

In October 2005, Plattner contributed US$35 million to create the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University, an initiative aimed at fostering user-centered innovations across various disciplines. Moreover, in 2003 he pledged €10 million towards the modernization of the University of Mannheim library.

Recognition

At a ceremony marking Plattner's 60th birthday on 21 January 2004 at HPI, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder commended him: "Germany needs more individuals like Hasso Plattner and more companies like SAP to drive economic progress." Schröder emphasized Plattner’s development of a global enterprise that exemplifies how German firms can lead on the world stage in technology. Later that year, in August 2004, management consultant Roland Berger identified Plattner as one of five Germans who had most impressed him, describing Plattner’s establishment and evolution of SAP as a "master achievement."

Honorary degrees

Plattner was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2002 and an honorary professorship in 2004 by the University of Potsdam. Additionally, he received an honorary doctorate in 1990 and an honorary professorship in Information Systems in 1994 from Saarland University, Saarbrücken, which also appointed him honorary senator in 1998.

Awards

2014 – Leonardo European Corporate Learning Award in the "Thought Leadership" category
2015 – Lifetime Achievement Award from the German American Business Association (GABA)
2016 – Prize for Understanding and Tolerance presented by the Jewish Museum Berlin
2017 – Recipient of the Werner von Siemens Ring

Personal life

Plattner is married to Sabine Plattner, who formerly worked as a teacher. They have two daughters who were raised in Heidelberg, Germany.

Currently, he lives in San Jose, California, which he considers his 'adopted home,' and has not returned to Germany since retiring from SAP. The family also owns homes in Potsdam’s Babelsberg district, on the island of Sylt, and in Yzerfontein.

External links

Hasso Plattner Ventures, Potsdam, Germany