SoftwareOne, the global software and cloud solutions provider, has appointed Brian Duffy as its new chief executive, succeeding Dieter Schlosser effective May this year.
The announcement follows Duffy’s departure as SAP’s president of cloud back in February. Though Swiss-headquartered SoftwareOne will be Duffy’s first CEO role, the ex-SAPer has shown his aptitude to the SoftwareOne board in customer adoption and cloud innovation.
An SAP veteran of over 18 years, Duffy has extensive experience in cloud technologies, having risen through the ranks since 2005 and finishing after his two-year stint as SAP cloud chief.
An SAP spokesperson previously told ERP Today that Duffy had “played a key role in SAP’s success” during his tenure, “building the foundation for customer adoption and brand awareness of RISE with SAP, the heart of SAP’s strategy and one of our most successful offerings ever.”
In SAP’s last fiscal year, Duffy also oversaw a S/4HANA cloud revenue rise of 91 percent to €2bn, with an additional backlog rise of 84 percent – worth over €3.1bn to company coffers, as cloud drove revenues for SAP’s financial results.
Dieter Schlosser leaves the CEO role after over three years in post, having first joined SoftwareOne in 2012 as COO. Schlosser’s CEO tenure saw the acquisition of Comparex, SoftwareOne’s successful IPO in October 2019 and its transformation into a global software and cloud solutions provider, with revenues doubling to over CHF 1bn last year.
“We are delighted to welcome Brian to SoftwareOne,” said Daniel von Stockar, chairman of the board of SoftwareOne. “A global technology leader, Brian has an impressive track record including a proven ability to drive innovation, growth and customer success. We are confident he will successfully lead SoftwareOne into its next phase of growth and help clients maximize their technology investments. On behalf of the entire board of directors, I would like to thank Dieter for his outstanding contribution to SoftwareOne over the last decade and wish him all the best for the future.”
“I am tremendously excited by the opportunity to lead SoftwareOne into the future,” said Duffy. “The incredible team at SoftwareOne led by Dieter has built a powerful global software and cloud solutions platform and services business focused on driving successful customer outcomes. I look forward to working closely with SoftwareOne’s employees around the world, the executive board and the board of directors to achieve the company’s full potential. Together, we will extend our ability to help our clients reap the full technological and economic benefits of moving to the cloud, while driving profitable growth and value creation for SoftwareOne’s shareholders.”
“It has been a privilege to lead SoftwareOne,” said Schlosser. “We have seen great success over the years and credit goes to the entire SoftwareOne team across our 90 countries. As the company enters the next stage of its growth journey, now is a natural time for me to step down and hand over to a new leader. I will work closely with Brian to ensure a seamless transition.”
