Amazon Web Services (AWS) has tapped former SAP and Microsoft executive Julia White as its Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Vice President. White will succeed Raejeanne Skillern, who is leaving AWS for another career opportunity.
According to an internal memo from AWS Chief Executive Officer Matt Garman, White will join his leadership team. He cited her strong marketing background and “extensive experience in cloud and AI” for the appointment.
Most recently, White was the Chief Marketing and Solutions Officer at SAP, where she was also in charge of the company’s product marketing team and a member of its executive board.
Her departure from SAP in August, along with fellow board member and Chief Revenue Officer Scott Russell, came as a surprise to many. It was followed by another high-level resignation; that of SAP’s Chief Technology Officer, Jürgen Müller, who stepped down from his position and the SAP Executive Board on September 30, 2024.
White was also the Chief Marking Officer for Microsoft Azure, where she worked for 20 years before joining SAP in 2021.
At Microsoft, she led the company’s Marketing and Solutions division, bringing together Product Marketing and Global Marketing teams into one organization that was focused on supporting SAP’s cloud-first model. She was then tapped by SAP, which represented Marketing at the executive level for the first time with her appointment.
White’s appointment with AWS comes as the company looks to leverage its AI capabilities; a strategy that is also high on the list for Microsoft and SAP.
Other movements
After spending more than 14 years at SAP, Russell, who departed with White from the German ERP giant in late August, will take over the reins at NICE as its Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2025. He will be responsible for the growth of the company’s digital and AI transformation solutions and its product portfolio.
Iver van de Zand, who was most recently SAP’s Chief Technology Officer for its EMEA region joined Anaplan as Vice President Product Management in September. At Anaplan, he will drive the company’s product management with a focus on data management, integration and calculation engines.
