New SAP UK & Ireland Managing Director Announced in Manchester

The German enterprise software giant recently announced that Ryan Poggi has been designated as Managing Director (MD) of SAP UK & Ireland. Drawing on its cloud capabilities and long-term growth plans, SAP declared in 2021 an ambitious investment in the United Kingdom to help businesses bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic. The major initiative includes launching SAP UK Data Cloud, opening new offices in London and Manchester, as well as expanding its apprenticeship programs.

With the said strategic move, SAP aimed to equip organizations throughout the country with the technological tools they need for a successful post-pandemic recovery. In Ireland, SAP has two offices — located in Dublin and Galway — which provide dedicated support to its customers. The office in Dublin offers service and support for SAP’s large customer base, sales operations, financial shared services, as well as IT assistance. Meanwhile, the facility based in Galway provides a multilingual service and support center tailored towards midsize and multinational enterprise sectors.

Committed to delivering the highest level of customer satisfaction through SAP UK & Ireland’s specialized services, the company recently announced the appointment of Ryan Poggi as Managing Director. The move is a testament to SAP’s dedication to delivering an outstanding experience for its customers by giving them access to unrivaled services and solutions. With his extensive knowledge and leadership skills, Poggi will be well-placed to ensure that SAP continues to meet its objective of providing a superior customer experience (CX).

In his new position as Managing Director, Poggi will have the responsibility of spearheading the business operations at SAP UK & Ireland and executing its strategy with particular emphasis on increasing customer lifetime value, expediting cloud growth, and delivering an unparalleled partner ecosystem experience in the region. He will be tasked with maximizing customer engagement to ensure that the tech giant’s presence can be felt across the entire United Kingdom & Ireland.

SAP UKI is delighted to welcome back Poggi in the role of Managing Director, reporting directly to Rohit Nagarajan, President of EMEA North at SAP. Based in London, Poggi’s appointment has been warmly received by Nagarajan who stated that they were pleased to have him join their team once again in the region. “He previously demonstrated his relevance and impact in serving the commitments of SAP’s customers, partners, and teams in this market. His solid expertise in the development of our cloud business, as well as his leadership skills, are all assets we need to consolidate the foundations of SAP UKI and maximise the opportunities ahead,” Nagarajan shared.

Poggi has been chosen to take over from Michiel Verhoeven, who is moving on to a more senior position away from SAP after dedicating almost three years of service to the role. His departure marks a significant change, and Poggi’s arrival brings with it a new set of skills, experience, and vision that will no doubt be welcomed by the wider SAP organization.

As a leader with an immense amount of experience in managing organizations and successfully growing high-performing teams within large intricate markets, Poggi has been employed by SAP since 2007. During this time he has held a variety of senior executive positions across both the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) and APJ (Asia Pacific Japan) regions. Furthermore, Poggi served as Chief Business Officer for SAP EMEA North before taking on the job of Managing Director at SAP UK & Ireland. In this position, he played a key role in the rollout of RISE with SAP across five countries and the development of the interdisciplinary groups needed to ensure client success.

As interim Managing Director for SAP France, Poggi also helped lay the groundwork for the company’s transformation into a high-performance cloud market unit and a single team functioning across all board areas. In his previous role as Chief Operating Officer, Ryan was in charge of preparing and implementing SAP’s UKI growth plan and ensuring that clients received the full value of their contracts through strategic partnerships. Additionally, he has previously served as the Managing Director for SAP Philippines, the Director of Global Strategic Initiatives, the Legal and Commercial Director, and the head of many Line of Business (LoB) organizations in Asia and Europe, and the Middle East.

Commenting on this latest appointment, Poggi expressed his delight at taking on the role of SAP UKI’s MD “at a hugely exciting time for the UKI business.” He added: “We are privileged to have some of the most innovative customers and one of the most dynamic partner ecosystems here in the UKI. The opportunity ahead of us cannot be overstated; to be the UKI’s most trusted technology partner, by coming together as one ecosystem and driving customer value.”