Lesley H.

Les is SAP Ambassador within the office of the CEO. He is responsible for representing the interests of SAP's board and those of SAP's eco-system of customers and partners in government and industry think-tanks and other discussion and decision forums globally.

He is a particularly vocal supporter of initiatives to drive innovation in Europe so that European companies can compete on the global stage. He brings to bear SAP's 30+ years' experience in building and maintaining a global development network and corporate infrastructure to this debate, as well as his own personal experience of doing business throughout the globe, through his tenure as Chairman of SAP's EMEA region and, prior to this, as President and CEO for SAP in the Asia-Pacific region. Les was appointed to the SAP Extended Board in 1999.

From February 2003 to May 2005, Les was Head of SAP Global Human Resources, responsible for all of SAP's Human Resources activities worldwide. He applied his 38 years of business experience to the goal of more closely aligning HR with business strategy, ensuring that people are valued and nurtured but also analyzed, measured and developed as key corporate assets, a trend he believes will be increasingly important as companies face the on-going challenges of product commoditization and competitive differentiation. He brings hands-on insights into building a global organization spanning multiple cultures and geographies to his discussions with government and industry bodies around the issues of identifying and developing the skill sets required to stimulate innovation in the business of the future.

Les maintains active personal contact with many senior business and government representatives encountered through his global business experience and has been a member and speaker in various associations and forums as diverse as:

• The Information Industry Association, in Australia
• Future of Applications Conference in Singapore
• The APA Auditors' Forum in Thailand
• Russian Public Sector Conference in Moscow
• the International EAPM HR Conference in Dublin

He sits on the Technology Advisory Boards for both Malaysia and South Africa, served a two year term as a Board member of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Apart from his professional activities, he is a regular lecturer at universities and business schools.