SAP Creates Customer Value Group Led by Saueressig * Science and Technology Times

SAP has established a new Customer Value Group to unify its customer‑facing operations.
The company appointed Thomas Saueressig as Chief Customer Officer to lead the organization.
The move aims to streamline the customer journey across sales, services and long‑term value delivery.

A New Structure for Customer Engagement

SAP SE has introduced a new organizational unit called the Customer Value Group, which will begin operating on April 1. The group brings together the company’s Customer Success and Customer Services & Delivery teams under a single leadership structure. This consolidation is intended to create a more consistent experience for customers from initial contact through long‑term adoption of SAP’s cloud and AI‑driven products. The change reflects SAP’s broader shift toward a unified, lifecycle‑oriented approach to customer management.

The company appointed Thomas Saueressig to lead the new organization as Chief Customer Officer. His expanded role includes oversight of the entire customer journey, covering sales, delivery, services and support. These responsibilities position him at the center of SAP’s efforts to increase adoption and renewal of its cloud portfolio. Extended Board members Jan Gilg and Manos Raptopoulos will continue to co‑lead Customer Success and will report directly to him.

SAP CEO Christian Klein described the reorganization as a response to the increasing overlap between selling and delivering cloud services. He emphasized that customer value is increasingly determined by long‑term usage rather than initial transactions. Klein also highlighted Saueressig’s experience in product engineering and service delivery as a key factor in the decision. The company expects the new structure to support its ongoing focus on AI‑enabled solutions.

The creation of the Customer Value Group marks a notable shift in SAP’s internal alignment. It consolidates functions that previously operated separately, aiming to reduce friction between departments. This integration is designed to help customers navigate SAP’s expanding cloud portfolio more easily. The company believes that a unified structure will support more predictable outcomes for customers adopting its technologies.

Saueressig’s Expanded Responsibilities

Thomas Saueressig has been part of SAP since 2004 and joined the Executive Board in 2019. His previous role involved leading the Customer Services & Delivery Board area, where he oversaw global initiatives related to long‑term cloud value. These responsibilities included professional services, customer innovation programs, support operations and cloud infrastructure. His background therefore spans both technical and service‑oriented aspects of SAP’s business.

Earlier in his career, Saueressig headed SAP Product Engineering, managing the company’s full application portfolio. That position placed him at the center of SAP’s product development strategy during a period of significant cloud transformation. He also served as Chief Information Officer, where he led SAP’s internal shift toward cloud‑first operations. This combination of roles has given him experience across multiple layers of SAP’s technology and service ecosystem.

The new Chief Customer Officer role expands his scope to include the alignment of sales activities with delivery and support functions. This alignment is intended to ensure that commitments made during the sales process are matched by consistent execution. It also aims to support customers as they adopt AI‑powered capabilities that SAP is integrating across its product suite. The company expects that this unified oversight will help reduce complexity for customers navigating multi‑phase cloud projects.

Saueressig holds a degree in Business Information Technology and an Executive MBA from ESSEC Business School and Mannheim Business School. His academic background complements his long tenure at SAP, which spans both technical and managerial responsibilities. These qualifications support his new mandate to oversee the full customer lifecycle. SAP’s leadership has expressed confidence that his experience will help guide the new organization effectively.

Implications for SAP’s Cloud and AI Strategy

The formation of the Customer Value Group aligns with SAP’s broader strategic focus on cloud adoption. Many enterprise customers are transitioning from traditional on‑premise systems to cloud‑based platforms, which require ongoing engagement rather than one‑time implementation. SAP aims to support this shift by integrating its customer‑facing teams into a single structure that can manage long‑term value realization. The company sees this as essential for sustaining growth in its cloud subscription business.

AI is another major focus area for SAP, and the company has repeatedly emphasized its intention to embed AI capabilities across its product portfolio. A unified customer organization may help accelerate adoption of these features by providing clearer guidance and support. Customers often face challenges when integrating AI into existing workflows, making coordinated assistance increasingly important. SAP expects that the new structure will help address these challenges more effectively.

The reorganization also reflects broader trends in the enterprise software industry. Many vendors are restructuring their customer operations to support subscription‑based business models. These models depend heavily on renewal rates and long‑term usage, which require sustained engagement beyond initial deployment. SAP’s new approach mirrors similar shifts seen across the sector.

SAP’s leadership has framed the Customer Value Group as a long‑term investment in customer outcomes. The company believes that a more integrated structure will help reduce fragmentation in its service delivery. It also anticipates that the new model will support more predictable adoption patterns for its cloud and AI offerings. The coming months will show how the reorganization influences customer experience and operational efficiency.