Software giant SAP SE named Rudy Abrahams, a cycling enthusiast, as its new managing director for the Philippines.
Abrahams will be responsible for SAP Philippines’ customer-centric and innovative approach to driving digital transformation in the country. His focus areas include helping customers, partners and communities tackle the biggest issues they face, such as business transformation in the cloud, building a resilient supply chain and creating a sustainable future. He will report to Verena Siow, president and managing director for SAP South East Asia.
Abrahams is a sports enthusiast, particularly cycling, and is also an avid reader, especially in topics of personally mastery and autobiographies. He is a strong supporter of gender diversity, equity and inclusion. He believes in developing early talents and women leaders to build a resilient and sustainable workforce.
As a people-first leader, he is also an advocate for mental health awareness.
Prior to joining SAP Dubai in 2017, Abrahams worked at the City of Cape Town in South Africa, where he was the manager for the city’s SAP Enterprise Support Centre since 2010.
“I am thrilled that Rudy Abrahams will bring both his leadership and deep experience in business transformation to SAP Philippines. His exceptional track record and passion for helping our customers, partners and communities run better will be instrumental in supporting the Philippines and South East Asia’s digital economy and growth,” said Siow.
“The last two years demonstrated how critical digital technologies, such as cloud and artificial intelligence are for business continuity and to thrive amid uncertain times. In the Philippines alone, we saw more businesses adopting cloud technologies to remain competitive and ensure that they adhere to the demands of their end-user customers,” said Abrahams.
“The Philippines has been pushing its national digital transformation agenda, especially with the ongoing projects both from the private and public sectors. We believe that private-public-plural partnerships are integral in achieving the country’s goals,” he said.
“At SAP, we aspire to be a trusted technology partner that can enable more organizations in the country to transform into intelligent, sustainable enterprises. Above all—collectively with our customers and partners—we aim to make a profound and unique impact on sustainability,” said Abrahams.
Abrahams brings more than 25 years of ICT experience in the public and private sector, with expertise in large-scale digital transformation and a leadership style that puts people first. He was most recently the vice president and head of SuccessFactors for SAP South East Asia, where he was responsible for driving revenue, engaging customers and collaborating with partners toward business outcomes and customer success.
“As a company that puts people first, we aim to continuously make SAP an ideal place for work and foster every individual’s professional and personal development. By leveraging SAP technology, we always make sure that we embed diversity and inclusion practices in our processes. We know enterprises in the Philippines have also been pushing for workplace equality, policies, and education. So, I look forward to sharing best practices and ideas with our partners and customers in this area,” said Abrahams.