SAP appoints Manik Saha as managing director of SAP Labs East Asia

• Appointment reinforces SAP’s commitment to engineering & innovation across Asia
• Brings 20+ years of tech leadership & global operational experience to his expanded role

SAP SE has appointed Manik Saha (pic) as managing director of SAP Labs East Asia, a new regional research, development, and innovation unit bringing together SAP Labs in Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, and Korea. In his new role, Manik will lead strategic investments, talent development, and cross-market innovation programmes, ensuring consistent delivery of innovation, high-quality products, and reliable execution for SAP’s customers worldwide.

The SAP Labs Network comprises the company’s global research and development entities, strategically located in high-tech clusters across 20 countries and 52 locations, encompassing 13 labs worldwide. The network aims to foster diversity and innovation through global thought leadership and engagement with local ecosystems.

SAP Labs East Asia will play a key role in advancing SAP’s Business AI development, accelerating engineering collaboration, and scaling innovation across fast-growing regional and global markets.

Manik brings more than two decades of strategic technology leadership and global operational experience to his expanded role, including driving the launch of SAP Labs Singapore in 2022 and SAP Labs Vietnam in 2024. He now oversees four locations where SAP employs more than 1,100 engineers, driving operational excellence and strengthening delivery discipline across the region.

“Innovation provides security for long-term business success. The need for businesses to adapt quickly to change and technological advances will only increase. By expanding my remit, I will be able to address more customer challenges and opportunities while continuing to foster a culture of experimentation and creativity across SAP — something I feel very passionately about,” Manik said.

Commenting on the appointment, Clas Neumann, senior vice president and head of the global SAP Labs Network, said, “Manik has demonstrated strong leadership in developing world-class engineering talent and delivering innovation at scale. His appointment strengthens SAP Labs East Asia’s role within the global SAP Labs Network and reinforces our commitment to expanding our R&D footprint worldwide. With Manik at the helm, we are confident in our efforts to advance Business AI and cloud innovation for customers across the region and beyond.”

With Manik’s appointment, SAP reinforces its commitment to strengthening its global engineering network and advancing customer-centric innovation across Asia.