SAP unveils two new leaders for Southeast Asia and Asia Pacific

SAP veteran Liher Urbizu has been appointed as new President and Managing Director for Southeast Asia while Verena Siow transitions to take on the new Regional Business Suite Leader for Asia Pacific (APAC) role.

SAP has appointed Liher Urbizu as President and Managing Director for SAP Southeast Asia (SEA). Urbizu succeeds Verena Siow, who will take on a new role as Regional Business Suite Leader for SAP, Asia Pacific (APAC). With decades of experience in their position, both leaders are expected to strengthen SAP’s position in the region as well as build on its continued commitment to delivering customer success and driving forward its cloud and AI innovation strategy.

Urbizu will be responsible for overseeing strategy, operations, and customer success across SAP’s Southeast Asia market unit. This encompasses Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and emerging countries within the Indochina region. He will focus on helping organizations in the region drive continued innovation and sustainable growth in the digital economy, underpinned by data, AI, and the cloud.

Having served multiple leadership roles at SAP, Urbizu was most recently SAP’s Chief Business Office for APAC. With other 25 years of experience in the SAP ecosystem, Urbizu has transitioned from a customer to a partner and an SAP executive. His previous roles in SAP include Global Head of Partner Success Services, Head of Services Asia Pacific & Japan, Chief Operating Officer Japan, and Managing Director for SAP Indochina, where he led the team to several significant achievements and accolades.

“Southeast Asia was the launchpad of my career within the SAP ecosystem. I am energized by the opportunity to return and lead this dynamic market unit, with a focus on delivering tangible business outcomes for our customers by harnessing AI and SAP’s industry-leading business software solutions. I firmly believe that by aligning our technology with the region’s growth ambitions, we will help businesses of all sizes and industries innovate and thrive in the digital-first era.” Urbizu commented on his new appointment.

Meanwhile, Siow transitions from her role as President and Managing Director of Southeast Asia to take on the new role of Regional Business Suite Leader for SAP, Asia Pacific (APAC). With 13 years of experience in SAP, Siow will drive cloud growth and strategic business development across Asia Pacific in her new role.

With SAP customers looking for a seamless experience in the cloud, Siow will focus on enabling this, from demand generation to renewals, in support of the company’s broader vision of delivering consistent and exceptional outcomes across all markets.

For Siow, the Southeast Asia team has demonstrated remarkable resilience and consistent success, anchored by customers’ trust in SAP’s solutions and innovation over the past five years.

“I’m excited to bring my experience to the whole of APAC, as SAP continues to deliver next-generation cloud solutions and expand our footprint across Asia. I look forward to helping customers, both in Southeast Asia and across APAC, continue to accelerate to innovate and unlock further value on their transformation journeys,” commented Siow.

Commenting on the new appointments for the region, Simon Davies, President for SAP Asia Pacific mentioned that Southeast Asia is leading the world in this new era of AI adoption.

“Siow’s contribution to SAP SEA over the past several years has been significant, and I am confident that her outstanding leadership will help us execute on our strategy and achieve tangible cloud momentum for SAP and our customers across the APAC region,” said Davies.

Davies also believes Urbizu’s extensive leadership experience in Asia will serve the SEA team well in its next phase of growth.

“Urbizu combines a deep understanding of our customers’ evolving business needs with a proven track record of leading high-impact teams. As the new President and Managing Director of Southeast Asia, he will play a critical role in accelerating our cloud and AI initiatives, ensuring that organizations in SEA can fully leverage SAP’s innovation to solve their most pressing business challenges,” added Davies.

The announcement of the new roles comes as SAP released its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025. SAP’s Cloud revenue was up 27% and up 26% in constant currencies. Cloud ERP Suite revenue was also reported to be up 34% and up 33% at constant currencies. Total revenue for the period was up 12% and up 11% in constant currencies.

“Q1 once again underlines that our success formula is working. Current cloud backlog expanded 29% at constant currencies and total revenue saw a double-digit increase. With a share of more predictable revenue of 86%, SAP’s business model remains resilient in uncertain times. Our AI-powered portfolio enables companies to navigate supply chain disruptions in over 130 countries and to unlock efficiencies with agility and speed,” commented Christian Klein, CEO of SAP.