Prof. Dr. Alexander Zeier

Prof. Dr. Alexander Zeier is a legendary figure in enterprise software, bringing over three decades of pioneering innovation in SAP systems to his role as Co-Founder and Chief Scientist at Nova Intelligence. As the co-inventor of SAP HANA—the revolutionary in-memory database platform that became the foundation of SAP S/4HANA—Alexander possesses unparalleled insight into the architecture, challenges, and opportunities within the SAP ecosystem.

To connect with Alexander, please find his LinkedIn above and university associations below:

• Honorary Professor of Computer Science (AI & Intelligent Enterprise Systems), University of Magdeburg: https://imta-ovgu.de/
• MIT Visiting Professor Site: https://zeier.mit.edu/

Co-Inventor of SAP HANA: The Foundation of Modern SAP

In April 2006, as Deputy to SAP founder Prof. Dr. Hasso Plattner at the Hasso-Plattner-Institute, Alexander initiated and led Project "HANA"—the research initiative that would fundamentally transform enterprise computing. He assembled and directed the core team that invented the "New Architecture" for the next generation of SAP systems, leading development from inception through the landmark 2012 launch.

Alexander holds eight granted patents as co-inventor covering critical innovations in in-memory technology and applications. He co-authored the seminal book In-Memory Data Management with Prof. Plattner (Springer, 2011, with extended edition in 2012), which remains the authoritative work explaining the key inventions and business value of the SAP HANA platform—the architecture that underpins all modern SAP S/4HANA systems.

This work as principal architect of SAP's core technology platform represents one of the most significant technical achievements in enterprise software history.

Global CTO for SAP at Accenture: Leading the World's Largest SAP Practice

Following his groundbreaking work inventing HANA, Alexander spent over a decade (2012-2023) at Accenture as Managing Director and Global CTO for SAP, directing the world's largest SAP practice with 85,000 professionals. In this role, he:

• Founded and directed the Accenture Innovation Center for SAP HANA, building a fast-growing business that achieved multi-billion-dollar annual revenue
• Advised C-Level executives of Accenture's 200+ Diamond clients worldwide on technology-led innovations leveraging SAP HANA and S/4HANA
• Completed active involvement in over 150 S/4HANA projects, over 100 S/4HANA roadmaps, and more than 500 HANA projects during his 11-year tenure
• Developed Digital Cloud Coupling (patent-granted), a flexible and resilient Composable Enterprise Architecture that enables companies to innovate continuously across Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, SAP BTP, and open-source multi-cloud solutions
• Served as Accenture's first Cloud Fellow, acting as Chief Cloud Advisor to C-Level executives
• Held the distinction of Master Technical Architect (MTA) and served on the Global MTA Board, defining technology strategy and establishing quality standards

This combination of having invented the core technology and led hundreds of its most complex global implementations gives Alexander unmatched expertise in both SAP's technical architecture and real-world enterprise transformation challenges.

Academic Leadership & Research Excellence

Alexander has been Honorary University Professor of Computer Science at Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg since 2013—the first Honorary Professor at its Faculty of Computer Science. His lectures focus on Enterprise Transformation, building lean Digital Cores in S/4HANA through Composable Architecture, and integrating Generative AI. In 2020, he co-founded and joined the board of the Cloud Academy and Open Enterprise Cloud Initiative.

His distinguished academic career also includes:

• Visiting Professor at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009-2012)
• Visiting Scholar at Stanford University (2010-2011)
• Project Principal at Stanford's d.school working with Prof. Larry Leifer and Prof. Terry Winograd on Design Thinking and global distributed design projects (2007-2012)

Alexander is the author of over 150 publications and 10 books covering enterprise systems, in-memory computing, supply chain management, and AI for enterprise transformation.

Early SAP Career & Deep Domain Expertise

Alexander's SAP journey began in 1992 working with SAP R/3 1.2 during his MBA studies. He earned his Ph.D. in three years (1998-2002) under Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Peter Mertens at Friedrich-Alexander University, focusing on SAP's supply-chain solution (SAP APO). He then joined SAP as Product Manager (2002-2006), helping lead the solution to global market leadership by 2005.

This early hands-on experience with SAP systems, combined with his later work inventing HANA's core architecture and leading its global implementation practice, provides Alexander with comprehensive knowledge spanning the entire SAP technology stack and business application landscape.

Advisory & Board Leadership

Beyond Nova Intelligence, Alexander serves in multiple advisory capacities:

• Advisory Board Member at the Institut für Informations-, Telekommunikations- und Medienrecht (ITM), providing legal evaluation and research on Generative AI, Superintelligence, and AI legislation impacts (2023-2025)
• Former Partner at May4th Senior Management Advisors GmbH, advising enterprises on digital transformation and SAP modernization (2024-2025)
• Former Managing Director at cERP.ai Advisory GmbH, providing senior management advisory services for SAP optimization, S/4HANA modernization, and Generative AI augmentation (2023-2025)

Revolutionizing SAP Modernization with AI

At Nova Intelligence, Alexander applies his unparalleled 30-year SAP expertise—from co-inventing the core HANA platform to directing the world's most complex S/4HANA transformations—to a new mission: building the first Multi-Agent AI System that fully automates SAP Clean Core modernization.

Working alongside co-founders Emma Qian (CEO, formerly Google DeepMind) and Sam Yang (Co-Founder & CTO), Alexander is architecting AI agents that replace large portions of manual customer-specific development, delivering:

• Over 50% cost savings
• 60% faster timelines
• Clean Core & SAP Public Cloud readiness by design

The Nova Intelligence system includes four core agents: Codebase Analyzer Agent, Fit-to-Standard Agent, Recomposing & Coding Agent, and Test & Tuning Agent—each drawing on Alexander's deep understanding of SAP architecture and transformation patterns.

Certifications & Professional Recognition

• SAP Alumni Award - C-Suite
• Certified Supervisory Board Member (Zertifizierter Aufsichtsrat)
• First Cloud Fellow of Accenture
• Master Technology Architect and Board Member MTA

Education

• Ph.D. in Information Systems, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (completed in 3 years under Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Peter Mertens)
• Diplom-Kaufmann (MBA equivalent), University of Würzburg, specializing in Information Systems, Logistics, and Financial Auditing
• Executive Study Scheme, Technische Universität Chemnitz, Faculty of Computer Sciences
• Visiting Scholar, Stanford University, Computer Science
• Visiting Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Based in Königstein im Taunus, Germany, Prof. Dr. Alexander Zeier represents the bridge between SAP's foundational technology innovations and the next evolution of enterprise software through agentic AI. His unique combination of having invented the core platform, led its largest implementation practice, and now pioneered its AI-driven future makes him one of the most influential figures in enterprise software history.

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