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Player Profiles: Hasso Plattner

Born in Berlin, Germay, Hasso Plattner has achieved international fame as an entrepreneur, philanthropist and educator. Plattner, one of the co-founders of software giant SAP AG, was chairman of the board until 2003 and is currently the chairman of the supervisory board.

Since his retirement from SAP, Plattner has been particularly active as a benefactor in the field of technological research. Media reports have named him one of Germany’s most important private sponsors of scientific research. Plattner received his honorary doctorate in 2002 and his honorary professorship in 2004 from the University of Potsdam. Plattner had also received an honorary doctorate (1990) and an honorary professorship in Information Systems (1994) from the Saarland University, Saarbrücken. The same university named him an honorary senator in 1998.

Plattner founded the Hasso Plattner Institute for software systems engineering in 1998. Based at the University of Potsdam and in Palo Alto, California and founded the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University in 2005.

Another of Plattner’s pledges to promote science was of 10 million euros to redevelop the library at the University of Mannheim, Germany, given in 2003.

HassoPlattnerVentures, set up with a starting balance of more than 25 million euros, was founded on 1 July 2005 in Potsdam with the goal of supporting young entrepreneurs in transforming their ideas into marketable products.

For his commitment to economics and science, Plattner has received a number of honours, including the Leadership Award for Global Integration. He was also inducted to Germany’s Manager Magazine’s Hall of Fame, which honours personalities for their promotion of economic and social development in Germany. In 2001, Time Magazine Europe ranked Plattner number one on its list of the most important and influential IT personalities.
Alongside sailing the high seas, he is a keen golfer and owns the Fancourt Golf Estate, which has four Gary Player designed championship courses. Plattner is also a major stakeholder in the San Jose Sharks hockey team and Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment Group.

Plattner has had strong connections with South Africa over the years and spends some of his time living there, while participating in charitable work. In the fight against AIDS, he supports the universities of KwaZulu Natal and Cape Town. His donation of six million euros for the Isombululo programme, for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS was announced at the Presidents Cup, one of the world’s leading international golf tournaments held at Fancourt in 2003.

In the spring of 2005, Plattner personally covered the costs of the 46664 benefit concert, which took place at The Links at Fancourt.  The concert was broadcast globally and proceeds went towards the former South African president Nelson Mandela’s fund to fight AIDS/HIV.