SAP AG (SAP) Global Ecosystem and Channels President Eric Duffaut, who has been with the company since 2005, has made a personal decision to leave the company, according to an SAP spokesperson.

Mark Ferrer, COO of SAP's Global Customer Operations (GCO), will serve as the new leader of the division, working closely with ecosystem and channels leadership to strengthen the company's role with partners.

"We thank him for his years of service and wish him well in his future endeavors," said SAP Ecosystem and Channels Head of Communications Amanda Mountain.

Mountain said partners were notified of this leadership change through an email from Duffaut on Wednesday afternoon:

“Dear SAP Partners,

I would like to personally inform you that I have decided to leave SAP, effective immediately.

I conclude my tenure with SAP very proud of the accomplishments achieved together with you, our partner ecosystem, particularly during the past 2.5 years. Together, we didn't just accelerate your contribution to more than 37 percent of SAP total software revenue, and make SAP a leader in the SME market with almost 200,000 customers — we simultaneously built the foundation for a brighter future for our mutual customers, you our partners, and for SAP.

It has been rewarding to me, both professionally and personally, to positively impact the success of SAP, our customers and partners. It has been a privilege to work with you, and I thank you for your partnership, trust and contributions.

Moving forward, Rob Enslin, President of Global Customer Operations and member of the SAP Global Managing Board has named Mark Ferrer, Chief Operating Officer for SAP Global Customer Operations, as my successor to lead SAP's Ecosystem & Channels business. In his role as COO, Mark and I have worked closely together for some time and I am confident that together with Rob and the SAP Board, Mark will further accelerate our joint leadership and success.

Please join me in welcoming Mark and wishing him the very best as he leads the next chapter of Ecosystem & Channels at SAP.

I look forward to crossing paths with each of you again. In the meantime, I welcome you to reach me directly.

Best Regards,

Eric”

Duffaut was named to the Global Ecosystem and Channels slot in 2011. He joined SAP in 2005 as senior vice president of Small and Midsize Enterprises and Channels for the EMEA region, and before that spent 15 years at Oracle.