SAP Names Manik Saha Managing Director of SAP Labs East Asia

SAP has named Manik Saha as Managing Director of SAP Labs East Asia, expanding its research and development presence across East Asia, SAP said in a Feb. 10 announcement.

In this expanded role, Saha will lead a regional innovation unit spanning SAP Labs in Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, and Korea, overseeing four locations with more than 1,100 engineers. He will be responsible for investments, talent development, and cross-market innovation initiatives as well.

Appointment Strengthens SAP’s Regional Innovation Strategy

Saha has more than two decades of technology leadership experience and has been involved in the establishment and expansion of SAP engineering hubs in the region, including the launch of SAP Labs Singapore in 2022 and SAP Labs Vietnam in 2024.

Before this appointment, Saha held several global leadership roles at SAP. He served as CIO for SAP Asia-Pacific Japan (APJ) from 2013 to 2019.

Most recently, within SAP’s Product Engineering organization, he led efforts related to cloud infrastructure strategy in Asia, including initiatives to transition SAP’s cloud environment to hyperscaler platforms, according to his LinkedIn page.

SAP Labs East Asia forms part of the broader SAP Labs Network, which spans more than 50 locations in over 20 countries and fuels the company’s global innovation and engineering efforts.

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

Recent Leadership Changes in SAP Asia Region

Clas Neumann, Senior Vice President and Head of the Global SAP Labs Network, highlighted Saha’s track record in building world-class engineering talent and said his leadership will further solidify SAP’s commitment to R&D excellence in Asia.

In his new role, Saha is expected to focus on scaling regional engineering capabilities, strengthening talent development, and aligning innovation efforts across markets.

The emphasis reflects a series of recent leadership appointments in Southeast Asia by SAP as the company looks to reinforce execution, cloud engineering, and AI-led development across the region. The appointments include Sianto Wongjoyo as Managing Director for Indonesia and Saket Ranjan as Head of Corporate for Southeast Asia, as part of a broader effort to strengthen operations and support customer transformation.

Against this backdrop, the East Asia unit is positioned to advance SAP’s Business AI and cloud capabilities while expanding regional engineering collaboration.

What This Means for SAPinsiders

Regional engineering investment signals faster product innovation. Strengthening SAP Labs in East Asia suggests continued investment in engineering talent and infrastructure that could accelerate the development of cloud and AI capabilities used by global customers.

Closer proximity to high-growth markets may shape product direction. With more R&D activity anchored in Asia, SAP is positioned to incorporate requirements from rapidly digitizing economies into its roadmap, potentially influencing everything from localization to industry functionality.

Leadership alignment points to execution around cloud and AI strategy. The appointment, alongside other regional leadership moves, indicates a coordinated effort to scale cloud delivery, modernize platforms, and embed AI into enterprise workflows—areas SAP customers should expect to see sustained focus on.