Summit Notebook

If you know 5,500 software professionals in India looking for a job, just send them over to Stephen Watts, SAP’s chief operating officer for Asia Pacific and Japan. The Irish-born Watts, who is also temporarily heading the business software group’s India operations, denied any talk of doubling headcount in India by 2010.

SAP has focused in the past on contracts with large customers but is increasingly turning towards mid-sized companies. While talking to us on a conference call from Singapore, Watts compared
small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to breakfast. “Life begins with a good breakfast,” he said, emphasising the importance the company gives to SMEs.

SAP’s high-growth markets in the region are obviously China and India, but potential rising stars, as far as Watts is concerned, include Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

DEAL TALK 

Watts said SAP is “continuing to look at acquisitions” but he didn’t specify where. References to somewhere on the big planet, which is 70 percent water, can’t exactly be classified as helpful. But then for a person who works from 5 to 9 (and not the other way around), a sense of humour may just be the right elixir.