Hans-Martin Will started his career at the SAP Innovation Center in Newport Beach a little over a year ago. In this time, he has taken on additional responsibilities and climbed the ranks to become the Global Head of the SAP Innovation Center Network, managing a variety of teams across the globe.
The SAP Innovation Center Network (ICN) team pioneers transformative technologies to build the future we want to live in. ICN focuses on artificial intelligence and machine learning to explore novel technologies and applications related to the Intelligent Enterprise.
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Name: Hans-Martin Will
Job: Global Head of SAP Innovation Center Network
Location: Newport Beach, California
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1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get started at SAP and where are you at now?
I started about a year ago as Head for the Innovation Center in Newport Beach. Over the course of last year, I took on additional responsibility for the Innovation Center Network teams in Nanjing, China and in the Bay Area. Generally, the focus of these teams has been around driving innovation within SAP in the areas of AI, analytics and data management. Since beginning of March 2020, I have been heading up the Innovation Center Network across all locations, which has locations in Mougins, France and in Karlsruhe, Walldorf and Potsdam in Germany. In May, we are opening up additional locations in Bangalore, India, and Munich!
Hans-Martin at the SAP Grand Opening in 2019.
2) When did you first hear about HanaHaus and what do you love most about the HanaHaus experience?
I learned about HanaHaus during my interview process with SAP. I really like the concept of having an open space for engaging with the local community of entrepreneurs and innovators. Compared to the previous location in Palo Alto, having the SAP office with two innovation teams (ICN and S4 Eureka) integrated in the overall concept is a definitive plus. We have been using HanaHaus for several events with customers and partners. For example, we had an amazing future visioning workshop in collaboration with AILA and BioLA end of February, just before we had to start closing down.
3) With HanaHaus and SAP offices closed because of the state-wide lockdown and as the new Global Head of ICN how have you and the company adapted to this new lifestyle?
Interestingly enough, the change for me on a personal level has been less severe than for others. With so many locations, I am spending most of my day in calls with team members across all our geographies, and doing that from a home office is not that different from making those calls from a room in the office. That said, I had to postpone my travel plans to meet all the new teams I am now responsible for in person until the restrictions are being lifted across all those countries.
4) Are there any personal tips or advice you would give to others during these difficult times?
Wash your hands, adhere to social distancing, and stay sane. For the latter, I found outdoors exercise a great way to maintain a balance. Fortunately, we live in Southern California, where the weather is helping quite a bit in that regard.
5) Last Question, with your 1st Year Anniversary with SAP Newport Beach, how are you celebrating it?
With a stiff Quarantini… 😊
Hans-Martin’s WFH setup with his new household addition, Jaxson, whom he picked up from a shelter just before WFH started.
In our blog series, People of HanaHaus, we present the folks that fill our workspace cafe with life: Start-Uppers, entrepreneurs, artists, founders, innovation managers, students, unicorns, venture capital investors and the people who make HanaHaus unique. We want to learn about their journeys. We ask them to speak about their current projects and how they leverage HanaHaus for their business.