William McDermott

William McDermott
Born	18 08, 1961
Birthplace	Flushing, Queens, New York City, United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Business executive
Title	Chairman and CEO, ServiceNow
Known for	CEO of ServiceNow, former CEO of SAP SE

William Regan McDermott (born August 18, 1961) is an American business executive who serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of ServiceNow, an enterprise cloud computing company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. Before joining ServiceNow in 2019, McDermott spent more than two decades at SAP SE, the German enterprise software corporation, where he rose through the ranks to serve as CEO from 2014 to 2019 and as co-CEO from 2010 to 2014. His career in enterprise technology spans more than three decades, beginning with early roles in sales and management. McDermott has drawn attention for his leadership style, his focus on customer-centric business strategy, and for high-profile moves such as purchasing ServiceNow stock during market downturns. In early 2026, McDermott announced plans to purchase $3 million of ServiceNow stock on the open market while he and other key executives canceled planned stock sales, a move interpreted as a strong signal of confidence in the company's outlook.

Early Life

William Regan McDermott was born on August 18, 1961, in Flushing, Queens, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. He grew up in a working-class family on Long Island, New York. McDermott has frequently spoken publicly about his upbringing and the influence of his family on his work ethic and business philosophy. As a teenager, he demonstrated an early aptitude for entrepreneurship and sales. At the age of 17, McDermott purchased a small delicatessen in Amityville, New York, running the business while still in high school. The experience of managing a small business at a young age — handling inventory, customer service, employees, and finances — shaped his understanding of business fundamentals and customer relationships, themes that would recur throughout his career in enterprise technology.

McDermott's early life on Long Island, in a community of blue-collar families, instilled in him a strong sense of determination and resilience. He has credited his parents and his early experiences as formative in developing the customer-first philosophy that later became a hallmark of his leadership at major technology companies.

Education

McDermott attended Dowling College on Long Island, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration. He later obtained a master of business administration (MBA) from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, one of the leading business schools in the United States. His educational background combined foundational business training with advanced management and strategy coursework, providing the academic underpinning for his career in corporate leadership.

Career

Early Career at Xerox

McDermott began his professional career at Xerox Corporation, where he spent more than a decade in various sales and management positions. He joined Xerox as a sales representative and quickly distinguished himself, rising through the organization. During his tenure, he held positions of increasing responsibility, eventually becoming the youngest corporate officer in Xerox's history at the time. His years at Xerox provided extensive experience in enterprise sales, go-to-market strategy, and large-scale organizational management. The company's emphasis on rigorous sales training and customer engagement became a foundation upon which McDermott built his subsequent career.

At Xerox, McDermott developed skills in building and leading large sales organizations, managing complex customer relationships, and driving revenue growth in competitive markets. His track record at Xerox brought him to the attention of the broader technology industry.

Siebel Systems and Gartner

After leaving Xerox, McDermott held leadership positions at other technology companies before joining SAP. He served in executive roles at Siebel Systems, a customer relationship management (CRM) software company, and at Gartner, the information technology research and advisory firm. These roles further expanded his experience in the enterprise software market and in technology industry analysis, preparing him for the senior leadership positions he would later hold.

SAP (2002–2019)

McDermott joined SAP SE in 2002, initially serving as the head of SAP's operations in the Americas. In this capacity, he was responsible for sales, marketing, and operations across North America, South America, and the Caribbean. Under his leadership, SAP's Americas business experienced significant growth, and McDermott earned a reputation for energizing SAP's sales force and strengthening the company's relationships with customers and partners in the Western Hemisphere.

Co-CEO (2010–2014)

In February 2010, McDermott was appointed co-CEO of SAP alongside Jim Hagemann Snabe, a Danish executive who had also risen through SAP's ranks. The co-CEO structure was a distinctive governance arrangement that SAP had employed at various points in its history. During the period of shared leadership, SAP pursued a strategy of expanding beyond its traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP) software business into cloud computing, mobile applications, database technology, and analytics.

One of the most significant strategic moves during the co-CEO period was SAP's acquisition of Sybase, an enterprise software and database company, in 2010. The acquisition, valued at approximately $5.8 billion, gave SAP a stronger position in mobile enterprise applications and database management. SAP also acquired SuccessFactors, a cloud-based human capital management company, in 2011 for approximately $3.4 billion, and Ariba, a procurement and supply chain management platform, in 2012 for approximately $4.3 billion. These acquisitions collectively represented SAP's strategic pivot toward cloud computing and software-as-a-service (SaaS) models, a transition that would define the company's trajectory for years to come.

During the co-CEO tenure, SAP also launched SAP HANA, an in-memory computing platform designed to process large volumes of data in real time. HANA became a central element of SAP's technology strategy, underpinning many of the company's applications and serving as a platform for customer innovation.

Sole CEO (2014–2019)

In May 2014, Jim Hagemann Snabe stepped down from the co-CEO role to join SAP's supervisory board, and McDermott became the sole CEO of SAP. As the sole chief executive, McDermott continued to drive SAP's cloud transformation and pursued additional acquisitions to strengthen the company's position in the enterprise cloud market.

Under McDermott's sole leadership, SAP made further investments in cloud infrastructure and applications. The company acquired Concur Technologies, a travel and expense management software provider, in 2014 for approximately $8.3 billion — at the time, one of the largest cloud software acquisitions ever. This deal reinforced SAP's commitment to building a comprehensive cloud portfolio.

McDermott oversaw a period of significant revenue growth at SAP. The company's cloud revenue increased substantially during his tenure, reflecting the broader industry shift away from on-premises software licenses toward subscription-based cloud services. SAP's total revenue and market capitalization also grew during this period.

McDermott's leadership at SAP was also marked by an emphasis on corporate culture and employee engagement. He promoted a culture of empathy and customer focus, themes that he articulated in public speeches and in his 2014 memoir, Winners Dream: A Journey from Corner Store to Corner Office, co-authored with Joanne Gordon. The book recounted his life story from his upbringing in Queens to his rise to the top of one of the world's largest enterprise software companies.

In October 2019, McDermott announced his departure from SAP after more than 17 years with the company. His successor as CEO was Christian Klein, who had been serving as SAP's chief operating officer.

ServiceNow (2019–present)

Shortly after leaving SAP, McDermott was appointed chairman and CEO of ServiceNow in November 2019. ServiceNow, founded in 2004 by Fred Luddy, is a cloud computing company that provides digital workflow solutions for enterprises, with products spanning IT service management, IT operations management, customer service, human resources, and security operations. The company had grown rapidly under previous CEO John Donahoe and was already a major player in the enterprise cloud market at the time of McDermott's arrival.

McDermott took the helm at ServiceNow with a stated ambition to accelerate the company's growth and expand its addressable market. He articulated a vision of ServiceNow as the "platform of platforms" for enterprise digital transformation, arguing that the company's workflow automation capabilities positioned it to be a central technology provider for organizations across industries.

Growth and Strategy

Under McDermott's leadership, ServiceNow continued to experience significant revenue growth. The company expanded its product portfolio, investing in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation capabilities integrated into its workflow platform. ServiceNow also deepened its presence in industry-specific solutions, developing tailored offerings for sectors such as financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, and government.

McDermott pursued a strategy of both organic growth and strategic partnerships. ServiceNow formed alliances with major technology companies and consulting firms to expand the distribution and implementation of its platform. The company also made selective acquisitions to enhance its technology capabilities.

The period of McDermott's tenure at ServiceNow coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which accelerated enterprise adoption of digital workflows and cloud-based solutions. Organizations across industries sought to digitize their operations, automate processes, and enable remote work, trends that benefited ServiceNow's business.

Stock Purchase and Market Confidence

In February 2026, during a period of broader market volatility, McDermott announced plans to purchase $3 million of ServiceNow stock in the open market. Simultaneously, he and other key executives at the company canceled previously planned stock sales. The moves were reported by financial media as a demonstration of executive confidence in ServiceNow's long-term prospects. McDermott was quoted as saying there was "no better entry point" for ServiceNow shares, signaling his belief in the company's growth trajectory despite near-term market uncertainty.

The stock purchase attracted attention from investors and analysts, who noted that insider buying by CEOs, particularly on the open market rather than through scheduled plans, is often viewed as a strong indicator of executive conviction in a company's fundamentals and direction.

Personal Life

McDermott resides in the United States with his family. He has spoken publicly about a significant personal event that occurred in 2015, when he lost vision in his left eye following an accidental fall at his home. The injury required multiple surgeries, and McDermott has discussed the experience as a test of resilience and as something that deepened his perspective on leadership and empathy.

McDermott is the author of Winners Dream: A Journey from Corner Store to Corner Office (2014), co-written with Joanne Gordon, which chronicles his personal and professional journey from his youth in Queens to leading SAP. The book discusses themes of ambition, customer focus, and perseverance.

Recognition

McDermott has received recognition from various business and technology organizations over the course of his career. He has appeared on lists of influential business leaders compiled by major publications. During his tenure at SAP, the company's growth in cloud revenue and market capitalization drew attention from the financial press and technology industry analysts.

At ServiceNow, McDermott's leadership has been the subject of coverage in publications including Barron's, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and other business media outlets. His 2026 decision to purchase $3 million of ServiceNow stock attracted specific attention from financial journalists as a notable expression of executive confidence during a period of market uncertainty.

McDermott's career arc — from purchasing a delicatessen as a teenager in Long Island to leading two of the world's major enterprise software companies — has been cited in business media as an example of upward mobility in American corporate life.

Legacy

McDermott's career has been defined by his tenure at two of the largest enterprise cloud computing companies in the world. At SAP, he led the company's transition from a primarily on-premises software business to a hybrid model with a significant cloud component. The acquisitions completed during his time as CEO and co-CEO — including SuccessFactors, Ariba, Concur, and Sybase — reshaped SAP's product portfolio and competitive positioning.

At ServiceNow, McDermott continued the company's trajectory of rapid growth, positioning it as a central platform for enterprise digital transformation. His leadership at both companies has been associated with a focus on customer experience, sales excellence, and the strategic expansion of cloud computing capabilities.

McDermott's career trajectory, beginning in sales roles at Xerox and culminating in CEO positions at two major enterprise technology companies, reflects broader trends in the technology industry, including the shift from on-premises software to cloud computing, the growing importance of workflow automation, and the increasing role of artificial intelligence in enterprise software.