William McDermott

William McDermott
Born	William R. McDermott 18 8, 1961
Birthplace	Flushing, New York, United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Business executive
Title	Chairman and CEO, ServiceNow
Known for	CEO of ServiceNow, former CEO of SAP SE

William R. 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. Before joining ServiceNow in 2019, McDermott spent more than two decades at SAP SE, the German enterprise software multinational, 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 the technology industry began in sales and distribution roles, and he became known for his customer-focused leadership style and emphasis on revenue growth. McDermott's tenure at SAP was marked by the company's expansion into cloud computing, while his leadership at ServiceNow has coincided with the company's significant growth in the enterprise software market. In early 2025, amid broader market volatility, McDermott demonstrated his confidence in ServiceNow's prospects by announcing plans to purchase $3 million of the company's stock on the open market, while he and other key executives canceled planned stock sales.

Early Life

William R. McDermott was born on August 18, 1961, in Flushing, Queens, New York City. He grew up in a working-class family on Long Island. McDermott has spoken publicly about his early entrepreneurial instincts, recounting that he ran a small delicatessen on Long Island as a teenager. This early experience in business ownership, which required him to manage inventory, employees, and customer relationships at a young age, shaped his approach to leadership and commerce. McDermott has frequently cited his upbringing and the values instilled by his family—including a strong work ethic and determination—as formative influences on his career trajectory.

Education

McDermott attended Dowling College on Long Island, where he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration. He later earned 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.

Career

Early Career

McDermott began his professional career in sales. Before entering the enterprise technology sector, he held positions at Xerox Corporation, where he gained experience in business-to-business sales and distribution. His time at Xerox provided foundational training in the corporate sales environment and helped him develop skills in managing large sales organizations and customer accounts. McDermott rose through the ranks at Xerox, eventually leading sales teams and gaining a reputation as an effective sales executive.

SAP

McDermott joined SAP, the German enterprise software company, in 2002. He initially led SAP's operations in the United States, where he oversaw the company's largest single market. During his time heading SAP's North American division, the unit experienced revenue growth and expanded its customer base.

Co-CEO (2010–2014)

In February 2010, SAP appointed McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe as co-CEOs, succeeding Léo Apotheker. The dual leadership structure was unusual for a company of SAP's scale and reflected the company's desire to balance its European roots with its growing American business presence. Under the co-CEO arrangement, McDermott and Snabe oversaw a period of transformation for SAP that included significant investments in cloud computing and in-memory computing technology, notably the development and rollout of SAP HANA. The co-CEO period also saw SAP pursue an acquisition strategy aimed at expanding its cloud portfolio, including the purchases of SuccessFactors (a cloud-based human capital management company), Ariba (a procurement and supply chain management platform), and other cloud-focused businesses.

Sole CEO (2014–2019)

When Snabe stepped down from his co-CEO role in May 2014, McDermott became the sole CEO of SAP, making him one of the most prominent American executives leading a major European technology company. As sole CEO, McDermott continued to push SAP's transition toward cloud computing and subscription-based revenue models, moving the company away from its traditional reliance on on-premises software licensing. Under his leadership, SAP's market capitalization grew substantially, and the company's cloud revenue increased as it competed with American cloud rivals such as Salesforce, Oracle, and Workday.

McDermott also oversaw SAP's acquisition of Qualtrics, an experience management software company, for approximately $8 billion in 2018. The Qualtrics deal was one of the largest software acquisitions of that year and signaled SAP's intent to expand beyond traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP) software into new categories of business technology.

In October 2019, McDermott announced his departure from SAP after a tenure that had spanned more than 17 years with the company and nearly a decade in the CEO role (including his time as co-CEO). During his time leading SAP, the company's valuation more than doubled, and it significantly expanded its cloud business.

ServiceNow

Appointment as CEO

In November 2019, McDermott was named chairman and chief executive officer of ServiceNow, a Santa Clara, California-based company specializing in digital workflow and IT service management software. He succeeded John Donahoe, who left ServiceNow to become CEO of Nike, Inc. McDermott's appointment was seen within the technology industry as a significant leadership hire, given his experience running one of the world's largest enterprise software companies.

Leadership and Growth

Under McDermott's leadership, ServiceNow has continued its trajectory of rapid revenue growth and market expansion. The company, which provides a cloud-based platform used by enterprises to manage digital workflows across IT, employee experience, customer service, and security operations, has grown its customer base and expanded into new product areas during McDermott's tenure.

McDermott has emphasized the concept of the "platform of platforms"—positioning ServiceNow as a unifying layer across enterprise technology stacks—and has focused on expanding the company's total addressable market through new product launches and industry-specific solutions. He has also led ServiceNow's efforts to incorporate artificial intelligence capabilities into the company's platform, a strategic priority as generative AI has become a central focus of enterprise technology investment.

ServiceNow's stock price and revenue have grown significantly since McDermott became CEO, with the company joining the ranks of the largest enterprise software companies by market capitalization. The company has been added to major stock market indices and has consistently reported subscription revenue growth.

2025 Stock Purchase

In February 2025, during a period of broader market uncertainty and stock price declines affecting technology companies, McDermott announced plans to purchase $3 million of ServiceNow stock in the open market. In addition, McDermott and other key ServiceNow executives canceled planned stock sales. According to reporting by Barron's, McDermott stated that there was "no better entry point" for investing in the company's stock, signaling his confidence in ServiceNow's long-term business prospects. The move was noted by financial analysts and investors as a significant insider buying signal, as it represented a voluntary, open-market purchase by a sitting CEO during a period of stock price weakness across the technology sector.

Leadership Style

Throughout his career, McDermott has been characterized by a sales-driven and customer-centric approach to leadership. He has frequently emphasized the importance of maintaining close relationships with customers and understanding their business challenges as a core element of technology company management. His public communications and appearances have often focused on themes of growth, ambition, and the potential for technology to transform business operations.

McDermott authored a memoir titled Winners Dream: A Journey from Corner Store to Corner Office, published in 2014, in which he recounted his personal and professional journey from his upbringing on Long Island to leading SAP. The book detailed his early experiences running a deli, his career in sales, and the leadership principles he developed over the course of his career.

Personal Life

McDermott resides in the United States. He has spoken publicly about a serious personal injury he sustained in 2015, when he lost vision in his left eye following an accident. McDermott has discussed the incident and his recovery in public forums, describing it as a life-changing experience that reinforced his perspective on resilience and perseverance. He has used the experience in motivational speaking contexts and has spoken about the process of adapting to the injury while continuing to lead a major corporation.

McDermott has been involved in various philanthropic activities and has spoken at business conferences, university commencement ceremonies, and industry events throughout his career. He is known for his energetic public speaking style and has been a frequent keynote speaker at technology industry conferences, including ServiceNow's annual Knowledge conference and SAP's Sapphire events.

Recognition

McDermott has received recognition from business publications and industry organizations over the course of his career. He has been included on lists of influential business leaders published by various media outlets. During his tenure at SAP, he was recognized for overseeing the company's growth and transformation into a cloud-focused enterprise. At ServiceNow, his leadership has been associated with the company's continued expansion in the enterprise software market.

His memoir, Winners Dream, received attention upon its publication in 2014 and contributed to his public profile as a business leader with a compelling personal narrative. McDermott has been featured in interviews and profiles in major business publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, and Barron's.