Sanjay Brahmawar

CEO of Software AG

29 December 2019 10 Min Read

Sanjay Brahmawar's Vision for the Future of Digital Transformation

I had the opportunity to talk to Sanjay Brahmawar, the first non-German CEO of Software AG, the second-largest software vendor in the country and one of the ten largest software companies in Europe. Software AG is a multi-million enterprise with over 50 years of experience and thousands of satisfied customers.

Yet, Brahmawar might have an even more exciting story to tell. He started as a Business Development Manager at Honda and proceeded to climb the ladder. Over the years, he had assumed roles in DSM, FedEx, PwC Consulting, and ADAMOS and dedicated 15 years to working at IBM.

Let’s see how he skipped his family tradition of joining the military and succeeded in one of the fastest-growing industries. Moreover, Brahmawar will share his thoughts on handling change management in a high-pressure environment. Trust me, he has constructive insights to share.

The Logician

Hello Sanjay, and welcome to this interview! Thank you for taking the time to do this with me! Do you mind introducing yourself? Can you tell us more about who Sanjay Brahmawar is? How exactly did you choose your current career?

Sanjay Brahmawar

I’ve been the CEO of Software AG for just over a year now.

I am the first non-German CEO in the company’s history.

I am a citizen of the world, born in India, and have worked and lived in England, Finland, Belgium, Holland, and Germany.

I’m also an avid cyclist and runner and currently reside in Darmstadt, Germany.

Prior to Software AG, I spent fifteen plus years at IBM, leading various industry-specific business units before building the company’s Watson for the Internet of Things unit in 2016 in Munich.

IBM was a terrific place to work and provided me with many opportunities, but when I was approached by Software AG, I couldn’t miss out on the chance to lead this fantastic company.

Honestly, this career path happened by accident. My plan was to become a fighter pilot with the Indian Air Force, following a tradition of military service in my family.

I started down that path and took the National Defense Academy exam in India, doing very well. Unfortunately, I did not meet the eyesight requirements for a pilot.

From there, I went on to pursue engineering and worked at Honda, DSM, FedEx, PWC, and IBM before joining Software AG.

The lesson here is that you can plan all you want, but sometimes life has a different direction in mind for you.

The Logician

You are the CEO of Software AG. How was the company born? What makes your company different from the others in the field? What are you most proud of?

Sanjay Brahmawar

Software AG turned fifty recently; our company was established in 1969 by Dr. Peter Schnell, in Darmstadt, Germany.

We have a long heritage to build from — we like to say that we’ve seen it all when it comes to customer needs; that we are a company that knows how to evolve.

We’ve been through many phases and stages of technology innovation and application through the years — and we see that experience as an advantage for Software AG.

What I’m most proud of is how our company and our people have been able to adapt to the changing technology market — and help put us in the right position for growth.

50-year old companies could easily find themselves in a rut, repeating what works until they flame out. But I’m proud of the way our team has risen to the challenge, reacted to the company’s needs — and come together to drive us forward.

The Logician

What would you say is the hardest part of your job? How do you deal with difficulties and stress? How do you calm yourself at stressful times?

Sanjay Brahmawar

The hardest part of my job is change-management. People always underestimate change.

It’s much easier to make hard decisions on products, features, customers, etc. than it is to decide to enact an organizational change.

It’s very difficult to win over the hearts and minds of employees and get them to believe that the change is needed and will be good in the long-run.

If people are motivated to make the change into reality, then I can easily see that I’ve won them over. When they’re not motivated, then I know I have more work to do.

There will always be stress to deal with in a person’s personal and professional lives. It’s how you deal with it that makes the difference. I pride myself on being a very calm person.

There’s no need to panic or shout when a crisis hits or a problem arises.

The way you solve a problem is to be like a duck — remain calm on the surface but keep paddling.

When leaders panic, problems quickly multiply throughout the organization.

You also need to be dedicated to balancing your life. Without that, you won’t be calm and will let stress get the best of you.

I have four non-negotiables: you need 6–7 hours of sleep each night to be productive. Don’t skip meals. Hydrate. And exercise regularly, especially on weekends.

I do a lot of biking on weekends to help me “switch off”. High-pressure jobs require switching off on a regular basis.

The Logician

How challenging is it to be involved in one of the fast-growing industries such as the one related to technology, more specifically, software? What would you say are the best and worst parts of it?

Sanjay Brahmawar

The best and worst — and most exciting part of the software industry is that it is constantly changing. New technologies replace the old, resulting in completely new ways for companies to operate.

For example, currently, the explosion of data is driving how companies operate and integrate new technologies.

Are you capturing the correct data?
How are you using it?
How can that be automated?

Unless you can get a handle on these questions you’re lost.

Companies need to be able to collect, connect, and be able to configure.

Too many companies are struggling with those basic capabilities — which then spells doom for their larger implementations of AI, IoT, and other innovations. Software AG’s ability to help clients get a handle on their data situation, break down the data silos and figure out how to make it work is a thrilling place to be.

The Logician

According to you, what are the top five skills every person needs to have to succeed? Please explain.

Sanjay Brahmawar

I believe there are indeed five top skills that everyone needs to have in order to be successful:

Listen — People who don’t listen, miss out on key information and opportunities — and are simply not effective.
Be Inclusive — Not just enabling diversity in the workplace, but giving people the opportunity to engage and be collaborative with each other. Don’t listen to only the loudest people in the room.
Have Passion — If you are not passionate about what you do, then you are in the wrong job or not capable enough for the job you currently have. It’s very similar to playing a sport — without passion for the game, you will not improve at it.
Learn Cognitive Flexibility — You need to gain the ability to fall, regroup, and start again. Recovering and learning from a setback is important to future success. Keep reinventing yourself; learn and re-learn ways to be successful.
Have Fun — Without a lighter side, you’ll never be successful in team environments. Having fun at what you do is essential for personal satisfaction and professional success.

The Logician

How do you motivate yourself to get work done? Do habits make us who we are? What are the most common self-destructive habits?

Sanjay Brahmawar

Challenges have always motivated me — even from a young age. I’ve always been energized by trying to develop new things — new products and capabilities, finding new customers, growing a business, etc.

The challenge of succeeding in a task has been all the motivation I’ve needed in life.

I do believe that habits are essential to success. You should make certain that key aspects of your work-life are habits — and if they’re not, take the time to develop them as such.

In my personal experience, it takes 6–8 weeks of consistently doing an activity for it to truly become a habit.

For example, remembering to be polite and saying “thank you” is a habit — and one of the best we can learn as humans.

That said, you cannot just depend on habits in your professional life.

Personality, knowledge, and experience are just as important in making you who you are.

I’ve found that the most common self-destructive habit is procrastination. Not making a decision and always putting it off can paralyze your daily activities, your career, and the organization.

Shopping for opinions typically never works either, as it’s a delaying action — and there’s never a way to make everyone happy.

In some ways, making a bad decision is still better than making no decision at all.

The Logician

How did you build your team? What is most important when hiring people? What do you love about your team? Which are the best team engagement activities every company should practice?

Sanjay Brahmawar

My team has been coming together well since taking the reins of Software AG last year.

I love their dedication to the company’s goals and to adapting and evolving the strong legacy we have here into something that can readily address the future needs of all our clients.

Working with self-starters that are dedicated to the cause is easy — you need to just enable their success by helping them go faster.

The energy my team brings to the job every day is contagious. They are genuinely energized about what we’re trying to do here at Software AG. I love feedback — good and bad — and I can count on this team to deliver it.

What’s most important when hiring people is not to hire them for the skills they have today — but for the potential they have.

You can always train people, but it is not easy to instill in them an inherent desire to learn or a passion to succeed.

Hence, I always look for people that want to learn, are not afraid to make mistakes and are passionate about what they do.

As for team engagement, the most important advice I have is that you need to create space for conversations.

For your leaders and talent to network — talking about the company, their roles and even tough conversations as needed.

For example, when scheduling a full day meeting, if you block off two extra hours in advance, you can use it to enable important discussions and networking to happen organically after a meeting.

The Logician

If you could change one thing in your life, what would it be? Why?

Sanjay Brahmawar

Honestly, I wouldn’t change anything in my life; I’m very happy with where I am on a personal and professional level.

Every good or bad decision, setback or achievement has taught me something valuable.

The Logician

It is the year 2025. So where are you and Software AG by then? Do you have any plans?

Sanjay Brahmawar

Whether it’s 2020 or 2025, one fact remains — companies across the globe will still be looking for ways to adapt the newest technologies to their businesses, to drive growth, efficiency, sales, and profits.

This won’t change, regardless of whether the technology in question is moving to a fully cloud-based organization or adapting AI for internal efficiencies.

The other element that won’t change is the need for these companies to be able to integrate the newest tech with their current tech, or legacy data, or both.

Software AG will continue to be by their side, providing the tools and expertise that enable the newest innovations to be used efficiently and effectively.

I continue to be excited by the potential that Software AG has and am looking forward to guiding that potential into future success.

My goal is for the company to be seen as a creative, high- growth company that’s a destination for top global talent. One that’s an exciting place to work at, trusted by customers and admired by peers.

On a personal level, I will be 55 then and my sons will be getting ready for university. I would like nothing more than for myself and my family to be living a happy, healthy life.

The Logician

At last, what is your advice for anyone who does not have the courage to chase their dreams?

Sanjay Brahmawar

Fundamentally, I believe everybody wants to chase their dreams; it’s human nature at its most basic.

People want to be proud of what they do, and achieve success in doing it.

There is no such thing as not having enough courage — it’s more a case of people sometimes being in the wrong environment, or not having the help they need from friends or colleagues to find the correct opportunity.

My advice is for people is to take ownership of their career and development.

Ask yourself the questions:

What do I want to be?
Where is my ambition?
What fires me up?

Once you know, share and voice those answers — be clear with your managers about what you want to achieve.

You can’t expect telepathy from your managers, nor can you expect wishing and hoping to work.

Find what you are passionate about and take your future into your own hands.

The Logician

Sanjay Brahmawar‘s story is the perfect example that no obstacle can get in your way when you are passionate about something. However, he has highlighted the importance of adaptation for never-ending success, and I couldn’t agree more. I wish you even more success in the future, Sanjay, and with this mindset, I cannot wait to witness all that’s about to come from you and Software AG.

The Logician

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Sanjay Brahmawar's Vision for the Future of Digital Transformation

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