One of the true highlights of SAP SAPPHIRE Orlando 2026 this year was having the opportunity to spend time with SAP’s CEO Christian Klein during a special meeting and photo moment together.

It was an honor to connect with Christian Klein, CEO of SAP SE and Lars Lamade  Deputy Chairperson of the Supervisory Board of SAP SE alongside several long-time SAP leaders and friends who, collectively, represent more than a century of SAPPHIRE’s history.  Christian and Lars openness, and genuine acknowledgement of the many years of contribution and commitment represented in this photo was deeply appreciated by the ‘Gang of SAPPHIRE’. We were able to discuss past and present SAPPHIRE’s and the Evolution of it.
In order from left to right in the photo:

–Tom Pfister — 38 Sapphires (1989–2026)
–Paul Kurchina — 34 Sapphires (1993–2026)
–Christian Klein — Leading the World’s Biggest Business Software Family
–Thomas Iseler — 35 Sapphires (1992–2026)
–Manfred H. Heisen — 36 Sapphires (1991–2026)

143 combined years of SAPPHIRE experience represented in one photo between Paul, Thomas, Manfred and I.

What stands out to me and my friends is not simply the number of events we have attended but the relationships built over decades.
The transformations we’ve been part of and witnessed together.
The evolution of enterprise technology across generations and the incredible global community that continues to connect customers, partners, architects, SAP leaders, and innovators year after year.

That’s what makes SAPPHIRE so special. It’s the technology which continuously keeps evolving. From Mainframe to Client/Server and from Cloud to AI/Agentic and now to the Autonomous Enterprise.

But the heart of SAPPHIRE has always been the people.

Grateful to be part of this journey after first attending and producing the very first SAPPHIRE in Lausanne, Switzerland and later that year in Princeton, New Jersey back since 1989.

From left to right: Tom Pfister, Paul Kurchina, Christian Klein, Thomas Iseler and Manfred Heisen aka the ‘Gang of SAPPHIRE’.