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Siemens Investor Deka to Vote Against Jim Hagemann Snabe’s Reelection as Chairman

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Deka Investment, a shareholder of Siemens, has announced it will vote against the reelection of Jim Hagemann Snabe as chairman at the German engineering company’s upcoming shareholder meeting on Thursday. Snabe, who has served on Siemens’ supervisory board since 2013 and as chairman since 2018, is seeking an additional two-year term.

Deka, which owns 0.79% of Siemens and is the 11th largest investor in the company, raised concerns about Snabe’s continued leadership. Ingo Speich, head of sustainability and corporate governance at Deka, stated that Snabe’s decade-long tenure means he no longer meets the company’s criteria for independence. The fund manager’s objections were first revealed in an interview with The Market, a German news portal.

Snabe, who previously served as CEO of SAP, had stated in December 2024 that he intended to stay on as chairman for two more years to oversee his succession. Former Nestlé and Fresenius CEO Mark Schneider has been suggested as a potential successor and is up for election to Siemens’ board on Thursday.

Despite Deka’s opposition, Snabe remarked that his discussions with investors and proxy advisers had yielded positive feedback, and he had not encountered any significant opposition to his proposed extension.

Dassault Systèmes Forecasts Higher Sales and Earnings in 2025

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Dassault Systèmes has projected revenue growth of 6% to 8% for 2025, an improvement from 5% in the previous year, driven by stronger software sales in late 2024. The French software firm, which serves the automotive, aerospace, and industrial sectors, also expects diluted earnings per share to rise to between 1.36 and 1.39 euros, up from 1.20 euros in 2024. Additionally, its operating margin is forecasted to increase to a range of 32.6%–32.9%, compared to 31.9% last year.

The positive outlook follows improved performance in Dassault’s software division, where revenue grew 9% in Q4 to 1.60 billion euros, supported by strong demand in the aerospace and defense sectors. The company’s flagship 3DEXPERIENCE platform, which offers 3D modeling, data management, and project management tools, saw sales growth of 22% in Q4—up from 21% in the same quarter of 2023 and recovering from a 10% decline in Q3 2024.

Dassault also announced a long-term partnership with Volkswagen to optimize the automaker’s engineering and manufacturing processes, though financial details were not disclosed.

Meanwhile, revenue at Medidata, Dassault’s clinical trial data analytics unit, increased by just 1% in Q4, an area closely monitored by investors.

Analysts at Stifel described the results as solid despite macroeconomic challenges but noted that the company’s 2025 guidance remains cautious. Dassault’s shares rose up to 2.5% at market open before stabilizing.

 

SAP Sees Rising Demand for Sustainability Software Amid U.S. Climate Policy Shift

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SAP, the German enterprise software company, is witnessing growing global demand for software solutions that help companies manage and track their sustainability efforts, despite the U.S. government’s weakening commitment to climate protection. SAP’s Chief Financial Officer, Dominik Asam, shared in an interview with Reuters that the company is seeing heightened interest in sustainability software, particularly its Green Ledger tool, which is designed to provide verifiable sustainability reporting similar to a financial balance sheet. Asam emphasized that despite the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement by 2026, the importance of sustainability will remain central to investor discussions.

Asam pointed out that many investors he spoke with at the World Economic Forum in Davos remain optimistic about sustainability, even in light of recent U.S. elections. He believes companies will continue to rely on accurate data and analytical tools to drive decisions related to sustainability. SAP’s Green Ledger software is poised to play a key role in this ongoing trend, particularly with upcoming regulations like the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which will require companies to provide such reporting by 2028.

While SAP’s Green Ledger software is primarily being used by chemical company Covestro, Asam anticipates a surge in adoption, with more contracts expected in the second half of the year. SAP sees a major growth opportunity in this space as businesses strive to comply with increasing sustainability reporting requirements worldwide.