Erwin Gunst was appointed to the Executive Board of SAP AG on, effective July 1, 2008, as chief operating officer (COO). He is responsible for company operations and process efficiency and leads the Office of the COO.

Previously, Gunst served as president of SAP's EMEA region, directing all aspects of field operations across the organization. He assumed the role in October 2004, at a time when the region was still comprised of two distinct units (EMEA Central and EMEA NEWS), and was also responsible for EMEA NEWS. When the two units merged in March 2007, Gunst assumed leadership of the entire EMEA region, responsible for the Customer Solutions and Operations strategy and business results. In 2006, Gunst was appointed a corporate officer of SAP AG, and subsequently was named a member of the Executive Council.

Gunst returned to SAP in 2004 as president of SAP EMEA after leaving SAP in 2001 to work as an independent consultant. Prior to that, Gunst was appointed to the SAP Extended Management Board in April 2000, responsible for the German and Swiss markets. Between 1993 and 1999, he served as managing director of SAP subsidiaries in Belgium, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Gunst joined SAP in May 1988, initially serving as international controller for SAP International in Biel, Switzerland, before being promoted to director of Finance and Controlling in 1990. Before joining the company, Gunst served as an audit assistant at Touche Ross for two years, then as a financial analyst with Telex Computer Products.

Gunst holds a degree with distinction in commercial engineering from the Free University in Brussels. He speaks English, German, French, and Dutch.