The eye was initially saved through surgery but an infection forced doctors to remove it and replace it with an artificial eye. McDermott said he would be back at headquarters in Germany in October. In remarks first published in the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, McDermott said, "I'm still alive, and that isn't a foregone conclusion after such an accident. Therefore, strange though it sounds, I am happy . . . I feel stronger than before, more passionate, more alive. I am completely available for SAP and committed to my job," McDermott has been CEO since 2010. He was co-CEO until Jim Hagemann-Snabe became a member of the software company's supervisory board last year.
SAP CEO LOSES AN EYE Featured
SAP's CEO Bill McDermott has reported he lost an eye as a result of an accident this summer. He said was in the United States at a relative's house when he slipped on carpeted stairs with a glass of water in his hand. A shard of glass embedded in his left eye when he fell face first and landed on the pieces, according to an Associated Press news report. He briefly lost consciousness but came to and his cries brought help. News reports said he could have bled to death if he had not regained consciousness.
