Prof. Hasso Plattner has been successfully linking business and science for decades. Plattner, majored in Communications Engineering at the University of Karlsruhe and graduated with an advanced degree in engineering. He began his professional career in 1968 at IBM. Four years later, together with four former colleagues, Plattner founded the enterprise software group SAP.

In addition to his business career, Plattner is also passionate about research and science. In 1994 Plattner received an honorary professorship in Business Informatics from the University of Saarbrücken. Since 2004 Hasso Plattner has been active in this capacity at the University of Potsdam and as a member of Board of the Stanford University School of Engineering.

Beyond his activities as professor, Plattner made plans to establish his own institute. In 1998, he announced the founding of the Hasso Plattner Institute for Software Systems Engineering (HPI).
In 2007 Plattner expanded the institute to include the "HPI School of Design Thinking", modelled on the renowned d.school in Stanford. In Potsdam, higher semesters of all faculties, working in multidisciplinary teams, can learn how to develop innovative products and services for all areas of life with the help of Design Thinking. The facility has been growing, and in 2016 another branch opened in Cape Town (South Africa).

Hasso Plattner promotes research in the field of design thinking through a joint research program with the US elite Stanford University. In 2005 the opening of the “Hasso Plattner Institute of Design” was made possible with Plattner’s financial support. In 2016 Plattner was awarded the German Design Award for his commitment to design thinking.