Cristina Palmaka is president of SAP Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) since July 2020. With more than 30 years of experience in the IT industry, she is known for leading strong teams with a strategic focus on innovation, customers, and successful business outcomes. She is a thought leader who is passionate about the impact and potential of technology in society and a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion, workplace well-being, and STEM. 

As president of SAP LAC, Cristina leads a team of more than 6,000 employees, focused on enabling customers of all sizes and industries realize value from SAP technology to transform and grow their business. Her leadership skills, relationships and experience are instrumental in helping companies innovate and grow throughout the region. 

Before becoming regional president, Cristina was SAP Brazil’s President for almost 7 years. She built the subsidiary into one of the best performers in SAP. Before joining SAP, she held several senior executive roles with major companies in the Brazilian market, including Microsoft, HP, and Philips. 

Cristina has won several awards and recognitions in the market, including being named as one of the main CEOs of Brazil by Forbes magazine and as one of the 500 most influential people in Latin America by Bloomberg Linea. She is also part of the 2022 HITEC 50, a list that recognizes the top 50 most influential leaders of the technology industry in Latin America, Spain and Portugal. 

Cristina is a board member of C&A, a European fast-fashion retail clothing chain; Arcos Dorados, the holding company of McDonald's master franchise in Latin America; Junior Achievement Americas, a non-profit that focuses on youth education; and Council of the Americas, an international business organization committed to economic and social development, open markets, the rule of law, and democracy throughout the Western Hemisphere. 

She is also on the Advisory Board of Eurofarma, a Brazilian pharmaceutical company. She received her MBA from Fundação Getúlio Vargas (Brazil), holds a master’s degree in International Business and Marketing from the University of Texas at Austin (USA) and has a degree in accounting from the Álvares Penteado Foundation (Brazil). She is based in Sao Paulo, where she lives with her husband and daughter. As a mental health advocate, she stays focused on running and marathon training, when possible.