HYPE Innovation announced today that Founder Dr. Frank Henningsen will step down as Chief Executive Officer at the end of February, after 25 years with the company. Sven Depner, who previously served as the Group’s COO for one year, will succeed Frank Henningsen and has been appointed CEO effective today. Main Capital Partners, headquartered in The Hague (NL) and majority shareholder of HYPE Innovation, supports the leadership change.
Sven Depner, who previously served as COO of the Group for the period of one year, has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer today. He succeeds Dr. Henningsen, who founded the company as a spin-off from DaimlerChrysler (now Mercedes-Benz Group) in 2001. The Founder commented on the recently announced decision: “HYPE has been a central part of my life for 25 years. I am proud of what we have built — a global company with strong products, customers, and an exceptional team. I will remain a committed shareholder and will support the leadership transition in the best interest of the company.”
Sven van Berge Henegouwen, Managing Partner at Main Capital Partners and Chairman of the Advisory Board of HYPE Innovation, commented on the recently announced change:
“We have been accompanying HYPE on its path to become a global leader in innovation management software and through various acquisitions over the last 6 years. Thanks to its strong product offering, used by hundreds of enterprises and institutions worldwide, the company is now recognised as one of the industry's strongest players by Gartner and others. This accomplishment would not have been possible without Frank Henningsen's years of passionate effort, and I wish him only the best in his future endeavours. Consequently, as a next step, we aim to sustainably grow and scale the company from this position and enhance the value delivered to its customers by further integrating key technologies such as artificial intelligence. Due to his years of experience in larger corporations and his cross-silo understanding of commercial, operational, and strategic functions, we believe that Sven Depner is the right choice to successfully lead HYPE during its next phase of evolution.”
In light of the new challenge ahead, Sven Depner underlined: “After an exciting and change-driven first year at HYPE, I am convinced that the company deserves its position on the market and has a tremendous potential to become an even more integral part in the enterprise software landscape of its customers. Particularly, due to the outstanding teams behind the platform, consisting of highly engaged experts – some of whom bring a quarter of a century of distinct innovation management expertise, which is reflected in our offering.
In times where the pace of technological evolution is accelerating rapidly, and data has become a decisive competitive advantage, it is a key priority for executives to manage innovation effectively.
At the heart of innovation management at HYPE, we strive to continually reinvent ourselves and maximise the benefits our customers derive from our platform. High product quality and customer satisfaction are paramount for long-term success. Everyone talks about artificial intelligence and technology optimising KPIs – but who will ultimately win the market race will be determined by whether there is substance behind all the promises. And this will be one of the major paradigms determining my tenure as CEO of HYPE.”
Prior to his engagement at HYPE, digitisation executive Sven Depner spent 15 years in various leadership roles in the IT Services industry at Bechtle and CANCOM, most recently serving as Vice President at CANCOM. Depner holds a B.A. in International Management and an MBA from Vlerick Business School in Brussels. Moreover, he is a doctoral researcher in business and technology at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK and a guest lecturer in academia.
About HYPE Innovation:
For over two decades, HYPE Innovation has been empowering leading global enterprises and organisations – including Siemens, Airbus, Bayer, and the United Nations – to manage their innovation processes systematically.
Headquartered in Germany, with offices in the US, Canada, the UK, and Finland, HYPE provides a strong global presence, with about 160 employees supporting customers on their innovation journey. With hundreds of private and public sector customers around the globe, HYPE has been recognised as one of the leaders in the innovation management space for 25 years.
About Main Capital Partners:
Main Capital Partners is a leading private equity firm headquartered in The Hague (NL), with an exclusive focus on Enterprise Software in Northwestern Europe (Benelux, DACH, Nordics, & France) and North America. After more than 20 years on the market, the company is actively invested in 55 Software Groups with over 100 platforms. Main Capital Partners manages around EUR 7 billion in assets under management, investing on behalf of over 200 Limited Partners across two distinct fund strategies.
