Business software giant SAP was rocked by a change of guard this week as CEO Leo Apotheker resigned on Sunday. He is to be replaced by Bill McDermott, head of field organization, and Jim Hagemann Snabe, head of product development. Apotheker will also relinquish his role as a member of the SAP executive board. The New York Times reported today that SAP “would focus on restoring its damaged customer relationships,” after the executive shakeup.

Hasso Plattner, co-Founder of SAP and Chairman of the SAP Supervisory Board, will continue to advise the company. In a statement issued Plattern said:

“The new setup of the SAP Executive Board will allow SAP to better align product innovation with customer needs. The new leadership team will continue to drive forward SAP’s strategy and focus on profitable growth, and will deliver its innovations in 2010 to expand SAP’s leadership of the business software market.”