Faces of Fioneer: Benedict Frauen
This September we’re celebrating our 1 year anniversary! For our next Faces of Fioneer profile we interviewed Benedict Frauen, our Chief of Staff who’s been with SAP Fioneer since the very beginning. We asked Benedict his reflections on the first year of SAP Fioneer, his first impressions when he joined the company and some of his highlights.
Tell us about yourself!
I was born and raised close to Frankfurt, Germany, and spent some time abroad after high school before moving to Munich in 2016. Originally graduating in International Business at Maastricht University (Netherlands) and the US, I hold a Master’s in Entrepreneurship from Lund University (Sweden). During that time, I built multiple ventures internationally across technology and beverage sectors before moving into Fintech. Outside the office, I enjoy being active, especially on the golf course.
What do you do at SAP Fioneer?
As a Chief of Staff I have an operational and a strategic role to help our CEO and the company be more productive and successful. Supporting the CEO means helping with decision-making, being a sounding board, acting as a trusted advisor, as well as analyzing and framing decisions. Further, it includes communications and helping to develop leadership key notes and narratives. Another component is supporting the business and operations as well as helping drive important, cross-functional projects for the company.
Do you remember the first time you heard of the idea of founding SAP Fioneer? What was your initial reaction?
The first time I heard about the idea was in April 2021. Back then, the name “SAP Fioneer” wasn’t even announced yet (not even to me), but the vision and the mission of the “NewCo” convinced me. I love building ventures and being part of one on a global scale with the vision to become a leading player in financial services, with the resources behind it (clients, products, partners, human and financial capital, etc.); it fascinated me – and still does.
What was your personal highlight looking back at the first year of SAP Fioneer?
This summer, our first flagship event in Amsterdam, the SAP & SAP Fioneer Financial Services Forum, definitely stands out from the many highlights at SAP Fioneer. Not only because the event itself was a huge success, but it also showed what we as a team were able to create within one year. Bringing almost 500 people to your event in one place and meeting many of our customers and partners was very rewarding and a confirmation that we are on the right track.
What are you most excited about SAP Fioneer’s second year?
The first year was all about getting off the ground and laying the foundation of SAP Fioneer, so now it is exciting what we will build on it. Further, I am excited about the upcoming go-lives of our customers, as well as seeing new products being built and launched.