Talk:Melissa Di Donato
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This article looks like ... it was written for a purpose
This article seems like it was enhanced with a list a lot of things that are factual but frankly not particularly noteworthy ("first woman to take a multibillion-euro company public on the Deutsche Börse in the 21st century" - gimme another qualifier!, "She is also the founder of the Inner Wings foundation, and the author of three children's books." - an initiative that nobody has ever heard of, ... at least the "drone pilot" reference is gone now). The majority of content was contributed by a single, new contributor who wrote nothing else and sources for claims were added by a suspected sockpuppet (Northern Escapee). 92.195.229.231 (talk) 22:31, 6 February 2022 (UTC)
Inaccurate Reuter's reference
Hi, I work for a PR consultancy called Kekst CNC, working on behalf of Kyriba. We’re engaging as a member of the Wikipedia community having signed the official agency/Wikipedia agreement set out here (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Statement_on_Wikipedia_from_participating_communications_firms). This means that we follow guidelines, most importantly that we understand that we have a COI, which means that we let members of the Wikipedia community decide (or not decide) to make changes for us.
We have noticed recent changes to Melissa Di Donato’s profile and wish to flag that the claim she bypassed deal controls at SUSE is not accurate, nor is it confirmed in the source listed. We have included a more detailed explanation below as well as a suggested factual replacement. The Reuters article used to substantiate this claim makes clear they were unable to verify. It is misleading and inaccurate to suggest Melissa Di Donato bypassed controls to push deals through.
Please could someone have a look at our proposed updates:
1. The current passage claims that: “Di Donato decided to step down as CEO of SUSE after she had bypassed the company's controls regarding a $1.4 million deal.” This assertion cites a Reuters article (https://www.reuters.com/technology/how-suse-deviated-its-internal-controls-while-warning-about-sales-risk-2023-11-30). However, that same article explicitly states that:
In response to the Eskom deal claim: “There was no suggestion in the documents reviewed by the news agency of any problematic issues that arose from the terms of the deal. A lawyer for Di Donato said in the letter to Reuters that it was "highly misleading" to suggest she had reached the Eskom agreement without submitting it for the deal desk's approval: "the deal desk was aware of the deal. Nothing was skipped." SUSE lawyers didn't address directly whether approval from the deal desk had been skipped on the Eskom transaction. A spokesperson for Eskom did not comment on SUSE's due diligence but said that "Eskom's established processes and governance structures were adhered to during this procurement." In response to the BNY Mellon deal claim: “Reuters could not determine whether the deal was vetted by the deal desk or how many deals have gone through the unit.” The Reuters article does not confirm that Di Donato bypassed controls, subsequently including this in her profile misrepresents the source.
2. Suggested factual replacement, with sources: "In July 2019, Melissa Di Donato was appointed CEO of SUSE, becoming the first woman to lead the company[1]. Under her leadership, SUSE completed its initial public offering on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in May 2021[2], becoming one of Europe’s largest publicly traded open-source software companies . In March 2023, SUSE announced that Di Donato would be stepping down from her role as CEO. During her tenure, SUSE experienced a 60% revenue growth and made strategic acquisitions to strengthen its position in the container management and security markets[3]."
Thanks MichaelPWhite (talk) 21:40, 25 March 2025 (UTC)
- Due to libel on this Wikipedia caused by incorrect sourcing including accusations in a Substack, have followed Wikipedia Ignore All Rules to make the factual change directly to this page. Happy to discuss further alterations but it's important this page accurately reflects truth. MichaelPWhite (talk) 07:11, 1 April 2025 (UTC)
References
Article is underdeveloped and contains inaccuracies
 | This edit request by an editor with a conflict of interest was declined. |
This article is significantly underdeveloped for a biography of a living person at this level of notability. It has no section structure, no detailed infobox, omits the subject’s entire early life, education, major board positions, charitable work, published books, and awards. Abundant reliable, independent sources exist - including a major profile in The Times, Reuters reports carried by CNBC and the Financial Post, Computer Weekly, Information Age profiles, Bloomberg appearances, and official UK Government (GOV.UK) and Porsche AG corporate records - but the article reflects almost none of this.
Below I provide specific proposed text for each section of the article, ready for review and implementation. The proposed text cites Wikipedia’s policies on Biographies of Living Persons (WP:BLP), Verifiability (WP:V), Neutral Point of View (WP:NPOV).
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1. Proposed new section: early life and education The article contains no biographical background whatsoever. Wikipedia’s Manual of Style for biographies (WP:MOSBIO) states that articles typically open with an “Early life and education” section. The following is verifiable through independent sources. Proposed article text: Early Life and Education Melissa Di Donato was born in New York City in 1972 and grew up in the Bronx. She studied Russian Language and Literature and Political Science at Manhattanville College, graduating with a BA in 1994, and in 1996 graduated from American University in Washington, D.C. with two master’s degrees in Russian Language and Literature and International Business. She speaks seven languages including English, Italian, and Russian. Sources:
The current article text inaccurately states she became “the chief revenue officer of SAP’s cloud division.” Multiple independent sources confirm she held both the Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Operating Officer titles at SAP, across its Digital Core / ERP division, not just cloud. Information Age reported on her SUSE appointment: “Prior to SUSE, she was chief operating officer and chief revenue officer at SAP.” This is corroborated by the GOV.UK biography and Computer Weekly. The article also omits PwC entirely. Under Wikipedia’s Verifiability policy (WP:V), the article should accurately reflect what the sources say. Proposed article text (to replace existing pre-SUSE career text):
Early Career Di Donato began her career as a technologist and SAP R/3 developer, becoming one of the few female software developers working on the platform at that time. She worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and IBM for approximately ten years, and subsequently joined Oracle, where she ran its services in the western United States. She relocated from the US to London to lead a global technology business for IBM. In 2010, she joined Salesforce to build and lead its independent software vendor (ISV) team across Europe and Asia-Pacific, becoming Area Vice President. She subsequently became Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Operating Officer of SAP for its ERP and cloud division (Digital Core), responsible for worldwide revenue, profit and customer satisfaction of the company’s digital core solutions. Sources:
Several significant board seats at major publicly traded companies and UK government bodies are entirely omitted from the article. These are sourced to official corporate records and independent publications. Proposed article text:
Di Donato is a member of the Supervisory Board of Porsche AG, appointed in 2022 in connection with Porsche’s IPO. She has served as an independent Non-Executive Director at J.P. Morgan Europe since 2021. In April 2023, she was appointed as a Non-Executive Director to the newly created Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) within the UK government. She also serves on the SME Digital Adoption Taskforce at the Department for Business and Trade. She was the inaugural chair of the 30% Club’s Technology Working Group, a global campaign to boost female representation at board and C-Suite level. In September 2023, Di Donato was appointed Chair and CEO of Kyriba.
The GOV.UK biography confirms: “Melissa is also the founder of the Inner Wings Charitable Foundation, and the author of 3 children’s books.” The charity’s operational data is sourced to its own website, which Wikipedia permits for non-contentious factual information about an organisation itself.
Philanthropy Di Donato co-founded Inner Wings, a UK-registered charitable foundation (Charity No. 1192877), with her husband Darren Roos in 2020. The foundation delivers free confidence-building programmes to primary school children aged 6 - 12, with a focus on girls, and works with over 150 partner schools across the UK. The Inner Wings Advisory Council was launched at the House of Lords, hosted by Baroness Mary Goudie. Di Donato has authored three children’s books published by Austin Macauley Publishers - How Do Mermaids Poo?, The Magic Box, and Kick Like a Girl with all proceeds reinvested into Inner Wings.
In addition to the content above, the article needs an enhanced infobox: A standard biography infobox should be added with birth year (1972), nationality (American), residence (UK), alma mater (Manhattanville College; American University), and occupation. All sourced to the Porsche IR CV. |
MichaelPWhite (talk) 17:44, 30 March 2026 (UTC)
The user below has a request that an edit be made to Melissa Di Donato. That user has an actual or apparent conflict of interest. Summary of request: Add Early life/education, Board positions, Philanthropy and infobox; correct SAP job titlesThe requested edits backlog is very high. Please be extremely patient. There are currently 539 requests waiting for review.
Please read the instructions for the parameters used by this template for accepting and declining them, and review the request below and make the edit if it is well sourced, neutral, and follows other Wikipedia guidelines and policies.- Hello, and thanks to the reviewer who picks this up. I have a conflict of interest (declared on my user page) and am requesting the changes below rather than editing directly. Each citation is formatted in Citation Style 1 to match the article, and each
<ref>...</ref>is placed inline at the exact point in the text it supports, per WP:CITEVAR and WP:INTEGRITY. ~~~~ - ----
- === 1. ADD new section: Early life and education ===
- Rationale: the article currently contains no biographical background. Per WP:MOSBIO, a BLP of this type would normally open with an "Early life and education" section.
- Proposed wikitext:
- == Early life and education ==
- Melissa Di Donato was born in New York City in 1972 and grew up in the Bronx.[1][2] She studied Russian Language and Literature and Political Science at Manhattanville College, graduating with a BA in 1994, and in 1996 graduated from American University in Washington, D.C., with two master's degrees in Russian Language and Literature and International Business.[3] She speaks several languages, including English, Italian, and Russian.[4]
- ----
- === 2. REPLACE existing pre-SUSE career text ===
- Rationale: the article currently states she was "the chief revenue officer of SAP's cloud division." Independent sources confirm she held both the Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Operating Officer titles at SAP. Information Age reported that prior to SUSE she was chief operating officer and chief revenue officer at SAP. The article also omits her time at PwC. Per WP:V, the text should reflect what the sources say.
- Proposed wikitext (to replace the existing pre-SUSE career text):
- == Career ==
- === Early career ===
- Di Donato began her career as a technologist and SAP R/3 developer, becoming one of the few female software developers working on the platform at that time.[5] Between 1998 and 2008 she held roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Oracle and IBM.[6]
- In 2010, she joined Salesforce, becoming Area Vice President and its most senior female executive outside the United States.[7] She subsequently became Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Operating Officer of SAP for its digital core (ERP) division.[8]
- ----
- === 3. ADD new section: Board and advisory positions ===
- Rationale: several board seats at publicly traded companies and UK government bodies are currently omitted.
- Proposed wikitext:
- == Board and advisory positions ==
- Di Donato is a member of the supervisory board of Porsche AG, appointed in 2022 in connection with Porsche's initial public offering.[9] She is also a non-executive director at J.P. Morgan Europe.[10]
- In April 2023, she was appointed a non-executive director of the newly created Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).[11] She also serves on the SME Digital Adoption Taskforce at the Department for Business and Trade.[12]
- In September 2023, Di Donato was appointed chair and CEO of Kyriba.[13]
- ----
- === 4. ADD new section: Philanthropy and published works ===
- Rationale: the GOV.UK biography confirms she founded the Inner Wings Charitable Foundation and is the author of three children's books. Operational details about the foundation are cited to the foundation's own website, acceptable for non-contentious factual information about the organisation itself per WP:ABOUTSELF.
- Proposed wikitext:
- == Philanthropy and published works ==
- Di Donato co-founded the Inner Wings Charitable Foundation, a UK-registered charity (number 1192877).[14][15] The foundation delivers free confidence-building programmes to primary school children, with a focus on girls, working with partner schools across the UK.[16]
- Di Donato is the author of three children's books, with proceeds reinvested into Inner Wings.[17]
- ----
- === 5. ADD infobox ===
- Rationale: the article has no infobox. A standard {{Infobox person}} is proposed below; all values are supported by the sources used in the body above.
- Proposed wikitext (to add at the top of the article):
- Quick facts Melissa Di Donato, Born ...Melissa Di Donato
Born 1972 (age 53–54) New York City, U.S.Alma mater Manhattanville College
American UniversityOccupation Business executive Title Chair and CEO of Kyriba Close - ----
References
- "Melissa Di Donato Roos – Resume" (PDF). Porsche AG Investor Relations. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- Wakefield, Jane (29 September 2023). "Melissa Di Donato: Chair & CEO of Kyriba". Boardwave. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- "Melissa Di Donato Roos – Resume" (PDF). Porsche AG Investor Relations. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- Wakefield, Jane (29 September 2023). "Melissa Di Donato: Chair & CEO of Kyriba". Boardwave. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- Esherwood, Paul (2 March 2020). "Melissa Di Donato – how far have we really come?". ERP Today. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- Wakefield, Jane (29 September 2023). "Melissa Di Donato: Chair & CEO of Kyriba". Boardwave. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- Wakefield, Jane (29 September 2023). "Melissa Di Donato: Chair & CEO of Kyriba". Boardwave. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- Ismail, Nick (22 July 2019). "Former SAP COO, Melissa Di Donato, appointed CEO of SUSE". Information Age. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- "Porsche AG reorganises its supervisory board". Porsche Newsroom. 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- "Melissa Di Donato". Management Today. 2025. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- "The stars align for science and tech as non-execs are appointed to the DSIT start-up board". GOV.UK. April 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- "Melissa Di Donato". GOV.UK. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- Wakefield, Jane (29 September 2023). "Melissa Di Donato: Chair & CEO of Kyriba". Boardwave. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- "Melissa Di Donato". GOV.UK. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- "About Us". Inner Wings. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- "About Us". Inner Wings. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- "Melissa Di Donato". GOV.UK. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
- MichaelPWhite (talk) 16:13, 12 June 2026 (UTC)
Reply 9-JUN-2026
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- The citation style predominantly used by the Melissa Di Donato article appears to be Citation Style 1. The citation style used in the edit request consists of bare URL's.[a] Any requested edit of yours which may be implemented will need to resemble the current style already in use in the article – in this case, CS1. (See WP:CITEVAR.)
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In the collapsed section below titled Request edit examples, I have illustrated two: The first shows how the edit request was submitted; the second shows how requests should be submitted in the future.
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In the example above there are three URL's provided with the claim statements, but these URL's have not been placed using Citation Style 1, which is the style predominantly used by the Melissa Di Donato article. Additionally, ref tags have not been placed within the text at the exact positions where the information they reference resides. Using the correct style and the correct positioning of the ref tags, the WikiFormatted text should resemble the following:
In the example above the references have been formatted according to Citation Style 1, which shows the author, the source's name, date, etc. Also, the ref tags are placed in the exact location where the text which they reference resides. As Wikipedia is a volunteer project, edit requests such yours are generally expected to have this formatting done before the request is submitted for review. |
Kindly rewrite your edit request so that it aligns more with the second example shown in the collapsed section above, and feel free to re-submit that edit request at your earliest convenience. If you have any questions about this formatting please don't hesitate to ask myself or another editor. Regards, Spintendo 23:32, 8 June 2026 (UTC)
- Thank you for your review. We will re-submit with now in the CS1 style. MichaelPWhite (talk) 16:07, 12 June 2026 (UTC)
Notes
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