Change to Sage's Executive Team

RNS Number : 2259F

Sage Group PLC

20 April 2011

 



Change to Sage's Executive Team

20 April 2011

The Board of The Sage Group plc ("Sage") today announces a change to its executive team. Paul Stobart, currently CEO of Sage Northern Europe, has announced his intention to leave the Group. Paul will leave and cease to be a Director of Sage on 31 May 2011.  Álvaro Ramírez, currently CEO of Sage Southern Europe will assume responsibility for all of Sage's European operations with immediate effect, reporting to Guy Berruyer, Sage's Group CEO.

Tony Hobson, Sage's Chairman, commented; "Paul has played a very significant role in the growth, development and success of Sage since joining the Group in 1996 as Business Development Director. On behalf of Paul's colleagues both in the UK and across the Group, I would like to express our great thanks to him for all that he has contributed to Sage and wish him every success in the future.

A great strength of Sage is the depth of talent in our global leadership population.  Alvaro joined Sage in 2003 having seen Grupo SP, the business he founded, bought by Sage.  Subsequently he has grown Sage's Spanish business over 300%, both organically and by acquisition, and he has been at the forefront of Sage's strategy of increasing subscription revenues by selling premium support contracts. The Board is pleased to appoint him to this new and important role, in which we know his entrepreneurial and management skills will make a major contribution to the success of the Group."

Paul said "I have had fifteen wonderful years at Sage and have enjoyed playing my part in helping to build the business to the success it is today.  I wish the Board and in particular Guy and his leadership team every success for the future.  I'm very much looking forward to fresh challenges now that I have played my part in assisting Guy and the team in the recent transition."

The Sage Group plc will report its results for the 6 months ended 31 March 2011 to the market on 4 May.  These results will be reported under the new regional structure noted below.

About The Sage Group plc

Sage is a leading global supplier of business management software and related products and services, principally for small to medium-sized enterprises. Formed in 1981, Sage was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989. Sage has 6.3 million customers and 13,400 employees worldwide. We operate in over 24 countries covering the UK, Europe, North America, South Africa, Australia, India and China. For further information please visit www.sage.com.

Following the organisational change presented in this announcement, Sage's business will be organised into three regions; Europe, North America and AAMEA (Asia, Australia, Middle East and Africa).  Results for the year ended 30 September 2010, and the half year to 31 March 2010, have been stated on this basis, and can be viewed on www.sage.com.

Enquiries:

The Sage Group plc [phone]

Andrew Griffith, Investor Relations

Tulchan Communications [phone]

David Shriver

Lucy Legh

 

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