Sage loses its CFO to WANdisco
Paul Harrison is to step down from Sage this year with a succession search beginning. The group also announces Close Brothers FD Jonathan Howell will join as non-executive director
FTSE 100 COMPANY Sage has announced its chief financial officer Paul Harrison is leaving the business but it has recruited Close Brothers’ finance director as a non-executive director.
Sage has begun the task of finding a successor to CFO Harrison (pictured) who will step down on 30 August to become CFO of New York Stock Exchange listed Wandisco. He has been with the company for more than 16 years initially joining in 1997 as group financial controller, taking the CFO role in 2000.
Harrison started out at Baker Tilly where he spent seven years, latterly as senior manager, before moving onto a similar role at PwC where he stayed put for more than three years. He is also non-executive director at recruitment business Hays and governor at Royal Grammar School in Newcastle.
Harrison said: “I have enjoyed 16 satisfying and successful years with Sage… For me personally, it is the right time to seek a new challenge and I am very excited to be joining WANdisco.”
Sage also announced that the finance director of Close Brothers, Jonathan Howell, will be joining the company as non-executive director to sit on its remuneration, audit and nomination committees.
Howell joined Close at the end of 2007 and prior to that worked at the London Stock Exchange for 11 years. He joined the LSE in 1996 and became head of regulation in 1998 before he was appointed to the board as FD in 1999. He started out at Price Waterhouse.
Other non-executive appointments announced by Sage include Nel Berkett, who is due to retire as CEO of Virgin Media and is currently non-executive at Guardian Media; and Jo Harlow who is currently vice-president of smart devices for Nokia. The trio succeed Mark Rolfe, Ian Mason and Tamara Ingram who have collectively decided to retire from the board after nine years.
Donald Brydon, Sage chairman, said: “This is a time of forward momentum for the Sage group and I am delighted that we are to be joined by these three new excellent non-executive directors.
“Their expertise in finance and product development, as well as their experience of businesses undergoing major change responding to technology disruption, will help drive the continued development of Sage.”
At the time of publication shares at the IT giant had increased 10.60p today.
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