As Sage reported North American revenue had dropped for the year ended September 30, it also said that Sue Swenson, CEO of the largest unit in Sage's organization, will retire next year from the position she has held since March 2008 to be replaced by the current CEO of Sage France. That's following Guy Berruyer, another Frenchman, having become chief executive of the British parent Sage Group in October.Swenson is retiring mid-2011, the company said, and will be replaced by Pascal Houillon. That comes not long after the departure of Jodi Uecker-Rust, the Great Plains veteran who was headed Sage Business Solutions which markets the company's accounting software lines.
Meanwhile, the company announced that worldwide revenue of $2.24 million for fiscal 2010 was flat on an organic basis at constant exchange rates. However, the company's EBITA margin rose to 25 percent, compared to 22 percent for 2009.
North American revenue for 2010 was $857.8 million. The EBITA margin was 22 percent. As measure in euros, North American revenue fell by 4 percent with organic revenue down 3 percent. However, the decline moderated in the second half of the year. Organic software and software-related service revenue fell by 9 percent, compared to 23 percent a year earlier. That same category fell by 4 percent in the second half, compared to a negative 13 percent in the first half.
Revenue for Sage Business Solutions was off by 3 percent for the year, but the decline narrowed to 1 percent in the second half. The Sage Healthcare Division had a 5-percent drop in organic revenue, with a decline in sales of Medical Manager singled out as the major factor. The division's EBITA rose to 20 percent in the most recently ended year, compared to 17 percent a year earlier.
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