Sage Group

The Sage Group plc, commonly known as Sage, is a British multinational enterprise software company based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Template:Asof it is the UK's second largest technology company.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It has offices in 23 countries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The company is a patron of The Glasshouse, Gateshead music venue in Gateshead, known as The Sage Gateshead.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sage is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. Template:TOClimit

History

1981 to 2000

The company was founded by David Goldman, Paul Muller, and Graham Wylie in 1981 in Newcastle upon Tyne, to develop estimating and accounting software for small businesses.<ref name="history">Template:Cite web</ref>

A student at Newcastle University, Graham Wylie, took a summer job with an accountancy firm funded by a government small business grant to write software to help their record keeping. This became the basis for Sage Line 50. Next, hired by David Goldman to write some estimating software for his printing company, Campbell Graphics, Graham used the same accounting software to produce the first version of Sage Accounts. David was so impressed that he hired Graham and academic Paul Muller to form Sage, selling their software first to printing companies, and then to a wider market through a network of resellers.<ref name="independent">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1984, the company launched Sage software, a product for the Amstrad PCW word processor,<ref name="history" /> which used the CP/M operating system. Sage software sales escalated in that year from 30 copies a month to over 300.<ref name="history" /> The company was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1989.<ref name="history" />

In 1991, Sage acquired Dac Software, Inc., a pioneering American accounting software developer, from Insilco Corporation who were undergoing bankruptcy reorganization at the time. Dac Software were well known for their DacEasy software suite, which was one of the first integrated accounting software titles to retail for well under $100, when most of its competitors sold suites with equivalent functionality for thousands of US$.<ref name=snares>Template:Cite journal</ref>

In 1994, Paul Walker was appointed Chief Executive. In 1998, Sage's Professional Accountants Division was established. In 1999, Sage entered FTSE 100<ref name="history" /> and launched a dedicated Irish division, based in Dublin as well as its e-business strategy. In that same year the UK acquisition of Tetra saw Sage enter the mid-range business software market.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sage was the best-performing UK share in the 1990s, increasing in value by 28,000%.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2000 to 2010

File:Tyneview.jpg

The Glasshouse music venue, located on the banks of the River Tyne, was named the Sage Gateshead during its sponsorship.

In 2001, Sage acquired Interact Commerce Inc.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and entered the CRM/contact management market and in 2002 Sage won "Business of The Year" in the National Business Awards.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Also that year, Sage sponsored the new Music Centre in Gateshead for £6m – known at the time as Sage Gateshead – the largest ever UK arts/business sponsorship.<ref name="sponsor">Template:Cite web</ref> Sage are one of two technology stocks listed on the FTSE 100 Index,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the other being Micro Focus.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2003, at age 43, Graham Wylie retired with 108.5 million shares in Sage worth £146m. He was rated Britain's 109th richest person in the 2002 Sunday Times Rich List.<ref name="independent" />

Tony Hobson joined the Sage board of directors in June 2004 and became chairman in May 2007.<ref name="directors">Template:Cite web</ref>

2010 to present

On 19 April 2010, Sage announced that its CEO, Paul Walker, had indicated an interest in stepping down from his position, which he had held for 16 years.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> The Financial Times reported that his departure would lead to speculation over Sage's mergers and acquisitions, which have been a key component to the group's growth in the past 20 years.<ref name=":0" />

Walker was one of the longest serving CEOs of an FTSE100 company. Walker left the company on 1 December 2010.<ref name="GBCEO">Template:Cite web</ref>

On 1 October 2010 Guy Berruyer became CEO of Sage Group; Berruyer had previously been CEO of Sage's Mainland Europe & Asia operations.<ref name="GBCEO" />

On 15 February 2013, Sage announced that Accel-KKR intended to buy Sage Nonprofit Solutions, its division that produced software designed for nonprofit organisations and governmental agencies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In August 2014, Sage announced that Guy Berruyer would retire. Stephen Kelly, the UK government's former chief operating officer, became group CEO in November 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In September 2014 the company announced the acquisition of PayChoice for $157 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2016 Sage introduced their first AI offering, a chat bot named Pegg.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In March 2017, Sage Group acquired Compass, an analytics and benchmarking platform.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In March 2017, Sage Group also acquired Fairsail, a Human Capital Management (HCM) cloud-based platform.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In July 2017, Sage purchased Intacct for $850M.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 31 August 2018, Sage announced that Stephen Kelly had stepped down as a director and CEO.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 2 November 2018, Steve Hare was appointed CEO.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref> Hare had been chief financial officer of Sage since 2014 and had been interim COO following the departure of the previous CEO.<ref name=":1" />

In 2020, Sage divested its Brazilian operations to the president of the local business, Jorge Carneiro.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2020s Sage began to integrate artificial intelligence into more of their products.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2022 Sage launched a carbon accounting product, Sage Earth.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In February 2024, Sage announced the release of Sage Copilot, a generative AI-powered assistant, and the integration of its features into both its online and hybrid-desktop products.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In July 2025, Sage announced its acquisition of Fyle, an AI-powered expense management platform.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Operations

Founded and headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, the company has grown organically, through acquisitions and, more recently, through subscription services.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In June 1991, Sage Group moved into their first dedicated headquarters building, Sage House, in Benton, Newcastle upon Tyne, having previously been located in the Regent Centre office park.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> In 2004, the company completed their £50 million headquarters in the Great Park area of Newcastle upon Tyne.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2021 Sage's Newcastle headquarters moved to Cobalt Park.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The company's US headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia, the Canadian headquarters are in Richmond, British Columbia, the Africa, Middle East & Australia headquarters are in Johannesburg, South Africa and the French and Continental European headquarters are in Paris, France. Sage has 6.1 million customers and 11,565 employees across the world.<ref name=ar/> Key industry focus includes: Healthcare; HR & Payroll; Construction/ Real-Estate; Transport/ Distribution; Payment Processing; Accountancy; Not-for-Profit; Manufacturing; Retail; Automotive Distribution.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Financial information

Financial results are as follows:<ref name="investor-downloads">Template:Cite web</ref>

Sept year-end £'millions	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Revenue	552	560	688	760	936	1,158	1,295	1,439	1,435	1,334	1,340	1,376	1,307	1,436	1,569	1,715	1,857	1,936	1,903	1,846	1,949	2,184	2,332
Reported growth	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	+12%	+30%	+7%	+11%	0%	+4%	0%	+3%	-5%	+10%	+9%	+19%	+8%	+5%	-2%	-3%	+5%	+12%	+7%
Underlying growth	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	+7%	+7%	+3%	-4%	-1%	+4%	+2%	+4%	+5%	+6%	+12%	+7%	+7%	+6%	+8%	+5%	+6%	+10%	+9%
Operating profit	n/a	n/a	n/a	202	249	283	300	321	365	365	366	180	360	360	427	348	427	382	404	373	367	315	452
Pre-Tax Profit	129	151	181	194	221	223	241	267	319	331	334	164	278	276	275	342	398	361	373	347	337	282	426

Sponsorships

File:Marussia MR01 Sage Newcastle March 2012.jpg

A Marussia F1 promotional car on display in Sage's Newcastle headquarters.

The Sage Group was a patron of The Sage Gateshead, a Tyneside music venue designed by Sir Norman Foster. Now known as the Glasshouse Gateshead, it was completed in 2004 at a cost of £70 million, and has since become a main sight on the River Tyne. It is primarily used as a concert venue and centre for musical education, but also hosts other events including conferences.<ref name="sponsor" />

In 2008, Sage funded the revival of The Krypton Factor television series for ITV as a part of the Business Brain Training campaign.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sage were the football shirt sponsor in May 2011 for Whitley Bay F.C.'s FA Vase winning match.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sage had previously been a minor sponsor for Newcastle United F.C.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

For the 2012 Formula One season, Sage were an official supplier for the Marussia F1 team, and for the 2013 and 2014 seasons Sage logos were placed on the car.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For the 2017–18 Bristol City F.C. season, Sage has partnered with Bristol City F.C. as minor sponsor through their provision of Sage X3 for Bristol Sport.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sage sponsored the Invictus Games in a multi-year partnership starting in 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sage also sponsored the 2019 editions of the Reading Half Marathon and the Blaydon Race.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sage are an official partner of The Hundred cricket tournament.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2025 Sage became the Official Finance Software Partner of the LPGA in a multi-year deal.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Sage are sponsoring the 2023 Rugby World Cup,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as well as the Six Nations Championship.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Starting in the 2023 season Sage are an official partner of Major League Baseball organization.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Additionally, opening 2025, Sage are the named sponsor of the new Newcastle Gateshead Quayside arena and conference centre, named "The Sage".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• Comparison of accounting software
• Comparison of CRM systems
• List of ERP software packages

External links

• Template:Official website