IRVINE, CA--(Marketwired - Mar 2, 2015) - Sage North America, a leading provider of business management software and services to small and medium-sized businesses, today announced the appointments of Paul Bridgewater as CEO of Sage Payment Solutions, and Jim Emerick as executive vice president of customer support. Both will report to President and CEO Pascal Houillon.
Paul joins Sage after most recently working for TSYS as the group executive and general manager of global product and innovation. Paul started his career in the UK working as an engineer and then joined Anker Data where he held positions in product management and field service engineering. He then worked for NatWest Group in its international merchant services business. Later, Paul joined Citibank and worked across Europe with roles in business development, product management, sales and distribution. After five years at Citi, Paul moved to the U.S. and joined Digital River as the SVP of Global Payment Services.
"The payments industry is evolving so quickly as technology companies introduce new products and services and partner with financial services providers to make it more convenient and secure for consumers and companies to do business," said Bridgewater. "The Sage Payment Solutions platform provides businesses with a critical piece to meeting the broader business goal of providing the best customer experience possible. I look forward to ensuring Sage and our customers remain ahead of the technology curve today and tomorrow."
Jim joins Sage most recently from Bank of America where he led a 3,000-person global customer service function. During his 10-year career there, he also held senior-level operating roles in the consumer banking, small business and mortgage lending businesses, with up to 12,000 people reporting into his organization. Jim started his career in the aerospace industry and worked for TRW and Honeywell in a variety of roles, including general manager and VP of sales and marketing. Jim is also an adjunct faculty member teaching at Pepperdine University's Executive MBA program.
"I have spent my career leading customer experience-focused teams and initiatives such as developing, implementing and managing escalated complaints resolution programs, managing relationships with regulatory and elected official stakeholders, and a variety of social media servicing approaches," said Emerick. "My experience leading these efforts on a global scale will help strengthen the Sage ability to deliver on its commitments to its customers."
"We now operate in 24 countries and work with more than 6 million small and medium-sized business worldwide, and Jim's and Paul's experiences across Europe and the Americas will be invaluable to us as we continue to grow our international footprint," said Pascal Houillon, president & CEO, Sage North America. "Our vision is to be recognized as the most valuable supporter of small and medium-sized businesses by creating greater freedom for them to succeed, and the high level of expertise Paul and Jim provide to our executive leadership team is critical to realizing our vision."
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About The Sage Group plc
We provide small and medium sized organisations, and mid-market companies with a range of easy-to-use, secure and efficient business management software and services -- from accounting, HR and payroll, to payments, enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management. Our customers receive continuous advice and support through our global network of local experts to help them solve their business problems, giving them the confidence to achieve their business ambitions. Formed in 1981, Sage was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and entered the FTSE 100 in 1999. Sage has millions of customers and circa 13,000 employees in 23 countries covering the UK & Ireland, mainland Europe, North America, South Africa, Australia, Asia and Brazil. For further information please visit www.sage.com.
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Contact Information:
Press contact:
Candice Garmoe
Sage North America
T: 949-790-2036
Candice.Garmoe@sage.com