The Sage Group plc ("Sage") announces the appointment of Jonathan Howell, Neil Berkett and Jo Harlow to its Board as non-executive directors. Jonathan will join Sage on 15 May 2013 and Neil and Jo will take up their appointments on 1 and 5 July 2013 respectively.

Jonathan is currently Finance Director of Close Brothers Group plc, having joined the group from the London Stock Exchange in 2008. He will succeed Mark Rolfe as Chairman of the Audit Committee in November 2013.

Neil is shortly to retire as Chief Executive of Virgin Media Group and is a non-executive director of Guardian Media Group. Jo is Executive Vice President, Smart Devices for Nokia Oy. She is responsible for the business and product development of Nokia's smartphones and other high-end devices. Jo is a member of Nokia's Leadership Team and joined the technology company in 2003.

Tamara Ingram, after nine years' service, and Mark Rolfe and Ian Mason, after six years' service, have indicated their intentions to retire. Tamara will retire from the board on 31 July 2013 and Mark and Ian on 30 November 2013.

Jonathan, Jo and Neil will join the Remuneration, Audit and Nomination Committees.

Commenting on the board changes, Donald Brydon, 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. Over many years, Tamara, Mark and Ian have made a major contribution to Sage and they will leave with our gratitude and good wishes."

Enquiries

The Sage Group plc +44(0) 191 294 3068
Murdo Montgomery, Investor Relations

Tulchan Communications +44(0) 20 7353 4200
David Shriver
Lucy Legh

About The Sage Group plc

The Sage Group plc is a leading global provider of business management software to small and medium sized companies, creating greater freedom for them to succeed. Sage understands how and why each business is unique. We provide products and services that suit varying needs, are a pleasure to use and are secure and efficient. Formed in 1981, Sage was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and entered the FTSE 100 in 1999. Sage has over 6 million customers and more than 13,380 employees in 24 countries covering the UK & Ireland, mainland Europe, North America, South Africa, Australia, Asia and Brazil.www.sage.com

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