Scottsdale, Ariz. – November 19, 2003 – Best Software (Company
Profile, Past
Stories, Case
Studies) today announced the appointment of Jon Van Duyne to the position of Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Best Software CRM
Solutions Business Unit, comprised of the SalesLogix product line. Prior to joining Best Software in the United States, Van Duyne served as Managing Director for
Sage CRM Solutions, which are the Europe, Middle East and African (EMEA) business regions for both the ACT! and SalesLogix product lines. While in that role,
Van Duyne brought a 65 percent growth in business to the EMEA CRM in one fiscal year. Van Duyne’s vast experience with Sage and Best’s leading contact management
and CRM brands will allow him to maintain and expand SalesLogix’s leadership position in the SMB market.
“We are thrilled to have Van Duyne join the Best Software team, heading our CRM Solutions Business Unit,” said Jim Foster, executive vice president and general manager,
Best Midmarket Division. “Van Duyne is joining Best at an exciting time in the company’s history and his experience with SalesLogix and ACT!, as well as his global CRM
market expertise, will further Best’s position as the leading business management solutions provider for small and medium-sized businesses.”
During the last seven years Jon has been actively involved in a variety of CRM projects and programs and has developed an expertise in Sales Force Automation (SFA).
While working with Hewlett-Packard he was responsible for reshaping the processes, systems and skill sets of the Consumer Division sales force for Europe.
In this capacity he introduced and led an SFA software implementation across Europe. He has been published and quoted on the challenges associated with
a successful CRM implementation in addition to speaking on a number of platforms.
Prior to joining Sage, Jon spent 22 years in a variety of sales, marketing and general management roles at Hewlett-Packard, Eastman Kodak, Bausch & Lomb and PA
Consulting Group. He has worked with teams in more than 30 countries worldwide and specializes in developing new markets/channels. Jon has worked
across a variety of sectors including IT, Telecommunications, Financial Services and Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG).
SalesLogix is a sales-centric CRM solution that drives sales performance in small to mid-size businesses through sales, marketing and customer support automation.
Customer driven innovation has kept both ACT! and SalesLogix the market leaders in the SMB CRM solutions marketplace.
About Best Software
Best Software offers leading business management products and services that give 1.7 million small and mid-sized customers in North America the insight for success
throughout the life of their business. Its parent company, The Sage Group plc (London: SGE.L), supports three million customers worldwide and has revenue of $815 million.
For more than 25 years, Best Software has delivered easy-to-use, scalable and customizable applications through its portfolio of leading brands, including Abra, ACT!,
CPASoftware, FAS, MAS 90, MIP, Peachtree, SalesLogix and Timberline, among many others. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.bestsoftware.com or
call (866) 308-BEST.
© Best Software, Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective holders.
Forward-Looking Statement
This news release contains a forward-looking statement within the meaning of the "Safe Harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
The expected closing date of the merger agreement in this news release is a forward-looking statement. This statement is necessarily subject to risk and uncertainty,
including the possibility that the transaction will not close or that the actual closing date could differ materially due to certain risk factors, including without limitation, failure
to receive shareholder approval, delays in obtaining shareholder approval of the transaction, and other delays related to regulatory approvals.