The Board of Directors of the Americas' SAP Users' Group (ASUG) announced this week that it is pursuing alternate leadership for the organization and has released Steve Strout from his duties as CEO. This change is effective immediately.
The Board acknowledges that both as a board member and as CEO for the last 16 months, Strout has been instrumental in moving ASUG forward in multiple areas. However, the Board does feel that it is necessary to pursue new executive leadership.
"This was an internal ASUG decision," said Mike O'Dell, ASUG chairperson. "The Board is confident that this leadership direction will allow ASUG to maintain the momentum we have established over the past year and advance the mission of our organization. ASUG members can continue to expect the organization's focus to remain on providing valuable programs to increase their knowledge and utilization of SAP products and services." O'Dell added: "This decision is also unrelated to any external programs or areas of partnership with any other organizations, including SAP. The speculation in the market that this decision is somehow related to Enterprise Support is incorrect; ASUG remains committed to our participation in the SAP User Group Executive Network (SUGEN) and to the Enterprise Support statement issued jointly by SAP and SUGEN (http://www.sap.com/about/press/press.epx?pressid=10339)."
The existing management team at ASUG Headquarters, Chief Operating Officer Tracy Barrett, Chief Information Officer Craig Lathrop, and Chief Marketing Officer Nellie Greely, will be working directly with the ASUG Executive Committee, which is comprised of the ASUG Board Chairperson Mike O'Dell, Vice Chairperson Abbe Mulders, Immediate Past Chairperson Rod Masney, and Finance Vice Chairperson Anthony Bosco, to solidify the go-forward strategy for ASUG and manage the organization until a permanent leadership decision is made.
About ASUG
The Americas' SAP Users' Group (ASUG(R)) is an independent, volunteer-run organization that facilitates connections among members of the SAP ecosystem. As the most valued voice for SAP customer influence, ASUG maintains its unique position by connecting SAP experts who share their knowledge back with the community"”creating an ongoing cycle of shared experience that enables strong business results and real competitive advantage for the entire SAP ecosystem. (www.asug.com).
