The Sage Group has appointed telecommunications industry veteran Sue Swenson as the new president and CEO of the British software company's North American business.

Swenson (pictured) will lead Sage North America starting May 1. Sage ousted its top North American management team last October (see Sage Jettisons North American Execs). The company develops accounting and business management software such as Peachtree, Abra, ACT, Accpac, FAS and BusinessVision.

Swenson is currently COO of Atrinsic (formerly New Motion), a digital media entertainment content provider, but most of her experience is in the phone industry. She spent much of her career with Pacific Bell, where she held senior management positions in marketing and customer service, and rose to become vice president of consumer marketing.

Swenson subsequently became president and CEO of Cellular One, a mobile phone joint venture of Vodafone AirTouch and AT&T Wireless, followed by positions as COO of Leap Wireless International, T-Mobile and Amp'd Mobile. She sits on the boards of Wells Fargo Bank and Eltek, a Norwegian power company.

"The opportunity to join Sage North America is very exciting," she said in a statement. "Sage has built a tremendous position in the North American market with strong brands and an excellent and competitive market position. I look forward to working with the people in North America and more widely in Sage globally to build on the successes already achieved."