SAP hires Oracle VP for top sales post

SAP has hired John Nugent, a 17-year Oracle veteran, to drive sales efforts in the United States, the Waldorf, Germany-based software maker said this week. Nugent will take up a post at the U.S. division of SAP as executive vice president of sales next week, reporting directly to Bill McDermott, CEO of SAP America. Oracle and SAP are longtime rivals in the multibillion-dollar, business-management applications market.

McDermott, who joined SAP in October from Siebel Systems, said Nugent had been a "premier" sales executive at Oracle and his hire is part of a drive to build a management "dream team" at SAP America. McDermott has been charged with reviving SAP's U.S. business, which has faltered over the last several years. In the fourth quarter, SAP saw its license sales fall 16 percent in the United States, compared with a 7 percent decline worldwide.