In December 2019, Percipient was chosen as a winner for the Sage Platinum Elite award program.
The awards recognise top Sage partners from around the world for their outstanding contribution to accelerating the Sage SaaS vision to drive mutual customer success. The prize was a prestigious trip of a lifetime for the winning partners to the luxurious Four Seasons Resort on the island of Nevis, in the West Indies.
Chris Stock, Managing Director of Percipient shares his winning experience.
Top Sage Partner
In December 2019 I received a call from Sage EVP for Partners, Dewey Forrester, to confirm that Percipient had been awarded the ultimate Christmas present. Based on our commitment to Sage, customer successes and high growth, we won a place amongst the much coveted Sage Platinum Elite Partners for FY19.
The prize for this accolade was a trip to Nevis in the West Indies, with 27 other Sage Partners worldwide, and winning Sage colleagues. I was honoured to be in a position to attend with my wife, who has been a key part of what we have been able to achieve at Percipient.
Whilst I was the lucky one, it goes without saying that an accolade of this nature is not possible without the fantastic team we have at Percipient. Being named Sage Platinum Elite winner is a credit to our whole team, but sadly my suitcase wasn’t large enough to fit them all in.
Trip of a Lifetime
The trip to Nevis was a four-legged affair. After leaving home on Monday evening, we arrived in style, by boat, onto the pier of the Four Season Hotel on Wednesday afternoon.
Meeting fellow Sage partners and colleagues at different points en route was great. Many of which we shared the final boat ride with. As first-time winners, we didn’t know what to expect, but we were excited for the action-packed days ahead.
The moment we stepped foot on the island, we were greeted by the Sage events team who had worked tirelessly to plan the event from start to finish. Everything ran like clockwork. Various activities were planned during our stay, offering us the chance to explore this truly beautiful part of the Caribbean, by land and boat.
From the welcome drinks on the first night, the whole event felt like ‘One Sage’. Sage business partners with their families and guests, together with Sage management and colleagues, celebrating joint successes, and creating a buoyant and unified atmosphere.
Winning Partnerships
On the second night, Dewey Forrester and Sage’s Chief Marketing and Business Enablement Officer, Ron McMurtrie, hosted the Partner Awards Dinner.
Held at a private villa high up the Nevis mountain at the Four Seasons Resort, we were treated to some incredible views of the island and across the ocean to St Kitts.
The evening was a great opportunity to network with fellow Sage Partners, meet new friends and discuss shared interests. Against the dramatic Nevis backdrop, it was an honour for me to accept our Platinum Elite Award on behalf of the Percipient team.
A Great SaaS Company
The following morning I attended a partner breakfast held by Sage CEO, Steve Hare. I was intrigued to hear Steve’s views, vision and plans for the future in an open and friendly forum. Steve talked at length about his vision for continuing to make Sage a great SaaS company for customers and colleagues, through its leading-edge technologies. He acknowledged that while progress has been made in the last 12-18 months, work is still ongoing and outlined everyone’s role in making the future of Sage a success.
It was encouraging to hear that Sage partners are key to their success plans. Steve talked about the strong management team and structure around him, which will serve to make Sage even stronger. Seeing this team attending the event in Nevis was good and presented a fantastic networking opportunity.
Sage Foundation
Later that day the Sage Foundation hosted an event in which we built computers to donate to a local school. The partners and Sage colleagues were divided into small teams as we eagerly awaited our next instructions. What happened next surprised everyone, as a class of young children entered the room, armed with their computers, to a big round of applause. The children separated between the groups and the process to build the machines commenced.
As I look back on the trip now, this was probably the most memorable moment. Working closely with the local children as they built these machines with us, felt incredibly rewarding. Once built the children completed a coding task of their choice, which also highlighted how this technology will help to open new doors, in the coming years.
Award Winning Sage
Friday ended with the Sage Employee Awards Dinner and after party, set on the 18th green of the Four Seasons golf course. Amongst the night’s many highlights, the UK and Ireland were named the winning region of the year, an award gladly accepted on stage by Sabby Gill, Managing Director, Sage UK and Ireland.
The 4-day event concluded on Saturday night with a beach party and an array of excellent entertainment and Nevisian culture at a local beach bar.
As I share highlights with our team, it reaffirms my belief that we can continue to provide the best business management technology for our customers and continue to build our business with Sage.
Growing with Sage
It’s hard, to sum up, such an excellent experience. Sage Platinum Elite provided a platform to meet some fantastic Sage partners, with a common goal of enjoying mutual success. We shared ideas and common areas of interest with Sage partners worldwide. Something which I found incredibly beneficial, as our business continues to grow.
As we drove back from the airport, several degrees cooler than the beautiful Nevis, thoughts and focus turned to ensure we continue the momentum we built to ensure the Sage Platinum Elite awards become a permanent fixture in the Percipient calendar. As I share highlights with our team, it reaffirms my belief that we can continue to provide the best business management technology for our customers and continue to build our business with Sage.
I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank the Sage leadership team for creating such a positive partner event.
Sage Platinum Elite FY19 Highlights
