Ex-Siebel Exec to Lead PeopleSoft CRM

PeopleSoft Inc. on Tuesday announced the appointment of George Ahn, a former marketing executive at rival Siebel Systems Inc., as the group vice president and general manager of its customer relationship management (CRM) business.

Ahn replaces Joe Davis, who left PeopleSoft last month to become president and CEO of Web analytics software company CoreMetrics Inc.

Ahn comes to PeopleSoft from enterprise application integration software developer TIBCO Software Inc., where he had been executive vice president and chief marketing officer for a little more than a year.

Prior to that stint, Ahn worked at Siebel for three years, overseeing the companys midmarket and sales force automation group. He also spent 13 years in various sales and marketing positions at IBM Corp.

At PeopleSoft, Ahn will oversee strategy, product development, global marketing and customer support for the companys CRM software business.

“Its an exciting time to be here,” Ahn said in Pleasanton, Calif. “With our brand awareness and position in the industry, its a very good time to join PeopleSoft.”

Ahn said PeopleSofts intense customer focus and its full suite of business applications, which he said the industry is moving to, also drew him to the company.

“The opportunity is huge there to create growth. We have an opportunity to become the No. 1 provider of CRM software.”

Ahn said being No. 1 in CRM, displacing his former employer, market-share leader Siebel, is not only an opportunity but a goal for PeopleSoft.

“You can use multiple metrics to measure whos No. 1,” he said. “Revenues, customer success, customer happiness. All of the above are important.”

Ahn said much of the focus at PeopleSoft would be on improving usability and integration capabilities while introducing new vertical solutions.

“The feature-function wars with Siebel or whoever are just about over,” Ahn said. “Well focus on what brings the greatest success to our customers.”

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