Manocha's appointment follows a year of unprecedented consolidation in the business intelligence market - a market that SAS is at the forefront of shaping. SAS will continue to lead this market by helping organisations drive innovation and performance through the use of advanced analytical capabilities in every part of the business.

Manocha's responsibilities include leading SAS UK, the largest contributor to SAS worldwide revenues outside of the United States, and to further strengthen its leading position in industry specific software applications. He will also focus on growing SAS UK's services offerings, especially in the areas of business consulting.

Manocha brings with him over 20 years of experience in the business services, technology and software sector, 12 of which have been with SAS. His previous roles include sales director for SAS UK, general manager of financial services for SAS EMEA, and most recently managing director of SAS Austria. Manocha's experience in executive leadership and in building successful customer-focused service organisations makes him an ideal candidate for the position.

Commenting on his new role, Manocha said: "This is an extremely exciting time for SAS as an organisation. Executives understand that a bottom-line, short-term focus on its own is no longer sufficient, and successful leaders are looking to innovation to drive long-term performance. SAS' ambition is to enable organisations to break the 'business as usual' cycle through a deeper understanding of their true performance. By adopting this culture change, organisations will be able to understand which decisions add long-term value to their business. I am delighted to be at the forefront of driving these innovations in the UK at this time."