Howell, who has been a non-executive director for Sage since 2013, was most recently group finance director for Close Brothers from February 2008 through 2018. He will receive an annual salary of $680,000 and a pension contribution of 10 percent of salary. Sage will also compensate Howell for losses from option plans at close brothers, an amount estimated to range between $1.24 million and $1.5 million.