Steve Strout was made the ASUG's first full-time CEO in August last year. The group claims to have more than 50,000 members.

In a statement Wednesday, the ASUG board said Strout had been "instrumental in moving ASUG forward in multiple areas. However, the board does feel that it is necessary to pursue new executive leadership."

Strout was on the front lines of a debate this year over SAP's controversial decision to move its customers to a more expensive Enterprise Support service. User groups in Europe were vocally critical of SAP's move, while Strout and the ASUG maintained a more moderate tone.

The ASUG board didn't say why it decided to release Strout, saying only that it was "an internal decision." It said it was not related to the Enterprise Support issue.

"The speculation ... that this decision is somehow related to Enterprise Support is incorrect," the board said in the statement.