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Microsoft Executive Tracker: Rundown of Recent Organizational Changes
Ripples of huge changes start at the top and are spreading throughout the organization.
- By Redmond Channel Partner magazine staff
- September 27, 2013
The last few months brought major changes throughout the Microsoft organizational chart. CEO Steve Ballmer started off an unusually chaotic process with his major overhaul of the top ranks (see
"Meet the New Bosses: The Key Executives in Microsoft's Reorg"). Since then the pace of change has only gotten crazier:
Steve Ballmer
The biggest change, and most unexpected, was the
Microsoft announcement Aug. 23 that Ballmer would retire from his CEO job within 12 months. Reportedly, he'd previously told executives he would stay around until 2018.
Stephen Elop
The Nokia CEO will be coming to Microsoft with his company's devices business and some of its services. Elop will be executive vice president of an expanded Devices team, which includes the newly formed Microsoft Devices and Studios Engineering Group and most of the Nokia teams. At press time, Elop also appeared to be a front-runner to replace Ballmer.
Julie Larson-Green
Once Elop arrives, she will remain the head of the Devices and Studios Engineering Group, but she'll report to Elop instead of Ballmer. For now, she's "focused on the big launches this fall including Xbox One and our Surface enhancements," according to Ballmer's company memo about the Nokia acquisition.
Jon Roskill
After three years, Roskill is stepping down as the corporate vice president of the Worldwide Partner Group (WPG). In a
blog post announcing the end of his tenure, Roskill said, "My plan is to return to my roots of product development and take all the great insights I gained from my time with our partners and use them to create even more partner opportunity."
Phil Sorgen
Taking over as corporate vice president of the WPG from Roskill is Sorgen, who had been serving as corporate vice president of the U.S. Small and Midmarket Solutions and Partners (SMS&P) group. See
RCP's Q&A with Sorgen for more about his plans as the Microsoft channel chief.
David Willis
Stepping into Sorgen's role atop U.S. SMS&P is Willis. Previously, Willis had been vice president of U.S. Dynamics, reporting to Sorgen.
Eric Martorano
U.S. Partner Sales & Programs Vice President Jenni Flinders consolidated some of her most important teams -- those managing Large Account Resellers (LARs) and National Systems Integrators (NSIs -- into one and put Martorano in charge. (Meanwhile, LARs have a new name for Microsoft FY2014 -- Licensing Solution Providers.) She also handed Martorano responsibility for U.S. channel sales of the Microsoft Surface. See
RCP's Q&A with Martorano.
Sherry Willman
Willman had been running the LAR/LSP business in Flinders' organization. Now Willman is general manager, U.S. Corporate Accounts Sales, Marketing and Operations.
Jennifer Jobin
Jobin had been handling NSI accounts for Flinders and working with NSIs in various roles for about two decades. According to a Microsoft spokesperson, Jobin was looking for her next position at Microsoft at press time.
Tony Scott
The Microsoft CIO until leaving for personal reasons earlier this summer, Scott is now at VMware -- a company Microsoft considers an archrival. Scott is now senior vice president and CIO at VMware.
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