News
        
        Disney Exec Takes Microsoft CIO Job
        
        
        
			- By Scott Bekker
- January 17, 2008
        Microsoft hired a former Disney executive for its chief  information officer vacancy.
Tony Scott, 56, will start as CIO in February and report to  Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner. Scott's most recent experience was as  senior vice president and CIO at The Walt Disney Co.  He has also been chief technology officer at General Motors Corp. and vice  president of operations at Bristol-Meyers Squibb Co.
In a statement, Microsoft said Scott was the first Disney  CIO to manage company-wide IT and credited him with leading Disney through a  major IT transformation.
At Microsoft, Scott steps into a unique and high-profile CIO  position. In addition to handling traditional CIO duties, a Microsoft CIO must  act as an informal beta-tester-in-chief and serve as Microsoft's ambassador to  the IT industry for best practices with the company's software. He'll be in  charge of Microsoft's 4,000-person global IT operation, and be responsible for  supporting its 70,000 employees and tens of thousands of contractors.
"More than any other company, Microsoft knows how important  it is to leverage IT for strategic business advantage, and I look forward to  building on this success in my new role," Scott said in a statement. "So few  places offer the chance to expand your skills and have an impact across such a  broad range of technologies -- from services to unified communications to  mobility. It is a great opportunity, and I am excited to work with this team to  help Microsoft advance its business forward through IT."
The CIO position came open in November when Microsoft fired 
  Stuart Scott after about two years in the job. At the time, a Microsoft 
  spokesman would say only that an investigation confirmed that company policies 
  had been violated by Scott, who spent 17 years with General Electric Co. before 
  coming to Microsoft.
Alain Crozier, a corporate vice president who also reports  to Turner, and Shahla Aly, a general manager in the services group, had been  handling CIO duties while the company searched for a permanent replacement.   
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
            
        
        
                
                    About the Author
                    
                
                    
                    Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.