News

Hauser Named Permanent Replacement for Witts in Microsoft EPG

• By Scott Bekker
• January 20, 2012

Microsoft quietly named Susan Hauser the corporate vice president of its Worldwide Enterprise and Partner Group last month.

Susan Hauser (Source: Microsoft)

The appointment formalizes a position Hauser has held since the company's longtime former EPG executive, Simon Witts, mysteriously resigned in August.

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the appointment Friday after RCPmag.com noticed Hauser was listed in the role in an online executive bio dated Dec. 5. While no announcement had been issued for Hauser's appointment in December, the spokesperson offered an e-mail statement:

"Susan Hauser has been promoted to corporate vice president of the company's Enterprise & Partner Group, which includes leading sales and marketing to global enterprises and public sector organizations. Her proven leadership and advocacy for customers and partners made her the clear choice."

After Witts' departure, Microsoft COO Kevin Turner temporarily assigned Hauser and Linda Zecher to share parts of Witts' duties. Zecher, then corporate vice president for Microsoft Worldwide Public Sector, would handle public sector portions of Witts' responsibilities, while Hauser would field the rest of his Enterprise and Partner Group portfolio.

But that plan fell apart almost immediately when Zecher announced the next week that she would be leaving Microsoft to join publishing giant Houghton Mifflin Harcourt as president, director and CEO.

In an internal e-mail to employees, Turner wrote that he would look internally and externally for a "high caliber talent" for the position. More than three months later, he has apparently concluded that person was already in the role.

Prior to serving as Witts' interim replacement, Hauser spent nearly two years as vice president of Worldwide Industry and Global Accounts. Before that she led the Worldwide Financial Services Group.

According to her Microsoft bio, "Hauser began her Microsoft career in 1989 as a reseller account representative in New York and held a number of leadership positions, including overseeing East Region Financial Services and serving as general manager for Microsoft's New York Metro District. Prior to Microsoft, she worked at Decisionex, selling financial turnkey systems, and Charterhouse Financial, where she helped to develop a reseller channel."

The Microsoft spokesperson said Hauser's duties in the new role encompass Witts' entire set of responsibilities, including the public sector duties that had originally gone to Zecher.