News
Qualcomm Veteran Named Head of Microsoft Business Development
- By Gladys Rama
- August 05, 2014
Peggy Johnson, a 24-year veteran of semiconductor manufacturer Qualcomm, is now the executive vice president of global business development at Microsoft.
Re/code's Ina Fried first reported Johnson's hiring last week, though it was unconfirmed by Microsoft until Tuesday. Johnson will report directly to CEO Satya Nadella, according to Microsoft's announcement. Her new role will take effect on Sept. 1.
In a prepared statement, Nadella said that Johnson "knows what it takes to drive new growth in mobility and the cloud."
As head of global business development, Johnson will be tasked with "driving strategic business deals and partnerships across various industries with key customers, strategic innovation partners, OEMs, key accounts, third-party publishers and industry influencers," Microsoft said.
Johnson held several executive positions in her more than two decades at Qualcomm, including vice president of technology for the company's wireless business, and vice president of business development and sales for its consumer product division. She also oversaw the development of Qualcomm's Brew platform, considered one of the earliest mobile app stores.
Most recently, Johnson was the executive vice president of Qualcomm Technologies and president of global market development.
"The opportunity to build new and surprising partnerships to help Microsoft succeed in a mobile-first, cloud-first world is truly exciting, and I look forward to leading these efforts," Johnson said.