Former Channel Chief Roskill, Microsoft Part Ways
Jon Roskill is out of Microsoft, his employer for nearly 20 years, less than a month after stepping down from the high-profile role of channel chief.
Microsoft replaced Roskill with Phil Sorgen as corporate vice president for the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Group in a move announced Aug. 29. In a blog post announcing the change, Roskill had said he hoped 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."
However, an e-mail from RCP to Roskill's Microsoft address on Friday returned a note that Roskill left Microsoft Sept. 20. He did not respond to an e-mail to the personal address in the automatic reply, although Microsoft executives at that level are usually bound by a legal agreement not to discuss the terms of their departures for a set period of time.
In a statement provided by e-mail, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed Roskill's departure: "Jon Roskill has left Microsoft, and we wish him well in his future endeavors."
Roskill's experience in Microsoft was a combination of operational work from his partner role and previously as corporate vice president/U.S. Business and Marketing Officer, and product/technical work. Previous roles on that side included a stint as a general manager in the Server & Developer Tools Division.
Roskill hasn't updated his LinkedIn profile yet.
According to a source familiar with the situation, Roskill's planned move to a technical role was blocked by a more senior executive. "In essence, the reason Jon left was corporate politics, nothing to do with corporate decision-making," the source said.
Posted by Scott Bekker on October 21, 2013