By Matt Rosoff [bio]
The following is the full text of an article published by Directions on Microsoft, an independent research firm focused exclusively on Microsoft strategy & technology. Each month we make one or more key articles available to non-subscribers.
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This article summarizes organizational changes at the vice presidential level and higher since May 2005. For a more comprehensive view of the Microsoft organization, see the Directions on Microsoft OrgChart (Sample).
Courtois Promoted and Other Sales News
Jean-Philippe Courtois, formerly the senior vice president in charge of sales for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region and nominal CEO of that region, was promoted to president of international operations in June. In his new role, he will oversee all sales and operations outside North America, including the public sector vertical sales organization, which is responsible for selling Microsoft products to governments worldwide.
The move consolidates all sales offices under two leaders—Courtois and Vice President Bill Veghte, who is in charge of North American sales—and reduces the number of direct reports to Group Vice President Kevin Johnson, who heads up sales, marketing, and services for Microsoft.
As part of the change, six executives who used to report to Johnson will now report to Courtois:
- Mitra Azizirad, vice president in charge of sales to emerging markets
- Eugenio Beaufrand, vice president of Microsoft Latin America region
- Tim Chen, vice president of Microsoft Greater China region
- Gerri Elliott, vice president in charge of worldwide sales to the public sector—a critical area, given the increasing popularity of Linux and other open-source software in governments
- Darren Huston, vice president of Microsoft Japan
- Eduardo Rosini, vice president of the Asia-Pacific region.
Neil Holloway will be assisting Courtois in his new role. Holloway has been promoted to president of EMEA (he was previously vice president of sales, marketing, and services for EMEA) and will now oversee operations at EMEA's Paris office while continuing to report to Courtois. The following eight executives who reported to Courtois will now report to Holloway:
- Klaus Holse Andersen, vice president overseeing small and midmarket customers and partners in EMEA
- Emre Berkin, vice president for the Middle East and Africa, who oversees operations for subsidiaries in those areas
- Ali Faramawy, vice president for the Middle East and Africa, who oversees sales and services strategies for those regions
- Pierre Liataud, vice president for the enterprise and partner group in EMEA
- Jens Moberg, vice president of sales for western Europe
- Umberto Paolucci, senior chairman for EMEA, with responsibility for relations with corporate and government leaders in EMEA
- Walter Puschner, vice president responsible for customer and partner experience in EMEA
- Vahe Torrosian, vice president of sales for central and eastern Europe.
Brian J. Scott has been promoted from general manager to vice president of the retail and hospitality group, which specializes in selling solutions to these businesses in the United States. For the time being, Scott continues to report to Bill Veghte, vice president of North America sales and marketing, but he will eventually report to the vice president of the Worldwide Industry Solutions Group for U.S. Enterprises, a position that's currently vacant. Veghte's organization has another blank spot as well: the vice president of small and midmarket solutions and partners, which has been vacant since Darren Huston decamped to lead Microsoft Japan earlier in 2005.
Product Group Changes
Joe Peterson, vice president of the Windows client core platform, including the desktop shell, Internet Explorer, and graphics and printing technologies, is being replaced by Chris Jones. Jones was formerly the vice president of core OS program management, reporting to Senior Vice President Brian Valentine, who leads the core OS team. No replacement has yet been named for Jones, and Peterson's new role has not been announced.
Kai-Fu Lee, vice president of the Natural Interactive Services group, has left the company to help Google establish a research and development lab in China. Lee's group works on technologies that allow more natural interaction between users and their PCs, including speech recognition and advanced search and help. He has also contributed to Microsoft's strategy for doing business in China. One day after Lee announced his departure, Microsoft filed suit in a Washington State court (Microsoft's headquarters are in Washington State) to enforce confidentiality and noncompete agreements that Lee signed with the company.
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