Thompson Joins Board of Directors

John W. Thompson, a former CEO of Symantec, was appointed to Microsoft’s board of directors in Feb. 2012. Thompson’s appointment brings the board back to 10 members by filling the vacancy created when James Cash, a Harvard University business professor, did not stand for reelection. Thompson brings additional technical expertise to the board at a time when Microsoft faces several challenges as it moves forward traditional products, such as Windows and Office, and expands into new areas, such as Windows Azure’s cloud-based services.

Thompson Brings Partner and Cloud View

Thompson is currently the CEO of Virtual Instruments, a privately held company that provides hardware, software, and services for real-time monitoring and analysis of cloud computing environments. Thompson was previously the chairman of the board and CEO of Symantec, a Microsoft partner, and he left these positions in 2011 and 2009, respectively.

Like other members of the Microsoft board who are not Microsoft employees, Thompson will receive a total annual retainer of $250,000 per year, with approximately $150,000 of the retainer provided in the form of a stock award. In addition, Microsoft will indemnify, defend, and hold Thompson harmless for actions and expenses incurred for service on the board (as it does for all of its directors). (For details of the current board, see the chart “Board Members and Roles“.)