Remember the guy that wrote the infamous “burning platform” memo that marked the start of then powerhouse Nokia’s alliance with Microsoft before the latter eventually bought the former? After the acquisition process was completed, he moved back to Microsoft where he’s been the Executive Vice President of the Devices & Services business unit. With Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella restructuring the company, it has been announced that Elop is leaving.
In place of Elop’s former Devices and Services unit, Microsoft is consolidating its hardware and software divisions into a single division. The new division, named the Windows and Devices Group (WDG) incorporates the former Operating Systems Group headed by Terry Myerson and of course the former Microsoft Devices Group headed by Elop. Mr Myerson will now head the new WDG team. The team that will be in-charge of maintaining Windows 10 which arrives at the end of next month and spearhead the Lumia agenda across the globe as well as other hardware products like the Xbox One.
Other than Elop, other senior executives leaving the company as a result of the re-organization include the immediate former head of the Business Solutions Group, Kirill Tatarinov and Eric Rudder of Advanced Strategy. Executive Vice President and Chief Insights Officer Mark Penn who is fondly remembered by the tech press and not so fondly by Google fans for his Scroogled campaign, will be leaving the company in September.
Elop’s direct report during his stints both at Nokia and Microsoft, Jo Harlow, will also be leaving the company. Till today, she’s been the Corporate Vice President of the Phones Business Unit.
Here is the new senior executive lineup that will be calling the shots in Redmond:
- Satya Nadella – Chief Executive Officer
- Kevin Turner – Chief Operating Officer
- Amy Hood – Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
- Chris Capossela – Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer
- Kurt DelBene – Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Planning
- Scott Guthrie – Executive Vice President, Cloud and Enterprise
- Kathleen Hogan – Executive Vice President, Human Resources
- Peggy Johnson – Executive Vice President, Business Development
- Qi Lu – Executive Vice President, Applications and Services Group
- Terry Myerson – Executive Vice President, Windows and Devices Group
- Harry Shum – Executive Vice President, Technology and Research
- Brad Smith – Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Legal and Corporate Affairs
It is interesting to note that as per that new lineup, there’s finally no face from the Skype and Nokia acquisitions.
