On Could 25, Microsoft introduced that Robbie Bach, the President of the company;s Enjoyment & Devices division will be retiring and won;t be replaced.
(Chief Experience Officer J Allard is out, too. Allard is saying he isn;t going to Google or Apple, but is thinking more about doing something in adventure sports.)
Microsoft isn;t replacing Bach; instead they are dividing his responsibilities. Mobile goes to Senior Vice President Andy Lees and gaming to Senior Vice President Don Mattrick. Lees and Mattrick will both report directly to CEO Steve Ballmer as part with the new reorg.
Here;s Ballmer;s e-mail to the troops:
From: Steve Ballmer
Sent: Tuesday, Could possibly 25,
Office 2007 Pro, 2010 8:01 AM
To: Microsoft - All Employees (QBDG)
Subject: Executive Leadership Transitions
After almost 22 years using the enterprise, Robbie Bach has decided to retire from Microsoft. I have worked with Robbie during his entire tenure at Microsoft, and count him as both a friend and a great internet business partner and leader. Robbie has always had great timing, and is going out on a high note — this has been a phenomenal year for E&D overall, and together with the coming launches of both Windows Phone 7 and “Project Natal,” the rest of the year looks stupendous as nicely. While we are announcing Robbie’s retirement today, he will remain here through the fall, ensuring we have a smooth transition.
Concurrent with Robbie’s retirement, I am making several organization changes to ensure we have the right leaders in the right positions as we set ourselves up for the next big wave of products and services. Effective July 1, Don Mattrick, who leads our interactive entertainment home business, and Andy Lees, who leads our mobile communications company, will report directly to me. Don and Andy have built out strong leadership teams and product pipelines, and are well-positioned for the years ahead. Independent of Robbie’s decision, J Allard (currently serving as senior vice president of Design and Development for E&D), will also be leaving Microsoft. Given his ongoing passion and commitment to Microsoft, he will remain as an advisor to me, helping incubation efforts, looking at design and UI, and providing a cross-company perspective on these and similar topics. With J’s change in role, corporate vice president David Treadwell will join IEB to lead the core technology organization,
Office Professional Plus, reporting to Don. David has a great set of accomplishments at Microsoft, most recently working on the Windows Live Platform Services team. Over the next several months, Robbie and I will work together to finalize reporting and structure for the rest of his org.
Now that
Office 2010 has been launched to internet business customers, Antoine Leblond, senior vice president in the
Office Productivity Applications Group, will take a new role as senior vice president for the Windows Web Services team. This team brings together the integral Windows services that today deliver updates, solutions, community and depth information for the Windows consumer. Kurt DelBene, senior vice president in the Office Enterprise Productivity Group, will take on all with the engineering responsibilities for the Office small business.
Transitions are always hard. Robbie has been an instrumental part of so many key moments in Microsoft history — from the evolution of Office to the decision to create the first Xbox to pushing the enterprise hard in amusement overall. J as properly has had a great impact in the market and on our culture, providing leadership in design, and in creating a passionate and involved Xbox community, and earlier being at the center of our work seizing the importance of the Web for the firm. But most important, both have been great team builders with a strong record of attracting, coaching and growing talent. As a result, their teams are primed to continue to step up and deliver great products, great services and great results for the company. Don has led the Interactive Enjoyment Small business since July 2007, where he’s significantly grown our amusement footprint as well as our profitability. He can count as successes the evolution of Xbox Live, the launch of blockbusters like “Halo 3” and the much-anticipated “Project Natal.” Previously,
Windows 7 Home Premium Product Key, Don was president of Electronic Arts Worldwide Studios. Andy has led the Mobile Communications Home business since February, 2008, and has been instrumental in reinvigorating our mobility efforts,
Office Pro 2007, bringing in new business enterprise and development talent and overseeing the creation of both KIN and Windows Phone 7.
As we finalize and ship so many of our key products (“Project Natal,
Office Home And Business 2010,” Windows Phone 7,
Office 2010, Windows Live Wave 4 and others) it is a natural time for us to look ahead and make sure we have the right talent in the right roles to fuel our next set of offerings. I am confident that the changes above will set us up nicely for the months and years ahead.
I want to close by thanking Robbie for the incalculable contributions he has made to Microsoft over the years. He will be greatly missed when he retires this fall, and I am glad that I’ll have the opportunity to continue working closely with him between now and then. And as J makes a similar transition, I look forward to working with him in a new way.
Steve
Office Pro CEO Ballmer's e-mail on Microsoft's ent
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