Microsoft executive changes aimed at access goal

By Nancy Weil
IDG News Service, 12/06/99

Microsoft today announced a flurry of management and organizational changes aimed at bolstering the company's Internet and small business presence.

Company President Steve Ballmer announced that Jim Allchin was promoted to group vice president of the Platforms Group with responsibility for the Windows line and streaming media. He has been with Microsoft since 1990 and previously led development and marketing of the company's high-end systems software, including Windows 2000.

Allchin announced that the Consumer Windows Division and Business and Enterprise Division have been combined to create the Windows Division. Brian Valentine will lead the new division as senior vice president. He has been with Microsoft since 1987 and has been part of the management of Windows 2000, Exchange and BackOffice. Vice President Deborah Willingham will now oversee Windows marketing, reporting to Allchin. Anthony Bay has been promoted to vice president of streaming media.

Bob Muglia was promoted to group vice president of the Business Productivity Group and is in charge of managing development of Microsoft Office, the BackOffice line and software for "productivity appliances" like handheld PCs, electronic books and the like. He started at the company in 1988 and had been senior vice president of the former Applications and Tools Group.

Muglia announced that the company has created a Small Business Division designed to pull together e-commerce and knowledge worker services for small businesses. That division also will include bCentral, a Web-based business portal overseen by Satya Nadella. Muglia also announced that Steven Sinofsky has been promoted to senior vice president of Microsoft Office, and Paul Gross has been promoted to senior vice president of Server Applications while Brian McDonald has been named vice president of New Application Technologies.

The Consumer and Commerce Group has been renamed the Consumer Group. Vice President Rick Belluzzo will head the recently realigned Consumer Group. Belluzzo announced that the group would now include the new Consumer Services Division, which David Cole will oversee as a senior vice president.

Among its charges, the consumer division is supposed to work on providing communication and collaboration services and consumer Internet access, "anytime, anywhere and on any device," according to Microsoft.

Belluzzo further announced that the company's Home and Retail Division, overseen by Vice President Robbie Bach, and the Consumer Strategy and Partnerships division, led by Vice President Hank Vigil, are now part of the new Consumer Group.

All told, the Consumer Group will include seven divisions reporting to Belluzzo. Its management includes Bach, Vigil and Cole; Brad Chase, senior vice president of MSN.com; Jon DeVaan, senior vice president of the TV Service and Platform Business; Lewis Levin, vice president of TransPoint; and Moshe Lichtman, vice president of CG International. Developer Group Vice President Paul Maritz said that David Vaskevitch has been promoted to senior vice president of that group and Paul Flessner has been named vice president for SQL Server.