REDMOND, Wash., May 8, 2001 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that Raymond V. Gilmartin, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Merck & Company Inc., will join the company’s board of directors. Since June 1994, Gilmartin has served in his current capacity at Merck, one of the world’s largest research-based pharmaceutical companies.
“We are very pleased to have Ray joining our board,”
said Bill Gates, Microsoft chairman and chief software architect.
“Ray takes a long-term perspective on business strategy and understands what is required for success in a very competitive marketplace – he is also known for his work to improve healthcare for people worldwide.”
“It is a great privilege to serve on the board of a company whose products continue to revolutionize business,”
Gilmartin said.
“I look forward to being a part of Microsoft’s future and helping oversee the development of the company’s next generation of products and services.”
Before joining Merck, Gilmartin was chairman, president and chief executive officer of Becton Dickinson and Co., a global healthcare manufacturing company specializing in high-volume medical supplies and diagnostic products.
In addition to serving on the boards of directors for General Mills Inc. and the Public Service Enterprise Group, Gilmartin is an active participant in health industry affairs. He is chairman of the Healthcare Institute of New Jersey and serves on the executive committee for the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America, where he once was chairman. Gilmartin also is a trustee of the Healthcare Leadership Council, a group dedicated to excellence in America’s healthcare system. Further, Gilmartin serves as chairman of the Council on Competitiveness and as chairman of the board of associates of the Harvard Business School. In addition, he is a director of The College Fund/UNCF and is a member of the Business Roundtable and the Business Council.
Gilmartin received his bachelor of science degree from Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
The Microsoft board of directors includes Steven Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft; Gates; David Marquardt, general partner, August Capital; Ann McLaughlin, chairman emeritus, The Aspen Institute, and senior adviser, Benedetto and Gartland & Company Inc.; W.G. Reed Jr., chairman of the board, Simpson Investment Company (retired); and Jon Shirley, president and chief operating officer, Microsoft (retired).
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