REDMOND, Wash., April 1, 2003 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that Debra Chrapaty is joining the company as corporate vice president of MSN® Operations, responsible for the operational infrastructure and global network for all the Web properties of the MSN network of Internet services including the MSN portal, the MSN Hotmail®
Web-based e-mail service, MSN Messenger Service and Passport.
Chrapaty brings more than a decade of experience in leading technical strategy and solutions development for a variety of financial services, media and sports entertainment sites as well as online communities and Internet marketing companies. Chrapaty reports to David Cole, senior vice president of Microsoft’s MSN and Personal Services Division, working closely with him and the MSN Senior Leadership Team to help drive strategy for the division.
“Debra’s deep operational experience will provide the management leadership we need to not only drive improvements in service quality and customer satisfaction but help us elevate our business strategy to the next level,” Cole said. “Hiring someone of Debra’s high caliber to run MSN Operations signals our commitment to delivering high-quality products and services to our customers.”
Chrapaty said she decided to join Microsoft to continue her professional experience with a company committed to maximizing the MSN experience through expanded features and functionality, and improved reliability. “Reliable, available, real-time service is what makes a product truly great. I look forward to applying my experience in managing real-time operational environments at MSN to deliver excellent services to our customers 24×7,” Chrapaty said. “For our MSN customers, it needs to be more than just any time, anywhere; it must be every time, everywhere.”
Previously, Chrapaty was senior vice president of technology of Organic Inc., an Internet marketing company, where she led development of the company’s technical strategy and managed all partnerships, strategic alliances and marketing agreements to help the firm’s clients build relationships with their customers online. Before joining Organic, Chrapaty was president and chief operations officer (COO) for AllBusiness Inc., where she managed the company’s Internet portal, AllBusiness.com, to provide access to a variety of tools, services, products, business information and expert advice for more than 2 million small-business customers. Earlier in her career, she spent three years with E*TRADE Group Inc., where she was president and COO, responsible for all aspects of the information technology and telecommunications infrastructure for the leader in online investing. Chrapaty also spent three years as chief technology officer for the National Basketball Association (NBA), where she managed the technology and telecommunications infrastructure and served as a key technical liaison for the development of the NBA.com fan Web site. She also has held a variety of executive- and management-level positions at companies such as Bertelsmann AG, EMI Records Group Inc. and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
A recognized leader in the industry, Chrapaty has received several prestigious awards, including Information Week’s 1998 Chief of the Year Award for her numerous accomplishments at E*TRADE. She also was named one of the Top 100 Leaders for the Next Millennium by CIO Magazine, and her former company’s online business community, AllBusiness.com, was named to Forbes Magazine’s 2001 list of Top 10 B-to-B Sites.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
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