Microsoft Announces Retirement and Transition Plan for Jeff Raikes, President of the Microsoft Business Division

REDMOND, Wash. — Jan. 10, 2008 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that, effective September 2008, Jeff Raikes, president of the Microsoft Business Division (MBD), will retire from the company following a nine-month transition to ensure a smooth transfer of his daily responsibilities and management of the division.

The company also announced that Stephen Elop, formerly chief operating officer (COO) at Juniper Networks Inc., has been hired as president of the Microsoft Business Division. Elop will start at Microsoft at the end of January and assume responsibility for the Information Worker, Microsoft Business Solutions and Unified Communications businesses — all previously led by Raikes. Bob Muglia, senior vice president of the Server and Tools Business, will move to report directly to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and continue managing the Server and Tools Business. Between now and his retirement, Raikes will continue to serve as a member of the company’s senior leadership team responsible for developing and guiding Microsoft’s core business strategy.



Jeff Raikes

“Since 1981, I’ve had an incredible journey here at Microsoft. Given the success of our business and the depth of leadership we have in place today, the time is right for me to leave the MBD business in the capable hands of our new generation of leaders,” Raikes said. “I remain committed to Microsoft and will work full time between now and September when I retire. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to working closely with Stephen and the MBD leadership team to ensure a smooth transition.”

Under Raikes’ leadership, MBD has grown to include a broad range of business productivity offerings including the Microsoft Office system, Microsoft Dynamics and Microsoft Exchange Server. During this same period, the MBD business has nearly doubled, to more than $16 billion (U.S.) in annual revenue. Similarly, the company’s Server and Tools Business, under Muglia, has also enjoyed strong success, with 21 consecutive quarters of double-digit financial growth reflecting the success of a robust set of server software and tools offerings in a very competitive marketplace.

“There is no overstating the incredible impact Jeff has had during his amazing career at Microsoft. Leading our business division, Jeff and his team have delivered terrific results while reshaping and expanding the portfolio of our business-related products and services to ensure a very healthy future for our customers, partners and Microsoft,” Ballmer said. “I’m confident that the deep and talented team we’ve got in place to fill Jeff’s shoes will continue focusing on fulfilling the needs of our business customers around the globe. I’m looking forward to working with Stephen to drive the business forward.”



Stephen Elop

While at Juniper Networks, a leading provider of high-performance network infrastructure and a valued Microsoft partner, Elop was responsible for all the company’s product groups, corporate development, global sales and service, and marketing and manufacturing organizations.

“Throughout my career, whether I’ve been working on collaboration tools, digital media, or, most recently, network infrastructure at Juniper Networks, I’ve always been driven by my passion for technology and the impact it has on people and organizations,” Elop said. “I’m thrilled to be joining Microsoft, whose software and services touch literally hundreds of millions of people around the globe each day. I look forward to building on the great foundation Jeff and his team have established for the Microsoft Business Division.”

“The addition of Stephen and his wealth of experience in the technology industry is a great example of how we continue to add new talent to help manage our growing portfolio of businesses,” Ballmer said. “Stephen brings with him a proven track record of success in a range of business and technology areas that map closely to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for our MBD business.”

Before Juniper, Elop, 44, served as president of worldwide field operations at Adobe Systems Inc., where he was responsible for Adobe’s global sales organization and all customer-facing functions. Elop joined Adobe following the 2005 acquisition of Macromedia Inc., where he was president and CEO. During his seven-year tenure at Macromedia, Elop held many senior positions, including COO, executive vice president of worldwide field operations and general manager of the company’s eBusiness division. Earlier in his career, he served in a number of executive positions, including chief information officer. Elop earned a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and management from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

Raikes, 49, joined Microsoft in 1981 and spent his early years driving the company’s applications marketing strategy and success in graphical applications for the Apple Macintosh and the Microsoft Windows operating system. As director of Applications Marketing, he shaped the product strategy and design of Microsoft Office, the world’s leading business productivity suite. In 1990, Raikes was promoted to vice president of Office Systems. From 1992 to 2000, he was responsible for Microsoft’s sales, marketing and service initiatives, and became group vice president of the Worldwide Sales and Support Group. In 2000, Raikes returned to the business groups to focus on growing Microsoft’s productivity applications, expanding the business well beyond core productivity software to include unified communications, business intelligence, business applications and services.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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