Microsoft appoints Corporate Vice-President for Europe Middle-East Africa

Michel van der Bel to take on EMEA lead with focus on digital transformation

London, July 17, 2016 – Microsoft has announced Michel van der Bel as the new Corporate Vice-President of Europe, Middle-East and Africa. In his new role, van der Bel will lead Microsoft’s business across EMEA which includes 32 subsidiaries incorporating 134 markets and close to 20,000 Microsoft employees.

In his new role, van der Bel will be responsible for the marketing, sales and operations across the company’s product and services portfolio in these markets and will lead the accelerated transformation of Microsoft into a leading productivity and platform provider for the cloud-first, mobile-first era in EMEA. Van der Bel will also help customers and partners be successful in accelerating their own digital transformation by harnessing the full potential of the Microsoft cloud.

Commenting on the appointment, Jean-Philippe Courtois, Executive Vice President of Microsoft Global Sales, Marketing & Operations said: “At Microsoft we have a clear mission – to enable every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. From Hammerfest to Cape Town, Europe Middle-East and Africa is an interesting and diverse blend of developed and emerging markets. Michel brings the right background and leadership to manage this diversity and help teams be successful.”

“I am very proud and excited to lead the areas in Europe Middle-East Africa at such a pivotal time in our company’s history. Ever since 1982, EMEA has a very strong Microsoft heritage in both developed and emerging markets and together, we have a great opportunity to accelerate digital transformation with our customers and partners and maximize growth across all aspects of our business”, van der Bel said.

Most recently, van der Bel was Area Vice President for Microsoft UK, a role he held since April 2012, having previously served as chief operating officer for Microsoft in Greater China. A 13 year Microsoft veteran, van der Bel started his career at Microsoft in the Netherlands.

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