Executive Biographies

Katie Burford is the Marketing Director for Microsoft in Australia and New Zealand, where she leads commercial marketing across the region. In this role, she oversees a team driving customer-centric campaigns, as well as large-scale marketing programs and events that advance AI transformation and business growth. She serves on both the Microsoft ANZ leadership team and the Microsoft CMO Asia marketing leadership team.

For more than 20 years, Katie has built her career in technology marketing and communications, including senior roles at Microsoft and previous positions at IBM and other global organisations. She has worked across Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Europe, leading major experiential marketing, brand communications and public relations, and product marketing initiatives. This broad background has honed her expertise in integrated go-to-market strategy and marketing campaigns.

A collaborative and data-driven leader, Katie is passionate about storytelling and building high-performing teams that connect customers with innovative solutions. She lives in Melbourne with her husband, daughter and chocolate Burmese cat. She holds a Bachelor of Communications and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Bond University.