Microsoft executive shake-up continues: New CIO appointed

Microsoft’s executive shake up continues with yet another appointment from outside its ranks. Tony Scott, former CIO for Walt Disney, has been given the same role at Microsoft, starting in February. He replaces Stuart Scott, who left Microsoft in November.

Scott, who will also be a corporate vice president, will take charge of Microsoft’s IT organization, a 4,000 person outfit responsible for all of the company’s technology systems that they sell worldwide, its marketing and service operations, and the enterprise systems and applications for all corporate processes.

Scott was the first CIO at Disney to manage the company’s entire IT systems. The rest of Scott’s CV is just as impressive - he was CTO at General Motors and vice-president of operations at Bristol-Meyer’s Squibb.

The past six months has seen a whole host of new faces appointed to the upper management at Microsoft. Recent appointees include Dan Reed, Microsoft Research director of scalable and multi-core computing in November; Robert Youngjohns, president of North American sales and marketing and corporate vice president in November; Brian McAndrews, senior vice president, Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group in August; and Don Mattick, senior vice president, Interactive Entertainment Business in July. More new faces are expected in the near future as just last week Microsoft confirmed three further executive departures.

Aside from CEO Steve Ballmer, and president of entertainment and devices, Robbie Back, most of the company’s top executives have joined the company in the last three years.