Leadership shake-up at Microsoft

Microsoft UK has announced a number of moves in its leadership team including that its current chief operating officer, Clare Barclay, will become chief executive officer.

Barclay has worked at Microsoft for 22 years across a number of sales, marketing and strategy leadership roles. As CEO, she will now be responsible for all of Microsoft’s commercial product, service and support offerings in the UK, and for continuing the company’s growth in the new era of the intelligent cloud and the intelligent edge.

Barclay steps into the shoes of Cindy Rose, who will become president for Microsoft’s business across Western Europe, succeeding Vahé Torossian, who will lead Microsoft’s business applications division at the company’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington.

Commenting on Barclay’s appointment, Ralph Haupter, president EMEA at Microsoft, said: “I could not be more delighted that Clare is stepping up to lead Microsoft in the UK. She brings deep insight to our customers’ and partners’ needs as well as exceptional leadership qualities, having repeatedly built high-performing teams across Microsoft.

“I am also delighted by Cindy’s appointment to lead our business in Western Europe. Her success in leading the UK over the last four years is built on her laser focus on doing the right thing for all our customers, bringing the best of Microsoft together to meet their needs and building an inclusive and healthy culture. I look forward to her bringing these qualities to her new role.”

Microsoft has also selected Gavin Jackson, former CEO of EMEA for UiPath, as its managing director of Microsoft UK’s enterprise commercial business.

Prior to UiPath, Jackson spent more than four years at Amazon Web Services, where he oversaw its UK and EU operations. He was responsible for leading teams and implementing strategic initiatives that helped customers adopt a cloud-first strategy as part of their digital transformation journey.

He said: “I am excited to join Microsoft, whose cloud business has gone from strength to strength in the UK, thanks to a reputation for supporting businesses on their digital transformation journeys. I look forward to working with this world-class team to take the commercial business to the next level.”