News
A Change in Climate in Redmond
Microsoft moves into fiscal year 2008 with new leadership in several key areas of the Worldwide Partner Group. All report to the group's Corporate Vice President, Allison Watson, who recently announced the changes.
Julie Benanni, formerly of the Accenture consulting firm, becomes general manager of the Microsoft Partner Program. Benanni replaces Sherle Webb-Robins, who moves to the Enterprise Partner Group. (Kati Hvidtfeldt, previously senior director of ISV and Microsoft Business Solutions strategy, also moves to a new role elsewhere in Microsoft.)
Microsoft's non-enterprise partners are now segmented among three engines: the Solution Partner Engine run by Global Business Leader (GBL) Don Nelson, the ISV Partner Engine run by GBL Naseem Tuffaha and the newly formed Transaction Channel Engine run by GBL Jenni Flinders, whose previous post as the group's director of business management remained open at press time.
Two other WPG veterans will take on expanded roles: Marie Huwe, general manager of partner marketing, adds the title of GBL for Partner Strategy and Programs. Todd Weatherby becomes general manager of Small and Midmarket Solutions & Partners (SMS&P), adding coordination of product planning and roadmaps to his existing role of overseeing self-service platforms for partners and customers.
Worldwide Partner Group Organization and
Leadership FY 2008
Leadership Team |
| |
|
Allison Watson
Worldwide Partner
Group |
|
Amy Le
Executive Assistant |
|
|
Don Nelson
Solution Partners Engine |
Jenni Flinders
Trans-action Channel Engine |
Naseem Tuffaha
ISV Engine |
Julie Benanni
Microsoft Partner Program |
Marie Huwe
Marketing Strategy, Programs |
Todd Weatherby
SMS&P Partner Management |
TBD
Business Manage-
ment
|
| |
Extended Leadership Team |
| |
|
John Zanni
Hosting Partners
& Communi-cation Sector |
Peter Boit
Enterprise Partners Group |
TBD
Dynamics Partners |
|
|
In an effort to foster collaboration, Watson has created an Extended Leadership Team populated by representatives from other Microsoft groups. Current team members include John Zanni, who handles hosting partners for the Communication Sector team, and Peter Boit, a vice president who works with alliance partners in the Enterprise Partner Group. A third team member, who'll represent Dynamics partners, hadn't been named at press time.
About the Author
Anne Stuart, the former executive editor of Redmond Channel Partner, is a business technology freelance writer based in Boston, Mass.