A Change in Climate in Redmond -- Redmondmag.com

A Change in Climate in Redmond

By Anne Stuart
06/26/2007

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.

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