Microsoft announced a reorganization the week of June 26 that moved its SMS&P (Small and Midmarket Solutions and Partners) group from Midsize Business Solutions to report directly to Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner, and sent Orlando Ayala, vice president of SMS&P, out of the organization altogether to become senior vice president of the Emerging Segments Market Development Group.
In an internal e-mail sent to the Worldwide Sales, Marketing & Services Group and executive staff, Turner explained the decision and applauded all involved.
Here is the text of Turner’s e-mail:
From: Kevin Turner
Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2006 2:26 PM
To: WW Sales, Marketing & Services Group; Executive Staff
Subject: SMSG Announcement
I want to welcome SMS&P into SMSG, and announce 3 important leadership changes to help us drive our growth in FY07! I am very excited about today’s announcements and want to share my thoughts about how this will position Microsoft and our field to accelerate our progress, and complement our ability to grow and WIN in the marketplace. This move was supported by Jeff Raikes and Doug Burgum and we agreed that it enables us to expand our delivery of world class customer and partner experiences resulting in the highest level of satisfaction in the industry. By aligning SMS&P within SMSG and with our Field Operating Framework of WIN customers, DRIVE satisfaction, GROW our business, INNOVATE and by taking care of our PEOPLE, we will bring tremendous momentum to our overall objective of executing excellence in the marketplace.
Microsoft’s focus on small and medium businesses and our partner ecosystem has been a pillar to our success as a company. Aligning SMS&P within the larger field sales organization will provide an even stronger focus on these customers and partners and drive more inclusion on our breadth customers and our partner ecosystem going forward. As I have traveled around the world this last year I made a point to interact with both customers and partners to learn more about the opportunities we have to grow our business with them and our opportunity to grow our revenue with our partners is huge going forward.
I’m also pleased to announce the creation of the Emerging Segments Market Development Group (ESMD) within SMSG. Microsoft has tremendous opportunity to drive growth, help create new markets and become an industry leader in the delivery of business and technology innovations for both consumers and small companies in the untapped Emerging Segments marketplace worldwide. The best way for us to achieve our mission of “Helping Customers and Businesses Realize Their Full Potential” in these Emerging Segments requires an SMSG team dedicated to the challenge. This team will partner with key groups around the company, especially Will Poole’s Market Expansion Group, and Jean-Philippe Courtois and all the field leaders within MS International.
We needed a passionate and experienced leader to make sure that ESMD is successful. I’m pleased to announce that Orlando Ayala has eagerly stepped forward to take on this challenge! Orlando will be the new leader of ESMD, reporting directly to me as Senior Vice-President. Orlando is a tremendous role model of someone that is willing to take on big challenges while bringing a tremendous passion to drive strategic activities for our company.
I also want to thank Orlando for his outstanding leadership and business results within both SMS&P and MBS and look forward to seeing great progress within our Emerging Segments in the future. Orlando is a very unique individual who has had a tremendous impact over the last several years in helping to build and develop our SMSG field sales team. Orlando will be missed by the SMS&P and MBS teams but his passion for results will live on in those organizations and will carry over in our Emerging Segments.
Finding someone to fill Orlando’s shoes was a big challenge. I am happy to announce that Eduardo Rosini is being promoted to Corporate Vice-President, WW SMS&P, reporting directly to me. I am very excited that Eduardo is taking on this new challenge after a very successful role as the Vice President for Asia Pacific (APAC) Region. Eduardo has done a fantastic job of leading APAC to new levels of success, and he has been a valuable contributor of the MS International leadership team. He and his leadership team have grown the business, established strong relationships with governments, key customers and partners and helped build great organizational capability across the APAC area.
Prior to leading APAC, Eduardo was the Regional Vice President for HED in EMEA. He has also held various leadership responsibilities in other markets, including an assignment in Japan for HED and a leadership role in the Enterprise and Partner Group based in Redmond. Earlier in his career Eduardo was also the General Manager of Microsoft Argentina and a Business Manager for Robbie Bach.
Partners are critical to our past success and they will be a key part of our future success as a company. As I have evaluated our Partner ecosystem, I am super excited about the opportunity to further leverage, elevate and continually improve our partner channel. Allison Watson and her team have done a very good job in helping drive successful partnerships in multiple channels across the world and teaming with Partners at all levels to drive and improve our partner and customer satisfaction for Microsoft. To further strengthen our continued commitment to our partner channel, I am proud that we have a leader as talented as Allison Watson and I am pleased to announce she is being promoted to Corporate Vice President, reporting to Eduardo. We will rely on Allison and her team to help us take our end to end partner strategy and ecosystem to the next level!
Allison has done an outstanding job in her role as Vice President, Worldwide Partner and Small Business Group, leading the launch of the new Microsoft Partner Program and achieving an all-time high in partner satisfaction by creating business value and profitable partner opportunities in the marketplace.
Prior to her current role, Allison has held a variety of leadership positions including Business Manager for Kevin Johnson and General Manager for the U.S. Mid-Atlantic District.
In closing – I strongly believe that FY07 is going to be a breakthrough year for Microsoft, SMSG, SMS&P and with our Partners. Our challenge is to stay focused on providing continued business value to our customers and our partners. Microsoft’s number one asset is, and will remain, our PEOPLE and whether you are an individual contributor or a manager at any level, your passion and drive is the real key to our success.
Please join me in congratulating Orlando, Eduardo and Allison on these exciting new business opportunities!
Thank YOU For all That You Do!
Kevin
Click here to read Doug Burgum’s thank you note to Ayala and staff.