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Microsoft expects CEO appointment early 2014 [December 17, 2013] By Bill Rigby SEATTLE (Reuters) — The board member leading Microsoft Corp's search for a new chief executive said on Tuesday he expects an appointment to be made early next year, the first time the board has been so specific on timing. |
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The announcement suggests the world's biggest
software company is nearing the end of its search for a new
leader, which began in August when Steve Ballmer announced his
plan to retire within 12 months. Microsoft pledged to pick a successor within that timeframe,
although most investors had expected the process to be finished
by December or January. "It's a complex job. I don't think it's surprising that it is
taking some time to try to find the right person," said Kirk
Materne, an analyst at Evercore Partners. Microsoft shares were down 1.1 percent at $36.47 on Nasdaq. "We're moving ahead well, and I expect we'll complete our work
in the early part of 2014," Microsoft lead independent director
John Thompson said in a blog post on the company's website. Thompson is leading the four-man committee to find a new CEO,
which includes co-founder and chairman Bill Gates. Sources familiar with the search process have told Reuters that
the committee is down to a "handful" of candidates, including
Ford Motor Co CEO Alan Mulally, at least one external candidate
from the technology industry and one or two internal candidates. "We identified over 100 possible candidates, talked with several
dozen and then focused our energy intensely on a group of about
20 individuals," said Thompson in the blog. "As this group has
narrowed, we've done deeper research and investigation,
including with the full board." Intense speculation has surrounded Ford's Mulally as a leading
candidate. He has not denied interest in the job, but has
repeatedly said he enjoys working at Ford, where he is slated to
remain through 2014. Last week it was reported that Qualcomm Inc executive Steve
Mollenkopf was a leading candidate for the job, but the chip
maker forestalled that by making him CEO. In choosing between Mulally, a candidate from the technology
industry, and its own ranks of executives, Microsoft must make a
decision on how much it desires large-scale management
experience or deep technical knowledge in its CEO. On Tuesday, Thompson's blog emphasized the tech-heavy
requirements of the position: "This is a complex role to fill,
involving a complex business model and the ability to lead a
highly technical organization and work with top technical
talent." (Additional reporting by Poornima Gupta in San Francisco; editing by Leslie Gevirtz, Bernard Orr) [© 2013 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.] Copyright 2013 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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