CDN has learned that Greg Barber, a 23-year veteran of Microsoft Canada will be leaving his position as well as the subsidiary before the end of this year.
Barber’s departure was announced to the employees of Microsoft Canada and there is no word yet on a replacement for Barber who was vice president of Microsoft Canada’s consumer channels group.
Barber held arguably the coolest job at Microsoft Canada. He managed consumer marketing for Windows Mobile Phone, Xbox as well as retail sales for Windows PCs and Office. He was also responsible for OEM channels and sales through the service provider channel.
The most obvious executive to replace Barber inside the Canadian organization could be Laura Robinson, the vice president of retail sales and marketing at Microsoft Canada. But CDN has received no information yet on a possible successor to Barber.
Barber was instrumental in the launch of the Surface tablet in Canada. He also spearheaded the shift from selling the Surface device only through the Microsoft Store to retailers and then the full channel.
He said this about the move: “The only expansion we’ve done now beyond the Microsoft store is just to those (retail) partners. “We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from partners and we’re absolutely considering that feedback but we have nothing to communicate right now. But it’s encouraging, all the demand we’ve been getting.”
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The University of Laurier graduate also worked to engage customers on mobility and the hyper-competitive trend.
Barber’s eminent departure comes at a time when Microsoft is working on the rollout of its next flagship OS called Windows 10, skipping version 9 to underscore the company’s leap towards an operating system directed towards Internet services and mobile devices.
And, cut the price of its Surface 2 tablet devices by as much $100.
Recently Microsoft announced that four of the company’s board members will leave before the year ends.
Dave Marquardt, 65 and Dina Dublon,61, will not seek re-election to the board of directors and “will retire from the board at the expiration of their current term following the annual shareholders meeting in December, according to a statement from Microsoft.
Microsoft Corp. also announced that Teri List-Stoll, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Kraft Foods Group Inc., and Charles W. Scharf, chief executive officer of Visa Inc., have been appointed to the company’s board of directors and will join the board effective Oct. 1, 2014.
Back in March, Microsoft also saw the departure of Stephen Luczo, CEO of drive maker Seagate and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.