Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, shared the following communication with Microsoft employees this morning.

Throughout our 50-year history, we have consistently demonstrated our ability to adapt and transform in response to significant changes in the world and our industry. We are currently at the forefront of another such moment, with the rapid evolution of AI impacting every industry and business function.

To succeed in this environment, it is essential that we have the right product portfolio, business models, and talent, as well as optimized processes that meet changing customer expectations. This will enable us to thrive in the marketplace and achieve our goals.

In light of this, I have asked Kathleen Hogan to transition into a new role focused on defining our overarching corporate strategy and structure, as well as leading our ongoing transformation as a company. Kathleen will assume the role of EVP, Office of Strategy and Transformation, reporting directly to me.

Kathleen’s impact on Microsoft as Chief People Officer has been profound. Over the past decade, she has led our cultural transformation, embracing a growth mindset that has enabled us to seize new opportunities with agility and attract and retain world-class talent. Her extensive experience, including over 20 years at Microsoft and prior roles at McKinsey and Oracle, makes her uniquely suited to lead this work as we accelerate our pace of change across our people, processes, and portfolio. Kathleen will work closely with the Senior Leadership Team to chart our next phase of transformation, which requires both interpreting external trends and redefining our internal approach.

Kathleen and I have been discussing this transition and succession planning for some time, and we both agree that this is the critical juncture to apply new focus and intention to this work.

With this transition, I am pleased to announce that Amy Coleman will assume the role of EVP, Chief People Officer, leading our HR organization and joining the Senior Leadership Team, reporting to me.

Amy has led HR for our corporate functions across the company for the past six years, following various HR roles that have spanned 25 years. She has been a trusted advisor to both Kathleen and me, orchestrating many cross-company workstreams as we evolved our culture, improved our employee engagement model, established our employee relations team, and drove enterprise crisis response for our people. Amy’s commitment to operational excellence and high performance will be key in driving our continued success, and I am confident in the perspective, expertise, and thoughtful approach she will bring as we navigate the next phase of our journey.

Please join me in congratulating Kathleen and Amy on their new roles.

Satya