Two years after CEO Satya Nadella took the helm, Microsoft is not done seeing big changes to its senior leadership team. Chief operating officer Kevin Turner, who was previously in charge of Microsoft’s global sales operation, has left the Redmond tech giant, reports Business Insider.
Turner was one of the pillars left from the administration board of previous Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, with 11 years at the helm of Microsoft’s sales effort across 191 countries, and a prior track record of CEO and CIO positions at giants like Wal-Mart. In fact, Turner was one of the candidates to become Microsoft’s CEO post-Ballmer, the position that then-Azure chief Satya Nadella ultimately took.
Turner’s new destination will be at leading financial firm Citadel Securities, where he will be replacing founder Kenneth Griffin as CEO, while also serving as Vice Chairman of the Firm. Citadel Securities and Griffin praises Turner’s leadership prowess and experience at major corporations, as well as his technology initiatives during the long career.
“Kevin is a world-class business builder with experience managing large and complex organizations. He will be an outstanding leader for Citadel Securities,”
– Kenneth Griffin, CEO and Founder, Citadel Securities
Turner’s departure may be a great loss for Microsoft, as the man was reportedly responsible for Office 365’s and Azure’s current success. Nevertheless, this also means that there will be some new blood joining the senior admin board at Redmond, who may take the company into unexpected, and ultimately exciting, new directions. For now, we thank Turner for his contributions at Microsoft, and wish him well in his new position at the front of Citadel Securities.
In feature image: Kevin Turner, Microsoft COO. Credits: Microsoft
