Microsoft reshuffles financial services execs

With the restructuring, announced Monday, a couple of new roles were created and others became more defined, a Microsoft representative said. The move marks the latest change the company has implemented to its operations and management structure as it seeks to become more agile when responding to shifts in market conditions and customers needs.

The financial services group, which has previously concentrated on the banking, capital markets and insurance industries to sell certain products, will now have three industry solution directors assigned to each market. These directors will oversee the selling of products that address specific needs of a particular industry.

The directors will draw on their industry experience to oversee direct sales quotas, relay customer feedback to Microsoft's product groups and answer customers' questions, the company said. Microsoft partner and marketing managers, as well as technologists, who specialize in these three industries, will report to the directors.

"In short, we must expand our market share and grow the top-line revenues," Rich Feldmann, managing director of Microsoft's U.S. financial services group, said in a statement. "We have realigned our management team to more effectively marry our industry expertise in banking, capital markets and insurance directly with the sales organization, thus creating three vertical units geared toward driving industry-specific revenue in...2007." The three directors will report to Feldmann.

Bill Hartnett, former general manager of Microsoft's financial services strategy and solutions, will now serve as general manager and industry director of Microsoft's U.S. insurance solutions group. Hartnett is a former insurance industry executive.

Kevin Kelly, former managing director of the U.S. insurance industry, will now report to Hartnett and assume the title of marketing director for the U.S. insurance industry.

Dennis Maroney will remain managing director of Microsoft's worldwide financial services group's insurance efforts.

Craig Saint-Amour, who previously served as head of Sun Microsystems' capital markets sales, will operate in a similar role as industry solutions director for Microsoft's U.S. capital markets. He is taking over that role following the resignation of Kenny McBride, former global industry manager for capital markets and securities, who stepped down several months ago to take a position with Verizon's capital markets group, a Microsoft representative said.

Microsoft named Greg Haislip, who previously oversaw its industry sales specialist unit, as industry solutions director for the U.S. banking industry. Warren Lewis, former managing director of banking for Microsoft's financial services group, will now be marketing director for the banking industry and report to Haislip.

David Vander, managing director of Microsoft's global banking efforts for the financial services group, remains in his current position.

Tracy Issel, who was appointed general manager of the financial services group in 2004, also remains in her current position, with Feldmann reporting to her.