News
Top Windows Exec to Head HP Software
- By Lee Pender
- June 01, 2010
One of the main architects of the Windows 7 success left Microsoft in January. But he's back, and he's going to ply his trade for the software business of one of Microsoft's biggest and oldest partners.
Bill Veghte, former head of the $15 billion Microsoft Windows unit, last month arrived at Hewlett-Packard Co., where he's running the $3.6 billion HP enterprise software business. The group covers the company's IT management, information management and business intelligence tools. Also he will oversee HP communications and media software targeted at the company's services provider sector. Veghte will report to Ann Livermore, executive VP of the HP enterprise business.
"Expanding our software and solutions business is critical to HP and Bill's broad experience across sales, marketing and engineering will be instrumental in driving this business forward and in strengthening our strategic partnerships with our clients," Livermore said in a statement.
Bill Veghte, former head of the Microsoft Windows team, is now running the enterprise software business for Hewlett-Packard Co.
It appears Veghte found what he was looking for when he left Microsoft back in January. When Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced Veghte's departure he said the following: "Bill has indicated a desire to run a business in a more end-to-end fashion and continue to explore new areas in the broad technology, communications and services sectors."
While Ballmer probably didn't have any problem with Veghte arriving at the doorstep of Microsoft's biggest partner, the Microsoft CEO probably wasn't as happy to learn that another former high-ranking Microsoft executive, Maria Martinez, has landed at CRM in the cloud archrival Salesforce.com Inc., less than a year after she retired from Microsoft.
Saleforce.com hired Martinez as executive vice president of Customers for Life, the Salesforce.com department dedicated, obviously enough, to customer retention. She'll report to Frank van Veenendaal, president of worldwide sales and services.
Martinez left Microsoft last July as corporate vice president of Microsoft Services, a position of special interest to large Microsoft partners.
About the Author
Lee Pender is Redmond Channel Partner magazine's senior editor. You can reach him at lpender@rcpmag.com.