Microsoft has a new strategy chief to navigate its AI era

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is moving the company’s HR chief, Kathleen Hogan, into a new role focused on corporate strategy. Announced in an internal memo to Microsoft employees this morning, Hogan will report directly to Nadella and be responsible for strategy and transformation. Hogan has been at Microsoft for more than 20 years and spent […]

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is moving the company’s HR chief, Kathleen Hogan, into a new role focused on corporate strategy. Announced in an internal memo to Microsoft employees this morning, Hogan will report directly to Nadella and be responsible for strategy and transformation.

Hogan has been at Microsoft for more than 20 years and spent the past decade as the company’s chief people officer. She helped usher in a new work culture at Microsoft and took on the head of HR role shortly after Nadella became CEO in 2014. Now, Hogan has to steer strategy through the rapid changes of Microsoft’s AI era.

Microsoft hasn’t had someone in charge of corporate strategy for quite some time, so this is an interesting change. I’d have to think back to the Mark Penn and Steve Ballmer days to find a role that’s somewhat similar to what Hogan is taking on. Penn was responsible for strategy across Microsoft’s consumer-facing businesses, and he was behind the company’s anti-Google “Scroogled” effort before departing in 2015. I don’t think we’re going to see anything similar from Hogan, though.

“[Hogan] is recognized externally as a consequential HR leader transforming cu …

Read the full story at The Verge.