Microsoft is once again playing executive shuffle, this time with former Windows Phone chief Andy Lees, whose corporate bio mysteriously vanished from the company roster overnight.
AllThingsD reported Thursday that Lees, Microsoft's vice president of Corporate Strategy and Development, appears to have stepped down from that position after only seven months at the helm.
Lees is a Microsoft veteran punted from his previous Windows Phone leadership position in 2011. He plans a "sabbatical" with his family in the United Kingdom this summer, but will return to a new, as yet unknown, position within the company upon his return.
The departure appears to be confirmed by the removal of Lees' bio from Microsoft's list of Senior Leaders, although the company has yet to issue a public statement on the matter.
Shuffling the deck
Prior to landing the corporate strategy gig, Lees held a more vague role under Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer, with previous tours of duty in worldwide sales and marketing as well as Microsoft's server and tools division.
"I have asked Andy Lees to move to a new role working for me on a time-critical opportunity focused on driving maximum impact in 2012 with Windows Phone and Windows 8," a Ballmer corporate memo explained at the time.
The report notes former Lees lieutenant Marc Brown will now handle corporate development, while Charlie Songhurst remains as head of corporate strategy, who will report to Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood.
The question now is, what kind of role will Andy Lees return to later this year? TechRadar has requested comment from Microsoft and will post an update as details are made available.
- Find out why Microsoft shuffled Windows boss Steven Sinofsky out the door.
