Tag: Frank Shaw

  • Microsoft Restructures Communications: Moves Team Under Brad Smith, Empowers Employees

    Microsoft is undergoing a major organizational shift, moving its communications function out of the marketing department and into the corporate, external, and legal affairs group led by Vice Chair and President Brad Smith. The change, announced by CEO Satya Nadella, aims to give the company a more direct and authentic public voice amid what Nadella described as an increasingly fragmented and noisy media environment.

    Under the new structure, communications will sit alongside Microsoft’s legal, regulatory, public policy, antitrust, litigation, and government-relations teams. Despite the separation, Microsoft will continue to coordinate its communications and marketing operations closely.

    Employees to Play a Larger Role in Public Messaging

    The restructuring signals a broader shift in Microsoft’s communications strategy. Nadella wants employees who work directly with products and customers—such as engineers, sales teams, and partners—to have a greater role in explaining the company’s work. More employees and executives are expected to represent Microsoft publicly, including through social media, according to a memo from Brad Smith.

    Nadella emphasized that “people closest to Microsoft’s products and customers have a strong opportunity to shape how the company is understood.” He also indicated that Microsoft will experiment with new approaches and evolve its communications strategy over time.

    Frank Shaw Moves to Advisory Role

    The reorganization also affects longtime communications chief Frank X. Shaw, who announced earlier this month that he would leave Microsoft at the end of 2026 after more than two decades. During the transition, Shaw will step away from his current responsibilities and serve as an adviser to Smith and interim communications leader Brent Colburn. Colburn, Microsoft’s vice president of global public affairs, has been named interim communications leader and will remain through December to oversee the handover.

    Microsoft plans to search for a permanent chief communications officer, considering both internal and external candidates.

  • Microsoft Communications Chief Frank Shaw Departs After Nearly Three Decades

    Microsoft Communications Chief Frank Shaw Departs After Nearly Three Decades

    Frank X. Shaw, Microsoft’s chief communications officer, is stepping down after nearly 29 years with the company. Shaw announced the decision through an internal memo to his team on Friday, September 11, and later shared the news publicly on LinkedIn. He will stay on until the end of December to help with the transition.

    Shaw held the top communications role at Microsoft for 17 years, and his ties to the company go back even further through his earlier work at the outside PR agency Waggener Edstrom. In his note to staff, Shaw said he felt it was time to move on and try new things. He said he was discussing the move with Takeshi Numoto, Microsoft’s chief marketing officer, for a while, and both agreed the timing felt right.

    “I remain optimistic about the company mission, the incredible talent on this team, and how much the company depends on us during this critical time,” Shaw wrote. He added that the team accomplished a great deal together and called his gratitude endless. Shaw also thanked the reporters and analysts he worked with over the years, joking about the late-night calls and the “off the record no comments” he had given them.

    In his own note to employees, Numoto said few people shaped Microsoft’s voice and reputation as much as Shaw. Microsoft did not name a replacement yet and says it will look at candidates from inside and outside the company.

    Shaw, 64, first began supporting Microsoft’s communications in 1997, long before he formally joined the company. Over the years, he guided the company’s public messaging through multiple CEO transitions, several Windows and Office launches, the antitrust battles of the early 2000s, and the Windows Vista backlash. He also handled communications around major acquisitions, including LinkedIn and Activision Blizzard, and helped position Microsoft during its shift toward cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

    Reports suggest Shaw does not plan to retire. He does not have another job lined up yet and intends to take some time off before deciding on his next move. His exit adds to a string of long-serving Microsoft executives who have left the company this year, marking a notable shift in its leadership ranks.