Microsoft European Vet Simon Witts Named VP Of Enterprise And Partner Group

As the end of its fiscal year approaches, Microsoft has named an official channel chief for enterprise partners--sort of.

Simon Witts, who once served as vice president of sales and marketing for Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), has been named to serve as corporate vice president of Microsoft's Enterprise and Partner Group (EPG), a post left void after Charles Stevens moved to a new role at Microsoft a year ago.

Sources say Witts will report directly to Paul Flessner, senior vice president, Server Platform Division. A Microsoft spokeswoman confirmed the appointment of Witts to the top enterprise post but could not confirm his new title as of press time.

Witts will head up the entire enterprise group but will be assisted by Microsoft enterprise partner executives Jared Wheeler and Chris Cale.

Wheeler is currently general manager of Microsoft Global Services and Technology Partners and works directly with 19 top systems integrators, a spokeswoman said. Meanwhile, Chris Cale, who managed partner sales strategy under Ralph Young, vice president, Microsoft Enterprise Sales Strategy, will also serve under Witts.

"Simon came from England- ran things there for awhile, now he reports to Flessner. He's a bright, nice guy who will do well," said one source familiar with the new appointments.

He added that Witts is viewed as the top enterprise partner chief but Microsoft will preserve its multi-tiered channel management structure.

Allison Watson remains vice president of Microsoft's worldwide partner group. Microsoft recently promoted Margo Day to serve as vice president for U.S. partners. Day had been general manager of that group.

"But we're getting consistent message from Microsoft these days that Allison owns the [Worldwide] partner channel, Margo [Day] owns the U.S. subsidiary and now Simon [Witts] owns the strategy and enterprise partners," the source added.

Witts will assume that job July 1, the beginning of Microsoft's 2004 fiscal year.

Sources also note that Ralph Young, currently vice president of Microsoft enterprise sales strategy, and liaison to the partner community, will leave that post to become vice president of Microsoft's western region.

He will assume the role of current western region vice president, Peter Boit, who is being bumped up to the post of vice president, Microsoft Industry Solutions Group.

The Microsoft spokeswoman noted that many of the enterprise partner tasks have been distributed across Microsoft's seven P&Ls established last year and after Charles Stevens left the EPG to become corporate vice president of Microsoft's storage division.

Sanjay Parthasarathy, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Platform Strategy and Partner Group, for example, has had responsibilities for managing global partners including systems integrators and ISVs over the past year, with Wheeler managing global systems integrators under him.

In his new role, Wheeler will report to both Witts and Parthasarathy, the Microsoft spokeswoman said.

Meanwhile, on the sales side, Peter Boit, the current vice president of the western region, was promoted to serve as vice president of Microsoft's verticals group, a position recently vacated by rising star Gerri Elliott, an ex IBM Global Services executive who has rapidly gained stature since joining Microsoft in September of 2001.

Elliott was recently appointed corporate vice president of Microsoft Americas, reporting directly to newly appointed Vice President of Microsoft Worldwide Sales, Marketing and Services Kevin Johnson.

Johnson, who formerly held the top U.S sales post, succeeded former top sales chief Orlando Ayala who left that post in early March to develop Microsoft's SMB program.

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