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Microsoft marketing chief leaving after 22 years

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Mich Mathews

Mich Mathews, the senior vice president in charge of Microsoft’s global marketing initiatives — more than $1 billion in annual spending to promote everything from Windows to Xbox — plans to leave the company after a tenure spanning more than two decades.

AdAge has the scoop, reporting that Mathews will remain at the company through the summer, helping to find her replacement.

“Twenty-two years in one place … I feel like I’ve done so much” and “frankly it’s time to do something new,” she tells the site. “It’s half a lifetime. Microsoft was chapter one and it’s time for a chapter two.”

Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet has more on the news.

Update: Kara Swisher of AllThingsD speculates on possible internal replacements, including Yusuf Mehdi and Chris Capossela.

 

  • Dan Carpenter

    This is starting to get weird…all these senior exec departures? Is this housecleaning or a sign of something worse? How much longer does Ballmer really have himself?

  • Anne Baker

    $1 billion+ marketing spend – wow, how much would I love to have that kind of budget to work with? Interesting to see so many departures on the top though. Maybe the new management will bring some fresh ideas into the company.

  • http://www.bytheseacommunications.com Gaby Adam

    After 22 years of excellent service to Microsoft, Mich deserves a change. I wish her well in her new endeavors.

  • Greystealth

    Since when was 44 years a lifetime?

    • orizg

      It’s 44 years work-lifetime. If you start working at 22 you have 44 years of work-lifetime until you turn 66 and it’s time to retire.

  • Guest

    Mich has done great things. Good luck with her new ventures…

    As a side note, it’s interesting that a marketing person (creative mind w/ vision) can stay at a company for 22 years with the “same-old type” of marketing games. Mitch must have liked the free gym membership :))

    Hoping that the new marketing exec can save MSFT from cheesiness.

  • Bgates

     She’s hot – she will do well.  :)

  • Guest

     Yes, MS is synonymous with great marketing. Way to go, Mitch. 

  • Niceboy

    Excellent.  Microsoft Ads are mostly terrible.  Especially Windows and Cloud.

  • Josh

    Hmm she’s kinda cute. But I gotta say Microsoft’s marketing has been abysmal. I’m still sore over the way they botched the tablet pc.

    • Anonymous

      My guess is she has nothing to do with that new Kinect ad.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1192119760 Brian Hochmuth

    Could the writing be on the wall for Ballmer? I sure hope so.