Microsoft Board of Directors Down to 9 Members

Microsoft’s Board of Directors will be down to just nine members after James I. Cash Jr. steps down this year. The Redmond-based company announced that Cash had made the decision not to seek reelection in his current position come the annual shareholder’s meeting in 2009. James I. Cash Jr., Ph.D., emeritus James E. Robison professor at the Harvard Business School, leaves Microsoft after eight years of collaboration. The software giant noted that Cash first joined the board of directors back in 2001.

“Jim has brought tremendous wisdom and judgment to our board, as well as keen insights into our enterprise business efforts based on his academic work at Harvard,” revealed Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive officer. “We appreciate all of his contributions and we will certainly miss his leadership and perspective.”

Microsoft enumerated all the remaining nine members of the board of directors who will continue in their current roles after Cash’s departure: Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft; Steve Ballmer; Dina Dublon, former chief financial officer of JPMorgan Chase; Raymond V. Gilmartin, former chairman, president and chief executive officer of Merck & Co. Inc.; Reed Hastings, founder, chairman and CEO of Netflix Inc.; Maria M. Klawe, president, Harvey Mudd College; David F. Marquardt, general partner at August Capital; Charles H. Noski, former vice chairman of AT&T Corp.; and Dr. Helmut Panke, former chairman of the board of management at BMW AG.

“This was a difficult decision. I have tremendous respect for my colleagues on the Microsoft board, and I have enjoyed the work we’ve done together over the past eight years,” Cash added. “Microsoft has a tremendous innovation pipeline coming to market over the next two years, so the company is well-positioned for growth as the economy improves.”