14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft continues the search for a new CEO and even though everybody expected to see an official announcement by the end of the year, it turns out that Redmond would only name the one to replace Steve Ballmer in early 2014.
John W. Thompson, a member of Microsoft’s board of directors and in charge of the committee looking for a new CEO, said that the company had no less than 100 possible candidates, which means that the search for a new leader could take a little bit longer.
Thompson explained however that he’s very pleased with the progress the company made in its search for a new CEO, but no other specifics have been provided.
“As the chair of the Board’s search committee, I’m pleased with our progress. The Board has taken the thoughtful approach that our shareholders, customers, partners and employees expect and deserve. After defining our criteria, we initially cast a wide net across a number of different industries and skill sets,” Thompson explained.
“We identified over 100 possible candidates, talked with several dozen, and then focused our energy intensely on a group of about 20 individuals, all extremely impressive in their own right. As you would expect, as this group has narrowed, we’ve done deeper research and investigation, including with the full Board. We’re moving ahead well, and I expect we’ll complete our work in the early part of 2014.”
At this point, people familiar with the matter claim that Ford’s CEO Alan Mulally and Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s very own head of the cloud business, are the front-runners for the CEO position.
Tony Bates, Kevin Turner, and Stephen Elop are also said to be among the top candidates, especially because they’re already familiar with Microsoft’s business, so they would be able to continue the company’s transition to devices and services.