Seagate CEO has decided to leave the Microsoft board

Mar 21, 2014 22:01 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft continues its transformation plan, and along with the company’s transition to devices and services, the board is also suffering some modifications that are supposed to help it focus on its goal to put the switch of hardware products and cloud.

Seagate Chairman and CEO Stephen Luczo has decided to leave Microsoft and focus more on his responsibilities at Seagate, according to a report by ZDNet.

Luczo was one of the board members that agreed with the appointment of Satya Nadella as new CEO, the same source is reporting, as he was a member of the committee in charge of finding a replacement for Steve Ballmer. Microsoft is not looking to replace Luczo right now, the source added, but a new member might be appointed sometime in the future.

On the other hand, Microsoft has recently announced the appointment of ValueAct Capital president Mason Morfit in the company’s board and its audit committee, thus making a move that was announced since 2013, when ValueAct officially purchased a $2 billion (€1.5 billion) stake in the software giant.

Morfit is one of those believed to be favoring an increased focus on cloud and Office, with ValueAct pursuing an approach that would bring the productivity suite in the spotlight with new versions specifically aimed at mobile platforms such as iPad and iOS.

Microsoft’s executives obviously praised Morfit’s appointment, saying that he had quite a financial background to help the company continue its patch to long-term profitability.

“We’ve had the opportunity to work with Mason over the past six months, and we look forward to working with him more closely as a member of the board,” said John Thompson, chairman of the Microsoft board.

“Mason brings valuable insights given his financial background, his extensive experience as a public company director and his perspective as a significant Microsoft shareholder.”

As ZDNet is reporting, Microsoft’s board now has a total of 10 members, as it follows: Steve Ballmer, former Microsoft chief executive officer; Dina Dublon, former chief financial officer of JPMorgan Chase; Bill Gates, Microsoft founder and technology advisor; Maria M. Klawe, president of Harvey Mudd College; David F. Marquardt, general partner at August Capital; G. Mason Morfit, president of ValueAct Capital; Satya Nadella, Microsoft chief executive officer; Charles H. Noski, former vice chairman of Bank of America Corp.; Dr. Helmut Panke, former chairman of the board of management at BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke) AG; and John W. Thompson, chief executive officer of Virtual Instruments.