Microsoft's Gavriella Schuster to leave leadership role

Gavriella Schuster, Microsoft's corporate vice president of Commercial Partner, has announced she is to leave her current role.

In a LinkedIn post, the Microsoft veteran, who has been at the tech giant for 25 years, said it was time to "pass the torch" following a period of personal reflection.

It was also revealed that Rodney Clark will be the new corporate vice president of Global Channel Sales and channel chief for Microsoft. Having spent 23 years with Microsoft himself, Clark most recently served as vice president of IoT and Mixed Reality Sales.

"Over the coming months I am committed to helping Rodney onboard and helping my teams close the year strong and prepare the business for the future," Schuster said.

Schuster has spent five years as Microsoft's corporate vice president of Commercial Partner and has previously held a number of leadership positions during her 25-year spell. Prior to her most recent role, she also spent more than two years as general manager of the Worldwide Partner Programs and Marketing.

"I have been blessed to work with amazing leaders within my team, the partner ecosystem and the field for the last 7 years," Schuster said. "We have accomplished much together as I led the organisation through the formation of the One Commercial Partner team, the development of our cloud ecosystem, and the maturation of the Cloud Solution Provider program. We have evolved MPN and Partner Center, and helped partners grow their business through the co-sell motion."

In her announcement, she said her decision was the result of a period of reflection on her time in the role, as well as her personal passions.

"The restrictions brought on by COVID have given me time to reflect on and reconnect with my passions and to spark a new passion to drive a movement to shift the status quo and make an impact on inclusion and gender equity in the tech industry," she said.