Microsoft Corp. announced an internal leadership change in its security organization that will see Charlie Bell move out of the security chief role and Hayete Gallot step in as executive vice president for security.
Gallot joins Microsoft from Google’s cloud division and has previous experience at Microsoft, according to reporting. In her new position she will report directly to Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella.
Bell, who became a Microsoft executive in 2021 after a long tenure as an engineering leader in Amazon.com Inc.'s cloud arm, will not leave the company. Instead, he will transition to an individual contributor position focused on engineering quality. He will continue to report to Nadella and is expected to work closely with Microsoft cloud and AI chief Scott Guthrie on cloud infrastructure.
The change in security leadership was described as having been in the works for some time, citing a memo Nadella sent to employees. In that note Nadella recognized Bell’s role in mobilizing the company around what Nadella called the Secure Future Initiative.
During his time as security chief, Bell headed a team of roughly 10,000 people and pushed to elevate cybersecurity as a top corporate priority following a sequence of high-profile security lapses that had exposed vulnerabilities in the company’s software.
Context and implications
This leadership reshuffle keeps Bell engaged with engineering and cloud infrastructure while bringing in Gallot, whose background includes leadership at Google Cloud and previous experience at Microsoft, to lead the company's security agenda. Gallot will report directly to Nadella, underscoring the role security continues to play at the highest level of the company.
What remains stated, not assumed
- The company said the change has been planned for some time, based on Nadella's memo.
- Nadella credited Bell with rallying the company behind the Secure Future Initiative.
- Bell led an approximately 10,000-person security organization and emphasized cybersecurity after notable lapses.
The reported moves are administrative in nature: Gallot will lead security as an EVP reporting to the CEO, and Bell will take a focused engineering-quality role while maintaining direct reporting to Nadella and collaboration with Scott Guthrie on cloud infrastructure.