Microsoft's global channel chief has vacated the role to take a new position as corporate vice president of the vendor's US Enterprise and Partner Group.
Phil Sorgen will be replaced by Gavriella Schuster, who steps in as interim vice president of Worldwide Partner Group until a permanent replacement is hired, a Microsoft spokesperson told CRN.
Sorgen was appointed corporate vice president of Worldwide Partner Group in August 2013. Over his three years in the job, the 20-year Microsoft veteran has overseen the vendor's channel during some dramatic changes, not least the change of CEO when Satya Nadella replaced Steve Ballmer in February 2014. He also oversaw last year's launch of Window 10, which was introduced as a free upgrade for the first time.
Microsoft's push toward the cloud has also brought regular changes to its channel programs – some welcomed by partners, others not so much.
At the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference last year, Sorgen announced the vendor would open up its Surface hybrid device to distribution, following years of pressure from partners over the restricted channel. In Australia, Microsoft appointed distributors Synnex and Ingram Micro.
Microsoft's ambition to get more customers onto its cloud was behind the launch of Fast Track, a free service covering basic migrations to Office 365 and Enterprise Mobility Suite. Fast Track initially created a stir among partners, who worried it would erode services revenues, though Microsoft has remained steadfast in urging partners to focus on higher-value services rather than vanilla cloud migrations.
Most recently, Microsoft announced it would "adjust" the pricing for all its certification exams starting July 2016, and also retired 12 partner competencies.
Sorgen is no stranger to Australia, having travelled down under as a keynote speaker at last year's Microsoft Australian Partner Conference.
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