Microsoft NZ announces new Managing Director

Microsoft NZ announces new Managing Director to build upon the company’s local success and further accelerate corporate transformation

Kiwi global technology executive returns to take up leadership reins as company
positions itself for “mobile-first, cloud-first” era

AUCKLAND, 3 July 2015 – Microsoft today announced the next Managing Director of the New Zealand subsidiary will be Barrie Sheers, who will succeed current MD Paul Muckleston.

A native Kiwi, Sheers has returned to New Zealand after more than 30 years working abroad for a wide variety of international tech businesses across the EMEA region (Europe, the Middle East and Africa), Asia Pacific and Japan. Most recently, Sheers was Vice President and General Manager for the Software Group of Dell for Asia Pacific and Japan.

"I am delighted to return to New Zealand to lead Microsoft’s operations here and thrilled to be joining the company at the most exciting time in its history,” says Sheers.

“There is a transformation happening at Microsoft right now. You can see it in the accelerated pace of innovation, the renewed passion and energy of our people and the value that customers and partners tell us we are delivering to them. I am looking forward to building on the successful foundations already in place and helping to accelerate our current transformation.”

Paul Muckleston, who has served as Microsoft NZ’s Managing Director since 2010, says the company is implementing a planned and structured transition from his leadership to Sheers’ and that they will be working closely together over the coming months to ensure a smooth induction process.

“The New Zealand subsidiary has gone from strength to strength locally as Microsoft has been changing and growing globally with an ambition to be the productivity and platform company for a mobile-first, cloud-first world,” says Muckleston.

“Today I am immensely pleased to be welcoming Barrie to the company, particularly as we celebrate another very successful year for Microsoft New Zealand amid this exciting, ongoing transformation of the company worldwide,” says Muckleston.

Sheers officially joins the New Zealand subsidiary on July 6th 2015, and will report directly to Cesar Cernuda, President of Microsoft Asia-Pacific, as part of the APAC leadership team.

Cernuda says: “I have been very impressed by Barrie’s achievements in building, managing and developing high performance teams in multiple businesses across the European and Asia Pacific regions over the past two decades. He is clearly a high energy, transformational leader who is passionate about understanding customer’s needs and then driving innovation and value creation.”

“We are looking forward very much to seeing him build on the excellent foundation laid by Paul Muckleston over the past five years as the company has transformed for a mobile-first, cloud first world.”

Muckleston says he will soon be making an announcement about the next steps in his own career, but confirmed that he will be staying with the company.

ENDS

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