Microsoft has added a new member to its board, and once you see his credentials, it will become quite obvious why he is joining the company. The individual who Microsoft named to their board today is John W. Stanton, and he has significant experience in the wireless industry in the US and abroad.
Stanton has led four wireless companies in the US, and his experience reaches back to the 1980s with his last venture being the chairman of Clearwire Corp. It"s not a surprise that Microsoft is bringing on someone with mobile experience, because while Windows Phone is doing well, it is far from a huge success for Microsoft.
Satya Nadella had the following to say about Stanton joining Microsoft"s board:
John’s insights into mobility around the globe and his expertise in working with organizations as CEO and as a board member will be invaluable as we transform Microsoft for growth and leadership in the mobile-first, cloud-first world
Stanton"s resume is rather lengthy and is filled with mobile experience that Microsoft needs to tap to help align their mobile strategy with market realities. It"s clearly a strategic move, and by adding another board member, Microsoft has grown its resources at the top of the org chart to help drive its mobile growth.
Now that Microsoft has its own hardware division that builds phones, you can bet that Nadella will be hoping to use Stanton"s expertise on how to properly use this asset while working with phone carriers to create leverage for Windows Phone. The more you dig into the experience of Stanton, the more his skill-set aligns to the needs of the Redmond-based company.
Source: Microsoft