Cape Town, 11 Jul 2006
Changes to the heads of Microsoft`s local and overseas offices are purely coincidental with news that its chairman, Bill Gates, is surrendering his day-to-day involvement in the software giant, Microsoft SA MD designate Pfungwa Serima says.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Microsoft Government Leaders` Forum, being held in Cape Town, Serima says there is a lot of movement within the world`s largest software company and that Gates`s decision is just the most visible sign of it.
"There is no shake up within the organisation, rather it is just the normal movement of personnel that a large company such as this experiences," he says. Gates will be addressing the conference after former US president Bill Clinton this afternoon.
Serima, Microsoft SA`s director: services group, is due to replace Gordon Frazer on 1 August. Frazer is to take up the role of MD for Microsoft`s UK operations.
"Microsoft`s employment philosophy is to hire someone for their experience and, of course, their competence," he says.
Training important
Serima intends placing a strong emphasis on training. "We are already doing a lot in terms of training with our academy, but there is a real need for ICT personnel development."
Serima says he does not see any radical change to Microsoft SA`s operations once he takes over, but says he would like to ensure that his own personal stamp is placed on the organisation, while building on what has already been achieved.
He says while Microsoft does have an overall framework that its operations have to follow, it does make allowances for local business conditions.
US-owned companies have been criticised in the past for not allowing equity stakes in their local operations in order to meet black economic empowerment requirements. Serima says that Microsoft SA is still in a holding pattern as far as this is concerned.
"While we are aware of the need, we also have to keep in mind our shareholders (Microsoft is listed in New York), and whatever we do, we have to do with their approval," he says.
Microsoft SA uses the Department of Trade and Industry`s BEE guidelines for its suppliers. However, Serima says that it does not dictate to its partners, such as the distributors, what they should do.
"That is their business and we have no right to dictate what they should do," he says.
Serima says Microsoft will continue to support government initiatives as far as BEE is concerned. "It is not just about empowerment, it is also about it is the right thing to do," he says.
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