MS SA seeks Windows manager

By Christelle du Toit for Microsoft
Johannesburg, 16 Jul 2007

Microsoft SA is close to filling the post left vacant by its former Windows group manager Jonathan Hatchuel.

According to Heather Third, Microsoft SA COO, Hatchuel had wanted to immigrate to Australia for "quite some time" and has taken up a position as business development manager of the Microsoft division of EMC Australia.

In January, Microsoft SA's OEM manager, Goona Sagaren Udayan, resigned days before the launch of Vista in SA. His short-term stand-in, Bradley Hopkinson, also subsequently resigned from Microsoft, after heading up its Middle Eastern and European territories.

Third says there is no real reason for concern. "It is kind of the time of year when people tend to move on."

She adds that "we've just had our end-of-fiscal-year and we tend to promote and move people around at this time, so it tends to be the time people make career moves as well".

Third says Hatchuel's resignation did not come as a surprise, and Microsoft has been recruiting to fill his vacant post. "We are very close to making an announcement in this regard."