Microsoft Shifts Communications Team Under Brad Smith as Comms Chief Departs

Microsoft is restructuring its communications operations, moving the group out of its marketing division and into its Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs (CELA) organization, according to The Verge.

Company Vice Chair and President Brad Smith will oversee communications under the new structure, the report said, while Microsoft searches for a successor to Chief Communications Officer Frank Shaw, who is departing later this year.

The change was described as a surprise move, though the report did not elaborate on the specific reasoning behind shifting communications into the legal and external affairs division rather than keeping it within marketing.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's role in the decision was referenced in the report, though further detail on his involvement was not included in the excerpt available.

It remains to be seen who will be named as Shaw's permanent replacement and how the reorganized communications function will operate under Smith's oversight.