Microsoft channel boss Schuster departs
Schuster is to be replaced by Microsoft global IoT VP Rodney Clark
Microsoft's global partner boss Gavriella Schuster is stepping down after five years in the role.
Schuster said in a LinkedIn post that she was leaving her role to focus on inclusion and gender equity initiatives in the tech industry.
"I was in conversation within Microsoft about the next steps of transformation for the business," she said.
"As a result, we concluded that now is a good time to begin to transition my current Microsoft accountabilities and focus on thinking about how to engage in work that fuels my passions."
Schuster will be replaced by Rodney Clark, who has been with the vendor for 23 years, most recently as corporate vice president of IoT and mixed reality sales.
His appointment was announced in a MPN blog post.
Clark will take over from 1 April, with Schuster staying on for "a few months" to help him transition to the role.
It's not been made public whether Schuster will stay on at Microsoft in a different position.
A choppy tenure
During her time at the helm of Microsoft's channel business, Schuster led the organisation through some fractious disputes with partners.
Most notably when the US giant announced in 2019 that it would be withdrawing partner internal user rights.
The change would have meant partners would have no longer been able to use Microsoft's software free of charge, except for development and test scenarios.
A furore rapidly ensued, with a petition of objection attracting more than 6,000 signatures.
Microsoft capitulated and reversed its decision mere weeks later.
Following the backlash, Schuster announced that the vendor had "listened to its partners and acted".
New leadership for Microsoft's UK&I channel
Orla McGrath (left) and Soraya Scott (right)
Microsoft UK has also appointed new top channel executives elsewhere.
Former managing director at Accenture, Orla McGrath, is to lead the Microsoft Partner organisation in the UK&I.
And Soraya Scott will be its new chief operating officer, responsible for UK marketing, product strategy and transformation.