Microsoft announces regional leadership changes
Microsoft appoints Clare Barclay as President, Enterprise & Industry, EMEA. Darren Hardman appointed CEO, Microsoft UK.
Today, Microsoft announced leadership changes reflecting the continued commitment to helping customers and partners make the most of the platform shift to AI. This strategic change will see Clare Barclay take on the role of President, Enterprise & Industry, EMEA and Darren Hardman taking on the role as CEO for Microsoft UK.
During her tenure as CEO of Microsoft UK, Clare Barclay has enabled customers and partners to transform through a significant period of technological change. Through her leadership, Microsoft has built notable industry partnerships to lead in the era of AI, including the London Stock Exchange Group, Vodafone and Sainsbury’s.
In her new role at Microsoft, Clare will leverage her extensive experience from her 26-year tenure to drive industry innovation and growth with customers, digital innovators, start-up and partners across the 120 markets in EMEA.
Darren Hardman, who joined Microsoft in May 2023, will assume the role of CEO, Microsoft UK on 1 November. Darren’s tenure has been marked by an industry centric approach to AI, building partnerships across enterprise and start-up customers in EMEA.
Under his leadership, Darren launched Microsoft’s Software and Digital Platforms business in EMEA, building a robust new capability in service of the region’s Digital Native and ISV customers.
Darren brings a wealth of experience to his new role, having previously served as the AWS CEO for the UK & Ireland and as President of Avanade EMEA. His deep understanding of the UK market, coupled with his commitment to innovation and AI, position him uniquely to accelerate the technology ecosystem in the UK.
Ralph Haupter, EMEA President, Microsoft, said: “Clare and Darren both bring unique strengths and insights to their new roles. With this strategic leadership transition, we will bring the best of our industry and AI execution to our UK and EMEA customers.”
About Microsoft UK
Microsoft employs approximately 6,000 people in the UK. Headquartered in Reading it has offices in Paddington, Manchester and Edinburgh. Microsoft’s world-leading research laboratory is in Cambridge and customers can learn more about our technology at The Microsoft Experience Centre on Oxford Circus. Our UK partner network spans more than 34,000 local companies and employs more than 570,000 people.
In November 2023, Microsoft made its single largest investment in its 40-year history in the UK. It will invest £2.5bn between now and 2026 to expand AI capacity, capability and security in a manner that will grow the economy, create jobs, improve services, and protect public safety. This investment will more than double Microsoft’s datacentre infrastructure at sites across the UK including Newport and London – adding more than 20,000 of the most advanced GPUs for training large AI models.