In this month of February, John Thompson replaced Bill Gates as chairman of Microsoft’s Board of Directors, becoming only the second chairman in Microsoft’s history. Keep reading to learn more about this seasoned Silicon Valley executive.   What a way to celebrate Black History Month!

9 Facts You Should Know About Microsoft’s New Chairman, Mr. John Thompson

1. Mr. Thompson was born in 1950 in Fort Dix, New Jersey, but grew up in South Florida.
2. He earned his undergraduate degree from Florida A&M.
3. He earned a master's degree from the Sloan Fellows program of the MIT Sloan School of Management.
4. Most recently, Mr. Thompson has been the CEO of Virtual Instruments, a privately-held company that manages performance-monitoring tools for data storage networks and big computer systems.
5. He is an active investor in early-stage technology companies in Silicon Valley.
6. Prior to joining Virtual Instruments, Mr. Thompson spent a decade as the chairman and CEO of Symantec Corp.  Under his leadership, the company’s revenue grew from $632 million to $6.2 billion.
7. Before joining Symantec as CEO, Mr. Thompson spent nearly 28 years working in various positions at IBM, eventually becoming head of sales and service for the Americas.
8. In addition to serving as chairman of Microsoft, Mr. Thompson also serves on the board of United Parcel Service.  He has also served on a number of government boards and commissions, including the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, National Infrastructure Advisory Committee, and the Silicon Valley Blue Ribbon Task Force on Aviation Security and Technology.
9. He is a husband and father of two adult children.

You can learn more about Mr. John Thompson on the Microsoft website and the Mercury News website.

Staff Blogger

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