The shortlist for Microsoft’s next CEO appears to be getting shorter as investors narrow down the potential candidates they want leading the company. A report from Reuters states that both Ford CEO Alan Mulally and Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) CEO Mike Lawrie are being pushed by at least three of the top-20 Microsoft investors to fill the CEO position. The report also claims that Microsoft originally had a list of around 40 names which has since been pared down to a more manageable number as the year’s end approaches.
One would assume this news does not discount the chances of Nokia CEO Stephen Elop still being a prime candidate, especially considering Ford’s adamant stance that Mulally will not consider leaving until the end of next year. “There is no change from what we announced in November: Alan Mulally plans to continue to serve as Ford’s president and CEO through at least 2014,” Ford spokesman Jay Cooney said.
CSC is also undergoing a huge turnaround with Lawrie, making his departure just as potentially problematic as Mulally’s. CSC declined to comment on Lawrie’s plans. Reuters points out that Lawrie has worked in the technology field for much of his life, including three decades with IBM, and pulling Mulally in from outside the tech sector would be a major departure for Microsoft.
The company should decide on a new CEO by the end of the year.
