Microsoft announced on Thursday that it has appointed Carolina Dybeck Happe as its executive vice president and chief operating officer, reporting directly to CEO Satya Nadella. Dybeck Happe previously served as senior vice president and chief financial officer at General Electric (GE) from 2020 until September 2023.
Carolina’s hiring underscores Microsoft’s focus on staying aligned as the company increasingly centers its efforts around artificial intelligence. Dybeck Happe will work closely with Microsoft’s senior leadership team, including finance chief Amy Hood and cloud and AI engineering head Scott Guthrie.
In a memo to employees, Nadella highlighted that Dybeck Happe will collaborate with the senior leadership team to enhance business processes across all divisions and help accelerate the company’s AI-driven transformation to create greater value for customers and partners.
She will also oversee several key divisions, including the commerce and ecosystems organization, Microsoft’s digital IT team, and business operations.
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Who Is Carolina Dybeck Happe?
Dybeck Happe’s appointment follows GE’s recent restructuring, which split the company into three businesses: GE Aerospace and GE Vernova, both of which began trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
GE first announced its plans to divide into three independent companies in 2021. During her time at GE, CEO Larry Culp described Dybeck Happe as a “high-impact executive.”
Before joining GE, Dybeck Happe was the finance chief at Maersk, where she spearheaded efforts to reduce debt and reshape the company’s portfolio for more sustainable growth. She also spent nearly 17 years at Swedish company Assa Abloy, where she held the roles of CFO and deputy CEO.
Microsoft has not had a chief operating officer since 2016 when Kevin Turner, a former Walmart executive, left the company.
Carolina Dybeck Happe is regarded as a visionary in global financial transformation and value creation. At GE, she played a key role in improving financial performance and executing the company’s spin-off strategy, which will culminate in the full separation of GE Vernova by early 2024.
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