Microsoft Hires Tony Scott as CIO

Microsoft has hired former Disney executive Tony Scott as its new Chief Information Officer, replacing Stuart Scott who was abruptly fired last November.

Microsoft has tapped former Disney executive Tony Scott to take over as the company’s Chief Information Officer. Scott was most recently CIO as Disney, and will take over the Microsoft CIO position in February, overseeing Microsoft’s 4,000-person IT organization. Prior to Disney, Scott was CTO at General Motors and VP of operations ad Bristol-Meyers Squibb.

“More than any other company, Microsoft knows how important it is to leverage IT for strategic business advantage, and I look forward to building on this success in my new role,” Scott said in a statement. “So few places offer the chance to expand your skills and have an impact across such a broad range of technologies—from services to unified communications to mobility. It is a great opportunity, and I am excited to work with this team to help Microsoft advance its business forward through IT.”

Tony Scott will replace Stuart Scott (no relation) who was abruptly fired as Microsoft’s CIO back in November 2007.

Scott’s arrival is the latest in a series of new faces to join the ranks of Microsoft’s upper management in recent months, including Dan Reed as director of scalable and multi-core computing, Robert Youngjohns president of North American sales and marketing, Brian McAndrews as senior vp of the company’s advertiser and publisher solutions group, Don Mattick as senior vice president of the company’s interactive business, and former Adobe executive Stephen Elop as president of its business division.