On Wednesday, Microsoft named former McAfee CEO Christopher Young as its executive vice president of business development. Young steps into the role that was previously held by Peggy Johnson who left Microsoft in July to become the CEO of Magic Leap.
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Young was CEO of cybersecurity vendor McAfee for close to three years. He led the initiative in 2017 to spin McAfee out from Intel as a standalone company. In January, Young left his role as CEO of McAfee to become a senior advisor with TPG Capital, which has a majority stake in McAfee. TPG bought its stake in McAfee from Intel in 2016 in a deal valued at $4.2 billion, which included debt. The same month, McAfee announced that former BMC Software CEO Peter Leav was hired to replace Young as CEO.
Young was senior vice president and general manager of Intel's security group from October 2014 to April 2017. Young also held senior leadership positions at Cisco, VMware, RSA and AOL.
In his new role, Young will report directly to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and will be a member of the Microsoft inner cycle, the Senior Leadership Team.
"I've known Chris for many years and have admired his accomplishments as a leader. His experience and skills are an invaluable addition to our company and the senior leadership team," Nadella said, in a statement. "We know that for our customers and partners, the next decade of economic growth will be defined by the digital investments made today. With Chris' leadership, the Business Development team will continue to be a key accelerant for our partnerships and new growth opportunities."
At Microsoft, Young is responsible for global business development strategies across the company. He will spearhead key strategic partnerships, including alliances, venture investments and joint ventures.
"The pace of change in our world is accelerating, and technology-driven experiences that are more connected, interactive and intelligent are the drivers," said Young, in a statement. "It is great to be joining Microsoft, to help lead this transformation in the way we work and live."
Young holds an A.B. from Princeton University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He serves as a member of the President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) and sits on the boards of directors of American Express and Snap Inc.