Google Cloud's customer chief returns to Microsoft as head of security

"Hayete Gallot, who left Microsoft in October 2024 to become the president of Google Cloud's customer experience, is returning to the software giant as the executive vice president of security, reporting directly to CEO Satya Nadella. The move means Charlie Bell, formerly Microsoft's security chief, is taking on a new role at the company. "I've also asked Charlie Bell to take on a new role focused on engineering quality, reporting to me," says Nadella, in an internal Microsoft memo."

"A scathing report from the Cyber Safety Review Board concluded in 2024 that "Microsoft's security culture was inadequate and requires an overhaul." Microsoft set out on its largest ever security transformation months before the report was published, after Chinese hackers breached US government emails through a Microsoft Cloud exploit. The Secure Future Initiative (SFI) has been focused on improving Microsoft's security record, and avoiding any future incident where nation-state attackers could spy on Microsoft's senior leadership team. Microsoft is still working to win back trust in cybersecurity."

"Microsoft has a new head of security. Hayete now takes on the efforts to continue SFI and ensure that Microsoft's AI era is focused on security first. She previously spent nearly 16 years at Microsoft, with senior leadership roles across engineering and sales. "She brings an ethos that combines product building with value realization for customers, which is critical right now," says Nadella."

Hayete Gallot returns to Microsoft as executive vice president of security, reporting directly to CEO Satya Nadella. Gallot left Microsoft in October 2024 to become president of Google Cloud's customer experience and previously spent nearly 16 years at Microsoft in senior engineering and sales roles. Charlie Bell moves from security leadership to a role focused on engineering quality, reflecting his desire to work as an individual contributor. Microsoft launched the Secure Future Initiative after a cloud exploit and a Cyber Safety Review Board finding that its security culture was inadequate. The SFI aims to strengthen security, protect leadership from nation-state spying, and prioritize security across the AI era.

Read at The Verge