Services chief exits Microsoft

Microsoft services chief Mike Sinneck announced plans Tuesday to leave the software maker.

In a statement, the company said Sinneck plans to move back to the East Coast and "pursue new opportunities outside of Microsoft." Sinneck joined Microsoft from IBM in January 2002 and served as the software maker's corporate vice president of worldwide services.

Rick Devenuti, Microsoft's chief information officer and a 16-year company veteran, will lead the company's worldwide services organization in addition to his current responsibilities, which include managing Microsoft's internal information technology organization, the company said. Before becoming CIO, Devenuti was a vice president who led worldwide operations for the Redmond, Wash.-based company.

Sinneck is one of a few executives who have announced plans to leave Microsoft this month. Last week, Office unit executive Joe Eschbach said he was leaving the company as of Dec. 1 after just a year at Microsoft. Also, mobile software executive Juha Christensen said earlier this month that he plans to leave Microsoft to start his own company.

Meanwhile, Microsoft managed to nab a top sales executive from rival Sun Microsystems. Barbara Gordon started two weeks ago as vice president of global accounts for Microsoft after having served as head of software sales for Sun.