Technology giant Microsoft (MSFT) is shaking up its cybersecurity team.
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The Seattle-based company has announced that its current security leader Charlie Bell will take on a new role and that executive Hayete Gallot will return to the company to run cybersecurity after a stint at Google parent company Alphabet (GOOGL).
Bell has been at Microsoft since 2021 after spending 23 years at rival technology giant Amazon (AMZN), where he was a senior executive inside cloud-computing unit Amazon Web Services (AWS). Bell is now moving into a position focused on engineering, said Microsoft. Bell will continue to report to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Microsoft’s Security Issues
The changes to Microsoft’s security leadership come amid worries that artificial intelligence (AI) models will damage the growth prospects of mature software companies. They also come after Microsoft endured some embarrassing cybersecurity incidents, including a 2024 Chinese state-sponsored breach that resulted in the theft of 60,000 U.S. State Department emails.
Gallot first joined Microsoft in 2009, taking a role in strategy and business development. When she departed for Google’s cloud-computing unit in 2024, she was a corporate vice president working on selling products in a variety of categories, including cybersecurity. In her new role, Gallot will be an executive vice president and also report to CEO Satya Nadella.
MSFT stock is down 14% this year on worries about AI’s impact on software developers.
Is MSFT Stock a Buy?
Microsoft’s stock has a consensus Strong Buy rating among 35 Wall Street analysts. That rating is based on 34 Buy and one Hold recommendations issued in the last three months. The average price target on MSFT stock of $603.47 implies 44.78% upside from current levels.
