Microsoft announced on Wednesday a shake-up at the top of its cybersecurity division. Hayete Gallot is returning to the company to succeed Charlie Bell, who has held the role since 2021. Bell will now become an individual contributor engineer, a position focused on engineering quality, while continuing to report directly to Satya Nadella. The change, which MS CEO says has been long in the works, comes as Microsoft seeks to strengthen its security strategy while responding to rising expectations tied to the growth of artificial intelligence.

Hayete Gallot, who worked at Microsoft from 2009 to 2024, most recently served as president of customer experience at Google Cloud. She will lead the cybersecurity unit with the title of executive vice president, reporting to top management. Her mix of product expertise and customer-facing experience is presented as a strategic asset for a division that has recently been put to the test. In 2023, Microsoft was targeted by a cyberattack attributed to China that compromised the accounts of US officials, an incident that led to official criticism and tighter internal procedures.

The reshuffle comes as Microsoft faces a 14% drop in its share price since the start of the year, against a backdrop of concerns about Azure's growth and the outlook for software publishers in an environment dominated by generative AI. The group has also promoted several executives to executive vice president to strengthen customer relationships. In the new cybersecurity structure, Ales Holecek becomes chief security architect, reporting directly to Gallot.