Tony Prophet, former HP senior VP joins Microsoft as head of Windows Marketing

By Chris Parsons
published

The Microsoft Windows Marketing team will have a new boss to report to starting in early May. Tony Prophet, the former Hewlett Packard Senior Vice President of Operations for Printing and Personal Systems, will be stepping into the role of Corporate Vice President, Windows Marketing.

"We can confirm Tony Prophet will be joining Microsoft as corporate vice president, Windows Marketing, reporting to Chris Capossela. Tony will focus on growing the Windows ecosystem and enabling our partners to be more successful building on Windows."

Prophet will be replacing Thom Gruhler, the current Corporate Vice President of Marketing for Windows who will himself be moving to Microsoft's Applications & Services group in a role that Microsoft is not yet willing to specify.

Source: ZDNet

Chris Parsons
Chris Parsons
102 Comments
  • Damn, that is a good headshot. Looks like a stock photo.
  • It was taken with a Lumia 1020. ;)
  • Haha, I was thinking the same thing.
  • Hope marketing will get better...
  • This. Posted via Windows Phone Central App
  • That won't be really difficult. It was really really bad. Even I could do a better job I'm pretty sure.
  • Are you kidding me, even I can do a better job.....btw please stop the exclusive phones to carriers.
  • Kidding what? I bet even,you could do a better job as well.
  • you do realise that exclusive phones to carriers , it not determined by Nokia or Microsoft. its requested by Carriers themselves. Eg AT&T is nokias customer and buys phones from Nokia , Nokia has no saying here unless your samsung or iphone.   AT&T would say yes i will buy stock of 500K  1520 phones if  ( you make it exclusive for AT&T only).    
  • Exactly❗❗
  • Hey jobs lets get into the marketing business!!! ;)
  • But isn't the new chairman of Microsoft, John W. Thompson, also black?
    Edit: Sorry, this question is meant for A895.
  • Yes, the Chairman, John W. Thompson is also black.  As a MSFT shareholder for many, many years, the only color I care about is green as in making the stock price go up! 
  • Goes without saying. All these corporate guys may have different colored skins on the outside but peel that off and they're all colored green.
  • They are shapeshifting reptilians.. Everybody knows that..
  • Hmmm
  • It can't get worse, at least. Right? Please, don't let it get worse...
  • I can, for ex. if they choose to release ALL the new phones just for AT&T then yes, it can get worse.
  • Don't see how, he was at HP. I haven't seen any HP marketing in a few years. I honestly don't see the the reason for hiring him.
  • I would agree. HP maintains its market position via sales domination, not by advertising. That might work for Windows, but clearly not for Windows Phone.
  • Good to see a successful black man in tech. I'm black myself and it's a rarity to see others of the same skin color in this business.
    Posted via Windows Phone Central App Edit: His facial hair is perfectly trimmed. That whole headshot is so professional. If I was him I would put that photo on all his business cards and on the door to his office.
  • Amen. Preach!
  • Amen to that brotha.
  • Amen! Glad to see diversity at Microsoft.
  • Brothas in tech unite!
  • He's not really a tech guy, more of a saleman or a pitch type of person
  • This is true.  But let's roll with it since he works for a tech company.
  • This
  • Hahaha that's funny because today when I saw this pic below I was shocked. I said to myself, do they really have folks such as myself in those positions in tech. http://www.winbeta.org/sites/default/files/news/microsoftkevindallaswind...
  • Black power
  • Black power???... Really.. Lol❕❕❕
  • It's a joke
  • It doesn't surprise me a bit.....
    .................
    We can really sat that our society has progressed when things like this aren't, and don't have to be, acknowledged.... I guess we still have work to do... Lol❕
  • No, we don't. Population statistics plays a big part. "We don't have black people here, we must be a racist company." No sir, they all live in LA and don't want to commute.
  • But isn't the new chairman of Microsoft, John W. Thompson, also black?
  • Lol, I'm with you!! I worked for H-P for over 11 years in the Personal Systems Group supply chain that he headed up, and was very proud to find out that Tony was black. I wish him the best of luck at MS.
  • Another proud black guy here!
  • Plenty of black guys in tech in the south. Black woman? Those are like unicorns.
  • Black women have horns?!
  • Once a month...
  • Lol hahahahhaahaha :)
  • Only once a month?
  • Here, have my internets for the week.
  • lol
  • Haha Posted via Windows Phone Central App
  • Black/white/chinese.... It really shouldn't matter, even acknowledging his race I see as a bad thing. If he is good at his job, then I'm all for it
  • Nothing wrong with being proud of someone of your race/national orgin etc.  As I recall plenty of Indians sounded off proudly that the new CEO was Indian.   Competence is key though!  Results is what matters in a for profit corporation.  
  • Yeah don't get me wrong, totally agree with being proud of a nationality and what not. But for me, it just comes down to performance
  • I hear you!  
  • If you're not black, you probably can't appreciate this sort of thing. Black men get a ton of negative imagery in everyday life (some warranted, some not) so when we see a black man doing big things, it gives us a sense of pride. How is this a negative to you?
  • This all day. Posted via Windows Phone Central App
  • Jesus. Can't have one proud moment. Posted via Windows Phone Central App
  • What are you proud of? Is he related to you? Do you know him? Was I supposed to be proud that Bill Gates and Steven Ballmer were white and ran Microsoft? I'm from Russia. Am I supposed to be proud of Sergei Brin?
  • Uh, there are tons of white people in positions of power in the corporate world so it's not uncommon for you to see. It's not nearly as prevalent for black people. If a black person wants to be proud to see another black person do well, wtf difference does that make to you?!
  • This. Posted via Windows Phone Central App
  • Wtf is wrong with you? You're not black so you definitely would not understand. Posted via Windows Phone Central App
  • It's definitely a black thing
  • This. Posted via Windows Phone Central App
  • I'm more proud that it's quite a few black people on here. /Also Black/Afro American/ North American of African decentTM
  • Dam I wanted that job I had a interview and everything,:'( oh well I guess I can work at Samsung electronics.
  • You mean the....
    *puts sunglasses on*
    Dark side?
  • No, go work for deadberry....
  • Hmm...I don't recall HP being very outstanding in their marketing department though (or consumer area overall).But I hope his experience with the OEMs helps pushing MS marketing towards a more practical form.
  • Exactly my thoughts. I can't remember the last time I've seen an HP ad, especially one that wad good. Hope this guy has a good team under him to make magic happen.
  • Glad we all agree on that. I'd rather someone from Intel ramp up marketing, they seem to know what they're doing.
  • To be fair, there is a whole lot to marketing than TV spots. In fact, when was the last time you saw a nice consumer HP product? I mean, the ebay queen was going to totally shut down the consumer division not that long ago simply because it didn't really matter. Nadella is from the business world rather than the consumer world, and HP is very much a business supply company rather than a consumer company... I would venture to guess that it is his business marketing experience that got him the job as this is going to be the main emphesis of Microsoft for the forseeable future.
    But, there is still hope that when the video team throws a bunch of dancing people clicking keyboards together than Prophet will have the good sense to say 'No'.
  • Actually it was the silly Leo Apotheker the previous CEO that wanted to shut down and sell the consumer side. He really hurt HP, but the current CEO Meg Whitman is trying her best to bring HP back and undo what Leo did.
  • Those ads actually did give the surface some exposure. They were memorable. The problem is that you have to follow up a commercial like that with a commercial that actually shows what the product can do.  
  • About time too.
  • Glass to have him on MS' team* * as long as he had nothing to do with webOS' demise.
  • ^This... Man did I love my Pre!
  • +Pre+ ;)
  • Damn not going to lie but he is good looking. I can see him in some hanes or fruit the loom commercial
  • O_o
  • Shhhh shhh just let it happen ;) don't fight it just let it happen
  • LOL
  • Didn't know HP was doing so well in marketing that they just had to get somebody from there to work with Microsoft.
  • He must show up in every new Lumia trailer speaking about how wonderful is the design and the built
  • Well hopefully Mr. Prophet can give us a prophecy on how windows can generate more profit........ See what I did there.....
  • You're a clever one! ;)
  • Lol!   +925!
  • +1020
  • I see it and raise it 920.
  • So much diversity at Microsoft! Not just in race, but it talents and skills! Hope they are able to pull those set of diverse skills and experiences to do extremely well!!!
  • Oh Joy... Because HP is doing just sooo dandy!! I'd be more excited if his previous employer was a bit better off..
  • HPQ had a good year.  Stock price up almost 60% in the last year.  
  • HP hasn't seen a good year in a long time. Stocks are up because Meg keeps cutting them to death... Declining revenues in practically all business and increasing profits doesn't work for very long...
  • Damn, time to sell HPQ.  
  • Sa-WEET!!
  • One goes out, one goes in
  • The prophet XD
  • Forget the marketing and just have him hawk the products.  Dude has the name and looks to back it up.  I'm buying and I'm 100% Hetro. 
  • I don't know. If he's the one that came up with all the HP ads with the creepy "Nightmare Before Christmas" font we are screwed.
  • hahaha jesus what's going on in this post 
  • I just hope the guy gets good results for Microsoft, good luck
  • "I hate my gums cuz they black"
  • LMAO!!  You owe me a beer!!
  • Nigga takin my job! Well he's got a *wink* prophetic name. Hehehe Anywho he seems cool.
  • OMG!!! that was the guy who sent webOS to the hell??
  • No it wasn't, that would be former CEO Léo Apotheker.
  • Prophet?! The guy from Crysis?! That guys is badass!
  • Congrats to Tony Prophet on the new veep slot.