New head of IR at Microsoft as Koefoed appointed Skype CFO

After four years leading Microsoft’s investor relations department, Bill Koefoed is taking up a new role as Skype’s chief financial officer.

Koefoed leaves behind a legacy of award-winning IR at Microsoft, with the company taking home a number of IR Magazine Awards – including, perhaps unsurprisingly, best IR website in 2011 – and multiple nominations since Koefoed joined the investor relations department in October 2008.

Replacing Koefoed as the software giant’s new general manager of investor relations is Chris Suh.

Revealing the move in the company’s earnings call, Microsoft CFO Peter Klein says, ‘I am pleased to welcome Chris as the new head of investor relations. Chris has been with Microsoft for more than 16 years and has been in diverse finance roles, which gives him a good background for this role. I also want to thank Bill for all he has accomplished over the past four years and congratulate him on his new role as CFO of the Skype division.’

As CFO at Skype, Koefoed joins the seemingly growing ranks of IROs who have made the jump to the C-suite, including Kenneth Janke at insurance giant Aflac, Blair Christie at Cisco and Mark Begor at GE.

Microsoft acquired internet communications firm Skype in an $8.5 bn deal, closed in October 2011.