Former Symantec CEO Joins Microsoft Board

Microsoft announced that John Thompson, 62, has joined the company’s Board. Currently, Thompson serves as the CEO of Virtual Instruments, a provider of virtual infrastructure and SAN optimization. Before joining Virtual Instruments, he was the Chairman & CEO of Symantec. Earlier in his career, Thompson held senior leadership positions at IBM, including GM of IBM Americas. He currently serves on the board of directors at UPS, Seagate Technology, and Teach for America.

Board Shuffle at Apple

Apple has appointed Arthur Levinson, 61, as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board. Levinson, a molecular biologist, is the Chairman & former CEO of Genentech. He has been on the Apple board since 2000 and has been the Co-Lead Director since 2005. Levinson also serves on the board of Roche, Amyris, and NGM Biopharmaceuticals.

Microsoft Promotes Veteran to Head of Interactive Entertainment Division

Microsoft announced that Yusuf Mehdi has been appointed as the Head of Marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Division. In this role, he will be responsible for Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and Kinect. Most recently, Mehdi served as the Chief Audience Officer for the company’s Online Services Division. Mehdi has spent more than a decade at Microsoft Online Services and has fostered strategic partnerships with Yahoo, Facebook, Twitter, and Nokia. Before joining Microsoft, Mehdi was a Product Manager at Reuters Group.