Microsoft Director Emma Walmsley Won't Seek Re-Election To The Board
Walmsley, a Microsoft director since 2019, will serve until the December annual meeting, and the company says no dispute with management is behind her exit.
Microsoft director Emma Walmsley will not stand for re-election at the company's 2026 annual shareholder meeting, she told the company Wednesday, according to an 8-K filed Thursday. The decision follows HP's announcement the same day that she will become its CEO.
A departure with no dispute
Walmsley has sat on Microsoft's board since 2019. The filing says she will remain a director until the annual meeting, and that her decision is not the result of any disagreement with management over the company's operations, policies or practices.
Microsoft said in its announcement that the meeting is set for Dec. 8, 2026. The company also said she sits on its Compensation and Environmental, Social, and Public Policy committees.
The HP job she is taking
HP named Walmsley its next CEO, effective Jan. 4, 2027. She succeeds interim CEO Bruce Broussard, who is set to chair HP's board, according to Bloomberg's profile of her.
Before HP, Walmsley led the drugmaker GSK as chief executive from April 2017, leaving at the end of 2025, per the same profile.
What Microsoft's board loses
Microsoft, which makes Windows, Microsoft 365, the Azure cloud platform and Xbox, will have one fewer director on its slate when shareholders gather in December. Her board service ends at that meeting, a month before her HP start date.
Walmsley's board service ends at Microsoft's Dec. 8 annual meeting, and her tenure as HP's CEO begins Jan. 4, 2027.
Sources
- 8-K Filing — MICROSOFT CORP (MSFT) — SEC EDGAR
- Who is HP’s new CEO and Microsoft board member Emma Walmsley? — Bloomberg
- HP has a new CEO. | The Verge — The Verge
- Microsoft announces change to director slate for Annual Shareholders Meeting - Source — news.microsoft.com
