Angela Byers

I have been a marketing leader at Microsoft for 15 years. I have revived growth in mature category leaders like Microsoft Project (now Planner), Visio, and OneDrive. I have also created a new category - employee experience platform - and launched a new product called Microsoft Viva, which has become a recognized brand in the industry. I have also transformed products with generative AI, launching the first role-based copilot at Microsoft: Sales Copilot. Now I am responsible for Copilot for Microsoft 365 and Growth Initiatives in the small and medium business segment.

Microsoft doesn’t need a lot of introductions. We have evolved through the years though. Today, Microsoft creates platforms and tools powered by AI to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI available broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

We operate in a fast-paced and competitive industry, where technology and business models change constantly. Every industry change is a chance to create new products, new technologies, or new ideas that can advance the industry and our business further. We are living through a time of historic challenge and opportunity. This next generation of AI will redefine every software category and every business, including ours.

This distinction means breaking stereotypes for me. I don't fit the typical image of a marketer. I'm not extroverted, charismatic, or showy. I'm introverted, and I think and act like an engineer. I care more about making a difference for others than climbing the career ladder. I've learned to lead in my own way over the years. Being introverted helps me listen to different views and be inclusive; being an engineer helps me use data to find the best logical solution and aim for clarity; caring about my purpose helps me empower my team to do their best. This is how I lead large diverse teams to tackle new problems successfully.

I see this recognition as a reflection of the Microsoft inclusive values - of appreciating people for their contributions regardless of their race, gender, or in this case personality.

It's hard to promote myself! But I've learned to use my platform for good – telling my story to encourage people who don't see themselves as leaders that they too can learn to be effective leaders and still be their authentic selves.

I love brainstorm sessions with my team because more brains are better than one! I also like to learn about other businesses and industries and find analogies to apply to my problem at hand.

A successful team and organization can be defined by their consistent exceeding of goals through high performance, while fostering an environment where people are continuously learning and growing. They maintain a harmonious work-life balance, ensuring that professional achievements do not come at the expense of personal well-being

Microsoft has stayed a relevant company for forty-eight years because we have consistently—from PC/Server, to Web/Internet, to Cloud/Mobile—adjusted to changes in technology. Through this transition, our mission to enable every person and every organization on the planet to accomplish more remains unchanged.

United States continues to lead in innovation in technology and in this current race of AI. I am grateful to at the center of innovation.

Going suddenly from in-person collaboration to entirely remote collaboration over night has been a challenge for every business and every employee. I am grateful for technology (Teams!) and strong social ties and culture to help us be productive. My team and I launched Microsoft Viva – a new category, new product, new brand – all while remote over the course of the pandemic.

This new era of AI is defined by two advances. The first is natural language, the most universal interface. Computing history has followed the quest for more intuitive ways of interacting with computers—keyboards, mice, touch screens. We think we have reached the next big step—natural language—and will soon go further, to see, hear, understand, and make sense of our intentions and our environment. The second is a powerful new way of reasoning. We have digitized life, places, and things and stored them in databases. But what we have lacked is the ability to reason over data. This AI generation helps us work with data in new ways—from filling or summarizing text, to finding anomalies and identifying images—to help us discover patterns and insights faster than ever. These two advances are opening up huge new possibilities

I am a student of leadership and organizational management! There are a lot to recommend. But I’ll share just a couple of my recent reads: 1) The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World – in the age of AI where we are solving brand new problems, the adaptive mindset is essential to help us stay resilient and productive. 2) Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work- as a (rare) people manager that cares about the crafts, I love this book debunking the misperception of middle management and offering a new model for companies to develop and take advantage of this very valuable layer!

Generative AI is going to transform business in ways we may not be able to imagine, with how rapidly its capability is evolving. I do think that individual and team productivity is going to see a material uplift at scale. I also think that generative AI will transform every business function: marketing, sales, customer service, HR, IT, Finance, etc. It means that we’ll undergo another wave of business process transformation with huge acceleration in efficiency and effectiveness.

My parents faced many difficulties (wars, poverty, revolution) on their way to Hong Kong (where they managed to become teachers) and then to America to make a life here. They are models of persistence, strength, and peace for me. My faith also helps me keep that sense of peace and a purpose to serve people around me – even just those small ways at work.

Get to know yourself: what are your strengths, gaps, gives you energy (in the flow), drains you. Grow, stretch but stay yourself. There is only one you – so take what’s been given to you and make the most of it. Approach everything with a learning mindset – say yes to new experiences - good stretch assignment or even the if they turn into not-so-great experiences - all help you learn.