Microsoft AI Chief Marketing Officer Andréa
Mallard is leaving the company.
Mallard “started transitioning out of her post about six months after being appointed to the role,” according to Business Insider. “In the June 30 memo, viewed by Business Insider, Microsoft
executive Yusuf Mehdi said Mallard planned to relocate her family to Europe in August to be closer to her father, who was unwell, and that this would result in her stepping back from her
role.”
Microsoft confirmed Mallard's departure plans and said she will remain with the company in an advisory capacity until early next year.
“Mallard's departure comes as the company restructures its approach to consumer marketing,” according to Social Samosa. "It is merging its separate consumer and business Copilot
applications into a single app.”
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Consequently, Microsoft is reworking how it markets Copilot to consumers and businesses.
“The company is bringing its
separate consumer and business Copilot experiences closer together as part of a broader effort to create a unified application,” according to Storyboard 18. “Copilot has also
faced strong competition from generative AI products such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude in the consumer market. According to people familiar with the matter cited by Business Insider,
Microsoft does not plan to appoint a direct replacement for Mallard's CMO position. Instead, Copilot marketing responsibilities are being consolidated under Microsoft executive Jared
Spataro.”
Before Microsoft, Mallard spent seven years leading marketing at Pinterest. Prior to joining Pinterest in 2018, Mallard held the role of CMO at Gap brand Athleta, as
well as Omada Health.
“AI is already the most consequential technological shift of my lifetime,” Mallard wrote on LinkedIn at the time of her hiring, adding that this is which is why she stepped into the role two weeks ago.
“It will shape our children’s lives in ways that are difficult to predict.”