Microsoft’s gaming division continues to experience leadership transitions, with Lori Wright announcing her imminent departure from the company in the coming weeks. Having dedicated nine years to Microsoft, Wright most recently oversaw global partnerships, business development, and marketing initiatives within the Xbox organization.
Expressing gratitude for her tenure, Wright shared on LinkedIn that she was leaving with “overwhelming gratitude for the adventure of a lifetime.” She noted her plans involve enjoying sunrises and sunsets while exploring new possibilities ahead.
This announcement comes on the heels of Haiyan Zhang’s exit to Netflix the previous week. Zhang concluded a 13-year Microsoft career spanning Microsoft Gaming, Microsoft Research, and Xbox Studios, where she served as general manager and partner for Gaming AI. The gaming division now operates under Asha Sharma, who recently assumed the CEO position for Microsoft Gaming, succeeding longtime executive Phil Spencer.
At Seattle-based remittance firm Remitly, Luke Tavis, the company’s chief accounting officer, plans to retire at month’s end. According to regulatory documents, Tavis will transition to a vice president role through June to facilitate a smooth handover. Effective April 1, Tai-Hong Fung will assume Tavis’s responsibilities. Currently serving as VP and Controller, Fung joined Remitly in February following extensive experience at both Starbucks and Microsoft.
These personnel changes follow last month’s leadership shift at Remitly, when co-founder and long-serving CEO Matt Oppenheimer transitioned out of the chief executive role. Former Amazon executive Sebastian Gunningham now leads the financial technology company, while Oppenheimer continues serving as board chairman.
Enterprise software company Atlassian announced the departure of CTO Rajeev Rajan, who shared the news publicly after GeekWire reported his exit earlier in March, citing company regulatory filings. This development coincided with Atlassian’s announcement of workforce reductions affecting 10% of staff.
Reflecting on his nearly four-year tenure, Rajan expressed pride in his team’s accomplishments, including expanding engineering operations worldwide, fortifying platform infrastructure, and delivering collaboration products used by millions globally. Prior to Atlassian, Rajan held a VP of engineering position at Meta, where he directed the company’s Pacific Northwest engineering operations. His background also includes over twenty years at Microsoft in multiple leadership capacities.
Rajan indicated enthusiasm about emerging opportunities, particularly surrounding AI acceleration, and promised updates regarding his next professional move.
Cybersecurity firm SentinelOne appointed Brian Goldfarb as executive vice president and chief marketing officer. Operating from Seattle, Goldfarb previously held the CMO position at Texas-based IT
infrastructure provider SolarWinds. His marketing leadership experience includes roles at cybersecurity company Tenable, along with positions at Amperity, Chef Software, and Splunk. Goldfarb described returning to cybersecurity as energizing, emphasizing the sector’s mission-driven nature and the growing importance of AI-native platforms.
Thomas Pfenning, a corporate vice president who joined Microsoft in 1995, announced his retirement via LinkedIn. Pfenning highlighted his early contributions to MSN and the Windows 2000 networking
infrastructure, with recent work focused on developing the Azure Edge suite. He fondly recalled the collaborative spirit and camaraderie among colleagues throughout his 30-year career.
Former Ballmer Group executive director of advocacy and communications Cynara Lilly accepted the chief communications officer role at Silicon Valley startup Hippocratic AI. Lilly described the opportunity as sitting at the convergence of innovative technology, public policy, and a mission potentially impacting global health outcomes.
Seattle recruiting technology startup Provn appointed Taylor Brazelton as co-founder and chief technology officer. Brazelton previously worked as a senior software engineer at Microsoft, where he
collaborated with Provn CEO Nikesh Parekh. The startup launched operations in November.
Vishnu Nath, a vice president and general manager at Microsoft, departed after nearly fifteen years leading teams working on Microsoft OneNote and Copilot Notebooks. Nath characterized Microsoft as more than an employer, crediting the company for his leadership development and career achievements while indicating forthcoming announcements about future plans.
Alexandra Holien assumed the interim CEO position at Ada Developers Academy, a Seattle nonprofit providing technology training for underrepresented populations. The ten-year Ada veteran, who previously served in an interim CEO capacity, replaces Tina-Marie Gulley after her two-year tenure.
Scott Ruffin, former CEO of e-commerce startup Pandion, announced leadership of Kupu, a new healthcare sector venture described as a patient financial protection platform. Jesse Rebello joined
Seattle-based energy efficiency company Edo as managing director following extensive experience at ENGIE Impact. Gaming company PHYND appointed Luke Waters vice president of engineering, bringing experience from USAFacts, KenSci, and Microsoft.